Soft Pumpkin Cookies!!

HOLY WOW!!! you guys!! you HAVE to make this cookie for your thanksgiving spread!

this is the ultimate come back from my baking hiatus! i finally figured out how to use my damn gas oven, and i'm pumped! these cookies are soft little pillows from heaven, and i swear by that. i didnt bother with icing - and the cookies were still ah-mazzzinggg!

i randomly got stressed out that i had unused pumpkin in my pantry, and immediately googled "easy pumpkin cookie recipe" - i kid you not, this was the first recipe that i saw that was on a blog and clicked on it. turns out, the recipe was super easy, super quick, and super delicious (and i had all the ingredients in the house already - hi, my name is madeleine and i am a food hoarder!). google for the win!!

Old fashioned Soft Pumpkin Cookies

{via *Very Best Baking}

"Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
• 1 cup Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease baking sheets.
Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in medium bowl. Beat sugar and butter in large mixer bowl until well blended. Beat in pumpkin, egg and vanilla extract until smooth. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto prepared baking sheets.
Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until edges are firm. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely to 18 minutes or until edges are firm. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely"

how easy is that?? i highly suggest getting a cookie scoop thinger for this, i had to use an actual teaspoon and it sucked because its a fairly sticky batter!

Enjoy!

sprinkles

strawberry milk whoopie pies

ahhhh...I DIE. i need these in my life immediately. Sprinkle Bakes is the cutestt!

too bad i already packed ALL of my baking equipment for the move...now i need to wait two weeks. waaaah!

Gingerbread Cupcakes !

I found this recipe from marthastewart.com, and like usual, it did not disappoint! it has all the great taste of a gingersnap cookie with the fluffiness of a cupcake! ......and the butter glaze...ohhhh man. amazing. it had the consistency/taste of krispy kreme glaze...defining using this glaze again very soon! Enjoy!!

i apologize for the heinous picture/lighting!! i made about a million batches of sweets that night and was in no mood to take pretty pictures...next time :)

Gingerbread Cupcakes

Ingredients

Makes 10

• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2/3 cup packed dark-brown sugar
• 1 cup unsulphered molasses
• 2 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten 

 
Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 10 jumbo muffin tins with paper baking cups, and set aside. In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup water to a boil. In a bowl, combine boiling water and baking soda; set aside. In a large bowl, sift together flour, ground spices, salt, and baking powder; set aside.
2. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter until light. Beat in the brown sugar until fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Beat in the molasses, baking-soda mixture, and flour mixture. Beat in the eggs.
3. Fill the cupcake papers three-quarters full, making sure that the batter is divided evenly. Bake cupcakes until a toothpick inserted in the center of them comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let cupcakes cool a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Gingerbread Cupcakes - Martha Stewart Recipes

 

Ingredients

Makes 1 1/2 cups, or enough for 10 large cupcakes

• 2 1/2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons milk

Directions

1. Place 1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Remove the pan from heat; immediately pour the melted butter into the bowl with the sugar. Add 4 teaspoons milk; whisk until mixture is smooth. Working quickly, dip the top of each cupcake into the glaze, and place cupcake right-side up on a wire rack.
2. Repeat step 1; glaze remaining cupcakes. Allow glaze to set, about 20 minutes, before decorating.

Yummy Butter Glaze up close! with gold sugar sprinkles of course :)

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Butter Glaze - Martha Stewart Recipes

 

Honey Banana Blueberry Cake Puffs!

Honey Banana Blueberry Cake Puffs
(adapted from *picky palate)

1 box sugar free yellow cake mix

4 large bananas, mashed (about 2 1/2 Cups)

1 cup fresh blueberries

2 Tablespoons normal honey

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place all ingredients into bowl and combine well.

Use a cookie scoop and scoop dough onto a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 11-15 minutes or until cooked through. Let cool for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

4 dozen-ish cookies

I found this recipe and made it the next day for our all girl's dinner party! These were such a hit, and I couldn't just eat 1...or 2...or 3! Please make these, they are SO simple and so delish! and really, they require no skills!

*also - I can't take credit for the prep on this one, my sister Claire made them all :) and she did a great job for someone who claims she can't cook or bake!

Mother's Day Cookies

Sissy did a great job making these Mother's Day Sugar Cookies! (I can't take any credit for anything except finding the idea....sad)

The sugar cookie and icing recipes are from here* and so is the idea for these cookies! She is an amazing baker, definitely worth checking out her site!

