Pumpkin thumbprints

So far, I’ve done vanilla thumbprints (three ways) and chocolate thumbprints (two ways), so it only seems fitting to add pumpkin thumbprints (just the one way).

Warning: these will disappear pretty quickly.

Pumpkin Thumbprints 

1 cup flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp allspice

1/2 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp cloves

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

4 oz cream cheese, room temperature

2 tablespoons butter, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

Cinnamon for sprinkling

1) Preheat the oven to 375

2) Mix brown sugar, pumpkin, vegetable oil, and vanilla in a mixer. Once combined, add in egg and mix.

3) In a separate bowl, combine all dry ingredients (except powdered sugar!) Mix into the wet ingredients.

4) Roll out cookies (I used a melon baller for consistency) and cook for 6 minutes. Pull out of oven, and indent each cookie with the back of a teaspoon (or coffee scoop).

5) Cook for an additional 6 minutes, then let cool completely.

6) Mix the cream cheese, butter, and powdered sugar, then pipe into the center of each cookie and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Fudge sandwich cookies

As you may know, I had my family in town this thanksgiving, and so I let my brother pick out a recipe to try.

He, not surprisingly, went for the one with sprinkles.

(Recipe lightly adapted from the Food Network magazine).

Fudge sandwich cookies

2 1/2 cups flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

2 1/2 sticks salted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2/3 cup heavy cream

8 oz milk chocolate, finely chopped

sprinkles

1) In a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar until soft and fluffy (about 3 minutes)

2) Add egg and vanilla to mixer, and mix until just combined

3) Mix dry ingredients in a bowl (flour and baking powder), then add to the mixer.

4) Divide the dough between two sheets of plastic wrap, and form into disks (approx 3/4 inch thick). Refrigerate for an hour

5) Bring heavy cream to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat, and pour over the chocolate. Mix until fully combined, set aside.

6) Preheat oven to 350, and roll  out the dough as little as possible (seriously, this is important). Use a glass to cut out equally sized round cookies. Cook for 12 minutes, then let cool completely.

7) In a stand mixer, whip the chocolate for 45-60 seconds, or until thick.

8) Build your sandwich – put the chocolate between two cooled cookies, and add sprinkles as desired. Enjoy!

Peanut butter cookies

This Thanksgiving, I’m thankful for the simple things – mornings I get to sleep in, a place to call home, and family who are willing to travel to spend the holiday with me.

Oh, and a brother who also thinks that cookies are an anytime food.

We made these as a snack while prepping Thanksgiving dinner, and while we might not be as hungry as we were when we started, we’re super happy about how they turned out.

Peanut butter cookies

1/2 cup salted butter, softened

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1 egg

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/4 cup flour

1) Preheat oven to 375

2) Mix butter, peanut butter, and sugars in a stand mixer, then add in the egg

3) Mix flour, baking powder, and baking soda, then add to the mixer

4) Roll into balls, then use a fork to make a cross on each cookie (see photo for example)

5) Cook 8-10 minutes, then let cool before dunking in milk

Marzipan White Chocolate Chip cookies

My new grocery store is a magical, wonderful place – but the baking supply section is a bit odd. We’re talking…red cocoa powder, but no dutch process cocoa powder. Three kinds of baking powder but not a single baking soda in a resealable container.

Apparently, they also carry marzipan.

I hadn’t ever bought marzipan in a tube, and while I will say that it’s not nearly as good as homemade marzipan, it was certainly sufficient for baking purposes.

Marzipan White Chocolate Chip cookies

1/2 cup salted butter, softened

1/3 cup white sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 cup white chocolate chips

1/2 cup marzipan, cut into small pieces (I found a sharp knife worked best)

1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

2) In a stand mixer, combine butter and sugar until smooth, then add egg and vanilla

3) Mix flour and baking soda, then add to stand mixer

4) Mix in the chips and marzipan chunks – I had to do this by hand

5) Roll out cookies, and cook for 15 minutes or until slightly brown on the edges

6) Let cool before eating!

Chocolate thumbprint cookies two ways

After the successful thumbprint cookies the other day, I figured I’d try them with chocolate and see what happened.

I wasn’t disappointed with the results.

The first option have a cream cheese frosting center and red sprinkles:

The second have a peppermint glaze and candy cane chunks:

Both are delicious and wonderful and amazing…and you should make them right away.

Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies

18 tablespoons butter, softened

3/4 cup white sugar

1/3 cup cocoa powder

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2) In a stand mixer, combine butter and sugar, then mix in cocoa powder.

3) Add baking powder and baking soda to flour, then mix into the batter.

4) Roll into small balls, and cook for 7-9 minutes. When they come of the oven, use your thumb or a melon baller to create indents in each cookie. Let cool before adding center.

To make cream cheese frosting: Combine 3 oz cream cheese, 3 tablespoons butter, and 3-4 cups powdered sugar – mix until smooth.

