Tasty Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pastries

I know I’ve mentioned this a few times, but I used to work in a bakery before I quit my job to be a stay-at-home mom.

One of my duties at the last “real” job I had, was to make the pastries for all of the eateries and catering orders at Utah State University.  It’s a lot different making danishes/pastries on a commercial scale compared to at-home quantities.  But it was fun to make these at home, and my husband told me that he missed having these Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pastries…it’s been almost 5 years since I quit my bakery job, but he remembers sampling all the good stuff!

I feel like it’s been the official Fall/pumpkin baking season for months now. But my brain is all skewed, my thoughts are all upside-down, I put my shirt on backwards this morning (No, really. I did.) and I haven’t slept more than 3 hours at a time in about a million years. My daughter, Noelle, is 7 weeks tomorrow, she’s the light of our entire world, and my socks are definitely mismatched right now.

But one thing is certain! We have less than 2 weeks until Thanksgiving and if pie just isn’t your thing, I give you a pumpkin bundt cake. And if you’re pumpkin-ed out by now, you certainly need more salted caramel and chocolate in your life. Because this pumpkin bundt cake has ’em both.

When I would make the pastries at the bakery, I would use a HUGE slab of danish dough, and a sheeter to roll it out.

The Pepperidge Farm box of puff pastry that I bought at the store had two square sheets, that make 9 small-medium sized pastries each.  It was nice to have it ready to go though.  You have to let it thaw at room temperature for 40 minutes, unfold it and then you can cut your large square into 9 smaller squares with a bench scrape or pizza cutter.

Ingredients

• 4 large eggs
• 2 cups (454g) puréed pumpkin (1-pound can)
• 1 cup (198g) vegetable oil
• 1 cup (60g) bran cereal
• 2 cups (241g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups (397g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon EACH ground cloves and cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon EACH allspice and ginger (or substitute 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice for the preceding four spices)
• 1 cup (113g) chopped walnuts
• 2 2/3 cups (454g) chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 10" tube or Bundt pan.
2. In a large bowl, beat eggs until foamy.
3. Stir in pumpkin, vegetable oil and bran cereal; combine well.
4. In another bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, sugar, and spices.
5. Add to wet ingredients and mix gently, until just combined.
6. Stir in nuts and chocolate chips.
7. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.
8. Bake in preheated 350°F oven for 70 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
9. Remove from the oven and cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and cool completely on a rack before slicing.
10. Store, loosely covered, at room temperature for 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

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