Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Sorry for the bad photo- I had to snap it on my cell phone. I made these tonight after my friend brought them over to our Mom's Night In the other night and they went faster than our wine! They are so good.
* note- These are so soft and yummy- I think the secret is not smashing them down with a glass as stated in the recipe. I just dropped balls in the sugar/cinnamon coating and let them bake for 8 minutes exactly.

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles


Yield: about 3-4 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

For the cookies:

3¾ cups all-purpose flour

1½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. ground cinnamon

¼ tsp. ground nutmeg

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

½ cup light brown sugar

¾ cup pumpkin puree

1 large egg

2 tsp. vanilla extract

For the coating:

½ cup granulated sugar

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

½ tsp. ground ginger

Dash of allspice

Directions:

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Whisk to blend and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugars on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Blend in the pumpkin puree. Beat in the egg and vanilla until incorporated. With the mixer on low speed add in the dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated. Cover and chill the dough for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Combine the sugar and spices for the coating in a bowl and mix to blend. Scoop the dough (about 2½ tablespoons) and roll into a ball. Coat the dough ball in the sugar-spice mixture and place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough to fill the sheets, spacing the dough balls 2-3 inches apart. Dip the bottom of a flat, heavy-bottomed drinking glass in water, then in the sugar-spice mixture, and use the bottom to flatten the dough balls slightly. Recoat the bottom of the glass in the sugar-spice mixture as needed.

Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, or until just set and baked through. Let cool on the baking sheets about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough. Store in an airtight container.

Candy Bar Chocolate Chip Sandwich Cookies via the Picky Palate

I'm always hunting for a new food blog to follow - or a new recipe to try.  I've come across the Picky Palate and have gained 15 pounds just looking at the yummy creations she makes.  

I've made candy bar brownies, brownie covered oreos, some gooey white chocolate bars and much more...  

For Father's Day I made my husband some Reese's Chocolate Chip Sandwich Cookies.  

Yeah, you get what I'm saying...

15 pounds, Baby.

 

Candy Bar Chocolate Chip Sandwich Cookies
2 sticks softened butter
1 Cup granulated sugar
3/4 Cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla
10 oz bag chocolate chips
Variety of snack size Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, Snickers and Kit Kat
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a stand or electric mixer, cream butter and sugars until well combined. Add eggs and vanilla until well combined.
2. Place flour, baking soda and salt in large bowl; mix then slowly add to wet ingredients. Add chocolate chips to combine. Using a cookie scoop take one scoop of cookie dough and place on top of snack size candy bar. Take another scoop of dough and place on bottom of candy bar. Seal edges together by pressing and cupping in hand until candy bar is enclosed with dough. Place onto a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet and bake cookies 9-13 minutes or until cookies are baked to your liking. Let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack. Serve with a tall glass of milk, enjoy!
Makes about 24 LARGE Cookies
Here's a link to her cookies:
Collection of Picky Palate Stuffed Cookies

Tate's Cookies

this morning, in my email, was an incredible monday morning treat. my sister (april) sent my a link to GOOP - have you heard of it?
it's gwyneth paltrow's own little website. she updates weekly, with all kinds of different interests. while i realize that gwyneth needs no help from me in the advertising or marketing area - i thought that you may need help in the 'idea' department! so, i thought i would go ahead and share this with you all. and yes, i made these cookies today - i was craving a chocolate chip cookie anyway! (i should tell you that Tate's Bake Shop is a bakery for the rich and famous in southhampton, ny... and i got their recipe from gwyneth herself!) ;)



YIELD: About 40 cookies
2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) lightly salted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1 teaspoon water
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, beaten
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 350º.
Whisk the flour, soda and salt together in a bowl. In another large bowl, mix the butter with a wooden spoon to lighten it a bit and then mix in the sugars. Add the water, vanilla and eggs to the butter mixture. Stir in the flour mixture until just combined and then fold in the chocolate chips. Using two soup spoons, drop the cookies 2" apart onto two nonstick or greased cookie sheets. Bake for 8-12 minutes (depending on the level of chewy-crispy you like), rotating the sheets after four minutes. Remove the cookies to a wire rack to cool, and repeat the process with the rest of the batter.

Hazelnut Espresso Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
16 T (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
3 T instant espresso powder
2 cups (10 oz) hazelnuts (skins removed), coarsely chopped
--preheat oven to 275 degrees, to remove skins, place raw, shelled hazelnut in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet, bake until skins crack, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a clean kitchen towel and roll up. Let steam 5 minutes. Rub the nuts in the towel between your hands until most of the skins have come off.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.
With an electric mixer, beat butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in espresso powder.
With mixer on low, beat in flour mixture until incorporated. With a rubber spatula, stir in hazelnuts.
Drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto three baking sheets, 1-1/2 inches apart. Bake, first two sheets together, until golden about 12 minutes. Rotating sheets halfway through. Repeat with remaining sheet. Cool cookies on sheets 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.

