Iced Pumpkin Cookies - Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap

When I asked my uncle what I could contribute to our Thanksgiving meal, his response was "how about a cookie that is appropriate for little fingers?".  We had nine kids 5 and under (including my own) so I was happy to oblige.  And I knew the perfect holiday treat to make, too!

My dear friend Jessica over at Sunny Side Up had just made these Iced Pumpkin Cookies for her Blogger's Choice swap and raved about them, so they were the obvious choice for my Thanksgiving dessert.  To make them more toddler-friendly I left the icing off, but everyone still raved about them.  My sister-in-law even made them herself that weekend!  And bonus, the recipe Jessica had based hers on was actually dairy-free, so if you're looking to make them parve, just check out the post at Dough See Dough.

These cookies went over so well at Thanksgiving (and made so many - I got about 45 cookies with one batch!) I knew immediately that these were the cookies that I would send out this year for the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap.

I love this cookie swap.  You send out 3 dozen or so of one cookie and get cookies in return from 3 different bloggers.  It always opens up my world of blogs to follow, as well!  I sent my cookies to Take a Bite out of Boca, Flamingo Musings, and Shikha la Mode and in return I got delicious molasses spice cookies from Three Sixty Five Degrees, chocolate chip oatmeal hazelnut macaroons from My Upbeet Life and cranberry chocolate chip cookies from The Dreamery.

From the response I have been getting from everyone that tries these cookies, I know that they will be making a comeback next fall.

Iced Pumpkin Cookies (from Sunny Side Up)

Ingredients
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cup white whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup pack dark brown sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree (I used fresh, but you can also use 100% canned pumpkin)
1 egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 cup confectioners' sugar
4 tbsp milk
1 tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract


Directions
- Preheat oven to 350f.
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt.  Set aside.
- In the bowl of a standing mixer (fitted with a paddle attachment) cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl then add the pumpkin puree, egg, and vanilla.  Mix  until well combined.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients (I add 1/4 cup at a time), scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Using a rounded tablespoon (or a cookie scoop), place the dough 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.  Wet your hands with a little water (so the dough doesn't stick to them) and gently mold the dough into a more rounded circle, flatten, and smooth.
- Bake 13-15 minutes.  Allow to cool on teh baking sheet for 5 minutes  before transferring to a wire cooking rack.
- While the cookies are cooling, whisk together the confectioners' sugar, 2 tablespoons of milk, melted butter and vanilla extract.  Add the additional tbsps of as needed to reach your desired drizzling consistency.  Drizzle over the cookies and allow to harden before storing.

It's noted that the cookies may become too moist being stored in tupperware or a ziplock bag.  If this happens, you can store them with parchment paper between each layer and leave a corner of the tupperware lid open.

Chocolate Pecan Pie

This month's theme for What's Baking was "Pies".  With Thanksgiving happening, who didn't have an excuse to participate without having to plan out what/when to make?!  I re-made a pie that I had tried out a few years ago.  One problem we usually have at Thanksgiving is that everyone gets so stuffed with appetizers and the main meal, that when it comes to dessert, everyone looks wistfully at the spread and stays as far away as possible from the table.  I had made this pie a few years ago (after finding the recipe online), and literally had to guilt my dad and his cousin into trying it (they split a piece).  I had some and thought it was delish, but didn't think it was such a big hit due to the response I received that year.

Fast forward to this year.  I knew I wanted to bring a pie based on the WB theme.  I ran a few ideas by my husband, and mentioned the chocolate pecan pie I had made years ago.  His face lit up with anticipation when I told him, so I figured why not give it another shot?  I also decided to up the ante a bit and make my own pie crust.  I was nervous at first, but after making it, I realize how easy it is!  Though I do admit, my rolling skills need some improvement (it was a little thicker in some areas than others).  The original recipe calls for a caramel sauce, but honestly, I don't think it needed it, so I left it off.


The response to the pie was much better this year.  Maybe people had better portion control during the meal?  I don't know, but almost half the pie was eaten at Thanksgiving and we sent a couple pieces home with my second cousin (who loudly announced after taking a bite that my husband was a lucky man).

And yes, not only does my husband agree with that sentiment on a regular basis, but after having this pie (and making sure we had some to take home), he has a new line to add to the list of why he's lucky.

Emeril's Rich Chocolate Pecan Pie (very slightly adapted from a post by Good Morning America in Nov 2008)

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups pecans
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips  
1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell (****the recipe for pie shell is below****)
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch salt  

Directions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Spread the pecan pieces and the chocolate chips evenly on the bottom of the pie shell.
-In a mixing bowl, whisk the remaining ingredients together.
- Pour the filling over the pecans.
- Bake until the filling sets, 50 to 60 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and cool for 30 minutes before slicing.


Basic Pie Dough (as printed in The Craft of Baking)

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp kosher salt
8 tbsp (1 stick) chilled, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup solid vegetable shortening
1/2 cup ice water, plus more if needed

Directions
***For best results, measure out ingredients and chill in the freezer for 15 minutes before making the dough

- In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, and salt; pulse to combine.
- Add the butter and the shortening, and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, with some larger pieces remaining.
- With the machine running, add the ice water through the feed tube in a slow, steady stream, processing just until the dough begins to bind and holds together when squeezed in the palm of your hand, 5 to 10 seconds.  If the dough is too dry, add a bit more water, 1 tbsp at a time.
- Turn out the dough onto a clean work surface and shape it into a flattened disk.  Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or over night (the dough can be frozen for up to 1 month; thaw it overnight in the refrigerator before using)

Honey Cornbread Muffins

I know it's been a while since my last post.  A lot has gone on since then - a hurricane which led to a week with no power, then trying to get caught up with life before going away for a week, and then Thanksgiving.  What a month it's been!

Speaking of Thanksgiving, here is a favorite recipe of mine.  My family's gatherings are quite large.  Back in the day, my grandmother played host to so many people that the already-large-enough-for-20 table was extended so it went from one end of the large dining room all the way into the living room!  Now my aunt & uncle play host and this year had about 25 people.  As with most holiday meals, some guests bring food to contribute to the meal.  A few years back I was trying to come up with a side dish I could bring.  I decided that I wanted to bring cornbread, but how could that be served easily to the large crowd?  I could make it in a large baking dish and cut it up to serve, OR I could just make them the easy to share size of mini muffins!  I found this recipe online at FoodNetwork.com.  It's super easy to follow, and easy to convert to mini-muffins.

Now each year this is one of the things I contribute to our Thanksgiving meal, always to rave reviews.

Honey Cornbread Muffins (from Food Network's Down Home with the Neelys)

Ingredients
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup whole milk (I used skim)
2 large eggs
1/2 stick butter, melted
1/4 cup honey

Directionss

- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Into a large bowl, mix the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
- In another bowl, whisk together the whole milk, eggs, butter, and honey. 
- Add the wet to the dry ingredients and stir until just mixed.

(for full-sized muffins):
- Place muffin paper liners in a 12-cup muffin tin. 
- Evenly divide the cornbread mixture into the papers.
- Bake for 15 minutes, until golden
Yields 12 muffins

(for mini muffins):
- spray mini-muffin pan with Pam
- evenly divide the cornbread mixture into the tin (I used approx 2 tbsp per cup)
- Bake for 12 minutes until golden
Yields approx 40 mini-muffins