To make peppermint glaze: Combine 1/3 cup heavy cream, 3-5 dashes peppermint extract, and 3-4 cups powdered sugar. Top with crushed candy canes.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies With Raspberry Frosting

As someone who doesn’t have a car, I often barter for help – you know, drive me to the grocery store and I’ll cook you dinner, or pick something up from Home Depot and I’ll trade you cookies.

Tonight’s trade was cookies in exchange for help carrying Thanksgiving groceries. I let Will  pick his poison, and this is what he requested!

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies With Raspberry Frosting

2 cups flour

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

2 1/2 sticks salted butter, at room temperature

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

Frosting: mix 1/2 cup raspberries, powdered sugar (approx 3 cups), 4 tablespoons of butter, and milk as needed to make raspberry frosting.

1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

2) Mix sugar and butter in a stand mixer, then stir in eggs and vanilla

3) In a separate bowl, combine baking soda, cocoa powder, and flour, then stir into the butter mixture

4) Mix in mini chocolate chips

5) Cook for 8-9 minutes, let cool, then frost. If desired, toss a raspberry on top.

Thumbprint cookies three ways

Confession: I’d never made thumbprint cookies before, but I was craving salted caramels, and figured this was a good way to combine that craving and get a daily cookie recipe.

These can be easily adapted with any type of filling – I’ll include recipes for the fudge and the caramels, but you could put almost anything else you wanted.

Thumbprint cookies

10 tablespoons salted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 1/4 cups flour

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2) In a stand mixer, combine the sugar and butter until completely mixed, 2-3 minutes. Stir in vanilla.

3) Slowly add flour, and mix on increasingly high speeds until it’s combined.

4) Roll cookies into balls, and place on cookie sheet. Cook for 10 minutes, then remove from oven.

5) Using a melon baller or a coffee scoop, indent each cookie (this is where the “thumbprint” comes from). Bake for another 7-8 minutes, and let cool slightly.

6) Before cookies cool completely, fill the center with the topping of your choice – two recipes are below, or you can use jam (my third choice). Let cool completely before eating.

Fudge topping

2 tablespoons butter

2 oz semisweet chocolate

1 tsp corn syrup

Mix in microwave safe bowl, and zap for 30 seconds at a time until fully combined.

Salted Whiskey Caramel topping

Take this recipe: salted whiskey caramels and make it, but only cook the caramel until it hits 234 degrees. Let cool slightly before adding to cookies – then sprinkle with sea salt.

Chocolate pomegranate cookies with mini chocolate chips

A new grocery store opened in my neighborhood – just a few blocks from my house – and when I went to check it out, they had beautiful pomegranates in a display that called out my name.

I haven’t ever baked with pomegranates before, so I checked out How Sweet it Is, and of course she had a recipe I could adapt. My tip – don’t buy the whole pomegranate unless you have some time to kill. Just buy the arils…worth the extra dollar or so.

 

Chocolate pomegranate cookies

2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

1/2 cup pomegranate arils

1) Preheat the oven to 350

2) Mix the butter and sugar in a stand mixer, then add eggs and vanilla.

3) In separate bowl, mix cocoa powder, flour, and baking soda – then add to the mixer bowl.

4) Mix in the mini chocolate chips and pomegranates – you may need to do this by hand, I couldn’t get the stand mixer to really incorporate the seeds.

5) Cook for 8-10 minutes, then let cool completely before eating.

Bourbon balls

Sometimes, the holidays are stressful – too many people traveling, in crappy conditions, to eat a highly emotionally packed meal together. Plus, there’s always the awkward family member, or the topic of conversation you’re all trying to avoid, or maybe just the fact that you’re all trying way too hard to make everything perfect.

All I’m saying is, sometimes the holidays make you want a drink. Or chocolate. Or both. This is your recipe.

Bourbon Truffles

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk

3 cups mini chocolate chips

1 tablespoon vanilla

3 tablespoons bourbon (I used buffalo trace)

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1) In a medium saucepan, combine sweetened condensed milk and mini chocolate chips, and heat over medium heat until fully melted.

2) Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla and bourbon.

3) Chill in fridge for 2-4 hrs (I left them overnight, but that’s not necessary).

4) Roll mixture into 1 inch balls, and roll in cocoa powder. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours to set.

Dark chocolate cookies with drunken cherries

I have to give Kevin a lot of credit – I hadn’t ever really thought of soaking dried fruit in bourbon until I saw his Facebook posts, and well, it’s safe to say I’m completely addicted.

These are just a basic chocolate cookie, swapping out the cocoa powder for hershey’s special dark cocoa powder, and plus a little bourbon.

Only downside of these cookies is that they look a lot less delicious than they taste.

Dark chocolate cookies with drunken cherries

2 cups flour

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

2 1/2 sticks salted butter, at room temperature

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup dried cherries

3 tablespoons bourbon

1) In a small cup, soak the cherries in bourbon for 30-60 minutes.

2) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

3) Mix sugar and butter in a stand mixer, then stir in eggs and vanilla

4) In a separate bowl, combine baking soda, cocoa powder, and flour, then stir into the butter mixture

5) Mix in the cherries and bourbon

6) Cook for 8-10 minutes, and let cool before eating