Makes 3 dozen
Prep time: 20 minutes
Total time: 50 minutes

everyday food magazine, holiday 2007

Icebox Butter Cookies

• 3 cups (spooned and leveled) all-purpose flour
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut in pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 large egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Egg wash, (optional): 1 large egg white, beaten with 2 teaspoons water
• Decorating sugar and sprinkles, (optional)

1. Place flour, sugar, butter, and salt in the bowl of a food processor; process until mixture is the texture of coarse meal.
2. In a small bowl, lightly beat egg yolks and vanilla; with motor running, add to food processor. Process just until a dough forms.
3. Divide dough in half; form into two 2-inch square logs, each approximately 5 1/2 inches long. Wrap logs in waxed paper; refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice dough crosswise, 3/16 inch thick; carefully transfer slices to baking sheets.
5. If decorating, brush with egg wash, then sprinkle with sugar or sprinkles. Bake until edges are firm (not brown), 10 to 15 minutes. Cool 1 to 2 minutes on baking sheets; cool completely on a rack.
6. Store finished cookies in an airtight container, up to 2 weeks.

everyday food magazine, holiday 2007

Chocolate Streusel Bars

here's another one of my GG's recipes:

In a large bowl combine:
1-3/4 cup flour
1-1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup fine coconut
1/2 cup cocoa

Cut in 2 cubes butter until crumbly.
Measure 2 cups and set aside.
Press remaining mix in a greased 9x13.
Bake 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

In a large mixiing bowl:
Beat 1 - 8 oz cream cheese, softened, until fluffy.
Gradually beat in:
1 can sweetened condensed milk until smooth
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla - Mix well and pour over crust.

Combine 1/2 cup chopped nuts with remaining mix and sprinkle on top.

Bake 25 minutes 350 degrees or until bubbly.
Cool.
Cut and store covered in refrigerated or freezer.

Quick Chocolate cookies

These are super easy and yummy. If you cook them less time they have a brownie like consistancy.. either way, really good. Makes about 32 normal sized cookies (not as many as the recipe stated)
1 box Betty Crocker SuperMoist devil's food cake mix
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1. Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, mix cake mix, oil, vanilla and eggs with spoon until dough forms.
2. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll in sugar. On ungreased cookie sheets, place balls about 2 inches apart.
3. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until set. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. Store tightly covered.
betty crocker

Touchdown Chocolate Bars

This is my Grandma Grace's recipe - I tried to relay it to you as uncomplicated as possible, but if you come across something you don't understand, leave a comment and I'll try to figure it out for you!

Combine in a medium bowl:
1-3/4 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa

Cut in 1 stick butter or shortening. Mix until crumbly.

Add 1 beaten egg. Mix.

Set aside 1-1/2 cups of the mixture and add 1 cup chocolate chips.

Place the remainder in a greased 9x13 dish.

Bake 10 minutes.

In a sucepan combine 1 can sweetened condensed milk, 1 cup chocolate chips. Heat and stir until melted and smooth.

Spread over crust.

Sprinkle on chopped nuts (as desired).

Sprinkle on the remaining flour and sugar mixture.

Bake about 25 minutes at 350 degrees or until center is set.

Grace Folkertsma

(sidenote: one year, right after thanksgiving, my GG (grandma grace) invited my sisters and mom over for a cookie making day. we made trays and trays of different kinds of cookies. she hand wrote 5 of each of the recipes for each of us. there had to have been 7 different kinds, too. as i read this card i truly appreciate the work that went into each card. and now i have a little bit of her each time i make them! thanks, GG)

Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies

Because of some refrigeration time, you'll need a few hours for this recipe, but it is worth it!

7 oz semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped
1-1/2 cups, plus 1 T flour
1-1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 T cocoa powder
8 T unsalted butter
1 T fresh grated ginger
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup sugar (for rolling the cookies in)

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and cocoa. Set aside.
Beat together butter and ground ginger until whitened (about 4 minutes). Add dark brown sugar. Add molasses.
Dissolve baking soda in 1-1/2 tsp boiling water. Beat half of the flour mixture into butter mixture. Beat in baking soda mixture, then remaining flour mixture. Mix in chopped chocolate.
Place on plastic wrap and roll out to 1 inch thickness. wrap completely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Roll dough into 1-1/2 inch balls and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Roll in granulated sugar, bake until the surfaces crack slightly, 10-12 minutes. Cool 5 minutes. Transfer to wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Wine Cookies

This is a recipe from my Italian Grandmothers cookbook. We had these often around the holidays and they are sooooooo good. They are a lot of work, but worth it.
I'm going to post in the odd order the recipe was written by her.
2 cups white wine
1 cup sugar
1 ts. cinnamon
pinch of ginger
Boil these ingredients together a couple of minutes until sugar is disolved. Cool
*must be cool!!
Add 4 eggs and enough flour to make a soft dough -about 7 cups.
Roll dough into long strips as big around as your thumb. Cut pieces 1 1/2 inch long
Fry in about 1 cup oil until golden brown. When cool dip in honey or sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Makes a ton (?)

5 layer bars

1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 cup butterscotch morsels
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine graham cracker crumbs and melted butter. Press into bottom of a 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle remaining ingredients of mix over crumb mixture. Pour sweetened condensed milk over the layers. Bake for 30 minutes. Allow to cool and cut into bars.

Food Network- Paula Deen

MARION'S OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1-1/2 cups flour
2-1/2 cups oats
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream together sugars, shortening, eggs and vanilla in a mixer.
Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in separate bowl.
Add slowly to sugar mixture.
Add oats.
Add chocolate chips.

Bake 9-11 minutes.

This recipe was given to me by my step-grandmother-in-law (we're an american family...stealing a line from You've Got Mail) Marion French.

adaptations: I usually only put in 2 cups of oats per batch, they come out a little less dense (no jokes, please!) and i always double it, sometimes triple it. The dough freezes lovely!

PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

This may be the simplest cookie recipe ever!

These were so easy and yummy- I cooked mine for about 7-8 minutes and they are soft.

What You'll need:

1 c. peanut butter

1 c. sugar, plus more for rolling

1 egg

Heat oven to 375. Stir together all ingredients. Roll dough into 1 inch balls. Put some sugar on a plate and roll balls of dough into sugar. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Press each ball with a fork to make crisscross design. Bake 10 minutes or until cookies just start to brown on the edges. Remove and let cool on wire racks. Made about 2 dozen.

Parents magazine, October 2008