Sorry there aren't more pics, we had already dug into the cookie jar before this was taken!!

The point was to put a HUGE "you are..." cookie tag on the outside of the cookie jar. On the inside, she filled it with cookies that say nice things about my perfect momma :)

Italian Wedding Cookies

s
i found these little suckers here and after seeing the picture, i knew i had to make them!

every other week or so we have a potluck with the girls and last night's theme was italian - perfect opportunity to make the cookies! oh how i wish i took more pictures! in addition to my little italian wedding cookies, we had baked ziti, garlic bread, meatballs, bruschetta and caprese!

I used unsalted butter in the first batch, and added a pinch or two in the second - i couldn't taste the difference... :)

Adapted Recipe:

Italian Wedding Cookies

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. For the dough, combine 1 c. soft butter, 2 c. all-purpose unbleached (i used bleached) flour and 1/3 c. heavy whipping cream in an electric mixer. Mix until combined. Roll out dough 1/8" thick on a floured pastry cloth and cut out circles with a shot glass {or a very small cookie cutter if you prefer a different shape} -- ** BE SURE TO FLOUR HEAVILY, this is sticky if it warms up**. Gently press both sides of the cookie into a little bit of sugar that you have placed on a small plate (whoa just read this part for the first time - haha missed this all together). Transfer cookie to baking sheet and prick 3 times with a fork. Bake for 7 (I did 8) minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely before icing.

For the icing, combine 1/4 c. soft butter, 3/4 c. powdered sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla and food coloring of choice (TEAL!). Mix with electric mixer until well combined and fluffy. Spread icing between 2 cookies to make little sandwiches.

as you can see, mine were quite messy (like most of my baking) but they were sooooo good! i should have presented better, but they went so fast that there was no point :)

12 things I love right now

1. My 2010 Sarah Pinto Planner - get one for yourself! they are adorable!
2. Red and lavender together. oh how i love you. this room just needs a few more pops of red - perfection.
   
3. This is a cabinet dedicated to sprinkles and fancy dessert decorations - i want it. now.
4. These are just SO pretty - i'd love for these to be hanging from the ceiling at a party or wedding i throw or attend!
5. Champagne diamonds - stacked. i die.
6. A beautifully simple cake - k.rose cakes - she is in DC, people!!!!!!!!!!!!
7. Peonies - they look so light and fluffy and lovely
8. Lipgloss - don't get me started. i might as well post a "12 lipglosses that i love right now" blog - thats how much i love it.
9. Cooking Light magazine - delicious, healthy recipes - perfect for after a heavy duty eating season
10. E-sessions or love shoots with balloons - so fun and carefree and PERFECT
11. Kitchenaid mixer - dear God, please send me one from above. i'll be good and make plenty of yummy treats. this is #1 on my "things to buy myself" list - need to save up for this pretty machine
12. Wii! My new obsession - i don't know how it took me SO LONG to actually play, but i started over the holiday season (after taking two years to get over my hatred for video games...) and i LOVE LOVE LOVE it! sore arm though....haha

read from left to right and then onto the next line! :)

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing

HAPPY FALL!

my intro to fall were the most amazing pumpkin cupcakes that i found here! I altered the recipe a little bit, but they were super simple to make and SOOO yummy!

i felt like paula deen adding all sorts of butter and cream cheese and sugar - but i went with fat free or reduced fat wherever i could...

here is the recipe!
Cupcakes
2 1/4 c. flour, sift before measuring
1 T. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
3/4 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. ginger
1/2 t. nutmeg
(I measured equivalent amt of what was supposed to be cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg and used Pumpkin Pie spice in it's place. cheaper/faster)
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 1/3 c. sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 c. canned pumpkin
3/4 c. milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with liners (this makes about 18).
In a large bowl, sift dry ingredients together and set aside.
Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Mix in pumpkin.



Alternate stirring in the dry ingredients and the milk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Scrape down the bowl and stir until blended.
Spoon into liners and bake for 20-25 minutes.



Cream Cheese Frosting
1lb. cream cheese, softened and cut into small pieces
6 T. unslted butter, softened and cut into small pieces
1 1/2 t. vanilla extract
5 cups sifted confectioners sugar



In a large bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese until very smooth. Add vanilla and beat. Add sugar, one cup at a time, beating continuously.

Enjoy!