Pumpkin Week: Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Hope y'all are enjoying all the pumpkin recipes! Today's recipe stood out to me because it involves a cookie you normally only see at Christmas: Snickerdoodles.

But these are even better than regular snickerdoodles because they have pumpkin in them! I love baking with pumpkin because it gives the cookies a different texture. These were delicious. The pumpkin flavor wasn't super pronounced but you could definitely taste it.

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Source: Erin's Food Files

For the cookies:

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

1.5 cups granulated white sugar

3/4 cup unsweetened pumpkin puree

1 large egg

2 tsp vanilla extrace

3 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

For the rolling sugar:

1/2 cup granulated white sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground allspice

In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to cream the butter until fluffy. Add sugar and pumpkin puree and beat well. Mix in egg and vanilla, scraping down the sides of the bowl to incorporate all the ingredients.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and ground cinnamon. Beat the flour mixture into the liquid mixture a little at a time until just incorporated.

Cover dough with plastic and chill at least an hour, or until dough becomes slightly firm.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350º. Line baking sheets with parchment paper, or spray with nonstick spray. Mix rolling sugar ingredients in a small bowl.

Remove cookie dough from refrigerator. Use a medium cookie scoop or a large spoon to scoop out dough and roll into balls. Use your hands to roll the balls in cinnamon sugar nd make sure they are coated really well. Place 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets. Use a flat-bottomed glass dipped in sugar and flatten the balls.

Bake at 350º for 10-14 minutes, until they are slightly firm to the touch. Let cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes and then remove them to a wire rack and cool completely. Enjoy!

*Store in an airtight container. These cookies freeze well. Just place them in a freezer zip bag and remove from freezer when the craving hits.

Recipe Swap: Mrs. Field's Apple Oatmeal Cookies

Have you ever had a recipe that just goes completely wrong? This recipe for the recipe swap was that one for me. But don't stop reading and write this one off; it's definitely worth making. The theme this time was pumpkin or apple recipes. I submitted my Pumpkin Butterscotch and Chocolate Chip Cookies.

It started out when my to-do list this week exploded. I knew I had to make the cookies but then I kept adding x,y,z to my list to get ready for school and my parents visit. Every time I got ready to make the cookies, something else would pop into my head. Finally, 10:00pm rolls around and I start to make them. But then I realize that the things I thought I had weren't in the pantry. I was missing cloves, lemon zest, and honey. With some quick thinking substitutions (maple syrup kind of has the same consistency as honey and it seemed like it could fit with a Fall-ish recipe), I was able to make these cookies.

These definitely tasted like Fall. Cinnamon and apples have to be one of the best combinations out there and adding oatmeal into the mix and putting it in cookie form just made the pair even better. Their texture isn't like your regular cookie; it's more cake-like but it's also extremely moist. I recommend going by the actual recipe but if you are in a pinch, don't hesitate to substitute.

Mrs. Field's Apple Oatmeal Cookies

Source: Delish

2.5 cups AP flour

1 cup quick oats

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp cloves

2 tsp grated lemon zest

1 cup dark brown sugar, packed

3/4 cup butter

1 large egg

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup honey

1 cup fresh apple, peeled and finely chopped

Extra quick oats for topping, optional

Preheat oven to 300º. In a medium bowl, combine flour, oats, salt, soda, cinnamon, cloves and lemon zest. Mix well and set aside.

Cream the sugar and butter together using an electric mixer. Add the egg, applesauce, and honey and beat at medium speed until smooth. Add the flour mixture in slowly until just combined. Using a spatula, fold in the apples.

Drop by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased baking sheets, 1.5 inches apart. You can sprinkle the unbaked cookies with extra oats if you'd like.

Bake the cookies for 23-25 minutes or until bottoms are golden. Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies

These are the best cookies. Ever. My picture does not do them justice. Grease up your cookie sheets because you need to make these. Now.

I was a Girl Scout up until High School. My favorite time of year was cookie time! I loved selling cookies and trying to see which of the prizes I could get. My parents' attic is probably full of trash bags containing the large stuffed turtles or huskys that I won. I loved doing cookie sales outside of Bed Bath and Beyond but the reason I loved it so much was Do-Si-Dos! Thin Mints came in a close second place but the peanut butter and oatmeal combination of Do-Si-Dos was, and is, the best.

I've made these three times in the past two weeks. I, of course, sent half of them to work with the hubs but I have consumed way too many of these. The cookie itself is delicious but adding the creamy filling is... mmmm, I can't even think of a word for it. Recipe from Annie's Eats, originally from Allrecipes.

Yields about 18 sandwich cookies

For the cookies:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

8 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup quick-cooking oats

For the filling:

3 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted

2 tbsp heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 350º. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir together with a fork to blend. In the bowl of an electric mixture fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter, peanut butter and sugars on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Blend in the egg and vanilla extract. Add the dry ingredients and mix on a low speed until just incorporated. Stir in the oats with a spoon until evenly blended.

Scoop about 2 teaspoons of the dough onto the cookie sheet. Roll them into a ball. Bake about 10 minutes (mine only took 7-8 minutes), rotating the sheet halfway through. The cookies will be light golden brown and slightly puffed. Cool on the baking sheet about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.

Once the cookies have completely cooled, pair them up by size. To make the filling, combine the peanut butter, butter, and confectioners' sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Cream together until well combined. Mix in the heavy cream until smooth and fluffy. Spread a small amount of filling on the flat side of one cookie and sandwich together with the remaining cookie and press down so the filling reaches the edges.

Pumpkin Butterscotch and Chocolate Chip Cookies

We are a one-car household. At least for a few more weeks. So when I don't have school, Neil takes the car and I stay home for the day. Sometimes I get cravings, especially for sweet things. I spent this morning studying for my American Indian Studies class and when I took a break I could not stop craving sweets. We don't buy any junk food so I couldn't find any Oreos hiding in the back of the closet or even a long-forgotten piece of Halloween candy.

The only thing we had in the closet that was even partially sweet was pumpkin and some leftover butterscotch and chocolate chip morsels. I googled "Pumpkin and Butterscotch" and found this recipe from Annie's Eats on the very bottom of the first page. I follow her blog and I can't believe I didn't bookmark this recipe when I saw it. I didn't have the full amount of butterscotch or chocolate chips so I split the batter into thirds and did 1/3 butterscotch, 1/3 chocolate chips, and 1/3 mixed.

The butterscotch and pumpkin cookies were by far my favorite. The mixed ones and the chocolate chip only ones were delicious but there was something about the flavor mix of pumpkin and butterscotch that just did it. And even though pumpkin may be considered out of season, it was a delicious treat to enjoy! Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

2 cups all-purpose flour

1.5 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 large eggs

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil

1 cup pumpkin puree

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup butterscotch chips (or a mixture of butterscotch and chocolate chips)

Preheat the oven to 325º. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper to help keep the bottoms from browning or burning. Ina small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; whisk to blend. In a bowl of an electric mixer, combine the sugar and eggs. Beat on medium-high speed until smooth and light in color, about 1 minute. Blend in the oil, pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract until well combined. With the mixer on a low speed, mix in the dry ingredients until just incorporated. Fold in the butterscotch and/or chocolate chips with a spatula.

Drop mounds of dough onto the baking sheets, spacing them a few inches apart. Bake, rotating the sheet halfway through, until the tops feel set and a toothpick or fork comes out dry, about 14-16 minutes. Allow to cool on the baking sheets for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Eat right away or store in an airtight container. Enjoy!

Linking up with Sweets for a Saturday!

Boiled Oatmeal Cookie

When I was little, my dad used to make us boiled oatmeal cookies about once a month or so. We weren't allowed in the kitchen while he was making them and he would never tell us the secret ingredients. He'd spend about 10 minutes in the kitchen and then bring us each a plate of oatmeal cookies. Except, they wouldn't be small little cookies; they'd be big pies. We'd each get a plate and a big glass of milk. They were delicious but would always be too sweet to finish so we'd save them for breakfast the next morning.

I finally got the recipe when my aunt put all of her recipes, along with other family members, in a cookbook and gifted us with it on Christmas. While looking through some blogs, I found a recipe for No Bakes which is almost exactly like my dad's boiled oatmeal cookies. There were a few differences but it was almost exactly the same. This is another chocolate and peanut butter combination that can become quite addicting!

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 stuck butter

3 tbsp peanut butter

3 cups quick oats

1 tsp vanilla

Combine the sugar, milk, cocoa, and butter in a sauce pan. Bring to a rolling boil and allow to cook for about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the rest of the ingredients. Drop by spoonful onto parchment paper and allow to set. Or grab a big glass of milk, plop some on a plate and enjoy!

Peanut Butter Blossoms

This is another easy recipe from Abby. There are plenty of homemade peanut butter blossom recipes out there but these are just as delicious as their homemade counterparts. Peanut butter and chocolate is one of my favorite combinations. Whenever I hear those Reese's commercials or see them on TV I start craving. These are delicious and would be a perfect fix for me peanut butter and chocolate cravings!

Bagged peanut butter cookie mix or pre-maid ready to bake dough from refrigerator

Hershey's kisses

Mix the dough according to directions. Roll dough into 2 inch balls. Bake according to the directions until they are slightly done. Remove cookies from oven an immediately press Hershey kiss into center of the cookie. Do not remove cookies from the pan until they are entirely cooled and the chocolate is no longer mushy. It usually takes awhile for them to cool completely and moving the cookie will cause the chocolate to melt and lose its shape.

Decorated Sugar Cookies

I just thought I would post a picture of the beautifully decorated sugar cookies that I mentioned in the post below! I know it's a little late for Christmas but hopefully I'l be posting some decorated cookies that are as beautiful as the ones Abby made in the next few weeks!

7 Layer Magic Bars

Alternate post title: Sweet Deliciousness

For the cookie exchange I hosted, I wanted to do something a little different. We had ten girls coming so I knew we would have tons of cookies. I choose to do a bar and I picked one of the best bars I know. Magic bars are just that- a magical blend of layers of different flavors. I omitted the nuts since I know some people are allergic to them. I even made an extra batch to send to work with Neil and his buddies loved them!

Recipe yields 2 dozen but can be easily doubled.

2 cups of graham cracker crumbs

3/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

14 oz. sweetened condensed milk

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chops

1 cup butterscotch chips

1 1/3 cups flaked coconut

1 cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 350º (325º for glass pan). Combine graham crackers and melted butter and mix well. Press crumb mixture firmly on bottom of a well-greased 13x9 inch baking pan. Add chocolate chips and butterscotch next. Top with coconut. Pour sweetened condensed milk over the top. Bake for 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely. Cut into squares or diamonds. Store covered at room temperature. Enjoy!