Kudos: Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies

Alright, I realize it's been close to a year since I've updated this blog. It's been a crazy, wonderful year. As it is now my all time favorite time of year though, I'm going to try to update the blog more frequently with goodies. I'll kick off this fall season with a "Kudos" to a new recipe I tried last night, Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies.

The recipe is slightly labor intensive - if you follow the directions. I assume you could cheat and use a mixer with a whisk attachment instead of whisking all the ingredients by hand like I did. By the time I added all the dry ingredients I was burning up! :)

Here's a somewhat bad photo of the final product....

The next time I make this recipe I will dig my wells in the brownie batter a little deeper. I was being very conservative - but after swirling the two batters together I'd be almost tempted to dig the wells as close to the bottom of the pan as possible. The brownie batter is really thick, and since my wells weren't deep enough I didn't get that perfect marbled effect.

And, as always I substituted brandy for the vanilla. :)

Enjoy! :)

Ginny's Snickerdoodles

Ready for fall? This recipe makes your kitchen smell AMAZING! The cinnamon just fills the air. I absolutely love this recipe. :) 

This is a recipe from my Grandmother. I have a collection of her recipes that she wrote by hand. I compiled them for my family and made a cookbook with them. 

Page 63. :) 

Preheat oven to 350

INGREDIENTS 

1 c. shortening 

1-1/2 c. sugar

2 eggs

1 t. vanilla 

2-3/4 c. flour 

2 t. cream of tartar 

1 t. baking soda 

1/2 t. salt 

Topping -  

Cinnamon sugar 

DIRECTIONS 

Mix together the shortening, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Sift together and stir in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. (I'll admit I didn't sift together the dry ingredients before adding them to my mixer). 

Form the dough into small balls and place on a lightly greased baking sheet.

Then using the bottom of a glass dipped in cinnamon sugar press the cookies flat. (I rubbed a small amount of shortening on the bottom on my glass so that the cinnamon sugar stuck really nicely). 

Bake for 8-11 minutes. I baked mine for 11 minutes. After removing from the oven I let the cookies rest on the cookie sheet for two minutes before moving to a wire rack for cooling. I yielded 50. 

Enjoy!! 

Peanut Butter Cookies

I realize it's been a couple months since last I posted, so I'm apologizing with Peanut Butter Cookies. If you're allergic to peanuts, then I doubly apologize - and I hope to have something else up soon for you. This is a tried and true classic from my childhood. 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees 

INGREDIENTS 

1/2 c. butter 

1/2 c. peanut butter 

1/2 c. white sugar

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 t. vanilla 

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. baking soda 

1 c. flour 

DIRECTIONS

Cream together the butter and peanut butter. Then, beat in the white and brown sugar. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Arrange your cookies by teaspoonfuls (I used a cookie scoop - so mine are bigger) on cookie sheets. Press flat with a floured spoon or mark with a floured fork. Bake until firm, about 10-12 minutes depending on the size of your cookie. 

Enjoy! :) 

Guinness Brownies

I've been lazy lately and not designing my own recipes. At the same time, if there is a recipe that is just amazing, why change it? I came across an amazing brownie recipe in my search for a St. Patrick's Day themed dessert. I really wanted something with Guinness. My first real experience with Guinness was in 2008 on a trip to Dublin, Ireland. I visited the Guinness factory with my sister and brother. I've never been able to replicate the taste of freshly brewed Guinness with any bottled or draft variety in the states.

Guinness in Dublin, Ireland

So, on my quest for a recipe I came across this amazing Guinness Brownie recipe. I have no tips to provide. The directions are fantastic! The only thing I did different than the picture posted was google for a image of a four leaf clover. I printed it out rather large, cut it out and placed it on my brownies. I then dusted my brownies with confectioners sugar and removed the cut out. It left a rather nice imprint of a four leaf clover on my brownies. They really are delicious. Even if you are not a fan of Guinness I highly recommend this recipe. You don't taste the Guinness at all even though you use a 1-1/4 c. of Guinness in the recipe. All the Guinness does is bring out the flavor of the chocolate, and I can't say it enough - they are amazing. 

I hope you have a wonderful St. Patrick's Day. 

Enjoy! 

Irish Lace Cookies

OK, so I know it's been quite a while since I last posted a recipe. With work, I'm finding that I don't have as much time as I'd like to be creative and bake. While I had the intention of designing a recipe myself to celebrate the upcoming St. Patrick's Day holiday, I decided to opt instead to search for a tried and true Irish cookie recipe. My idea, by the way, was to take this recipe here, and substitute the coffee creamer for Bailey's Irish Cream coffee creamer. I was then going to dip the cookies in white chocolate and sprinkle with green sprinkles - but alas, I wanted to make something a bit more traditional.

Plus, I used this cookie as an excuse to go to World Market - one of my all time favorite stores. I bought a jar of vanilla extract imported from Madagascar, and I had the intention of purchasing authentic oatmeal from Ireland for 8 dollars, until the realist in me went "no one is going to know the difference between oatmeal from here or from there" and I put it back. Although I did buy butter imported from Ireland, just to say that it did have something authentically Irish in it. :) All of the recipes for Irish lace cookies that I encountered had the same ingredients with different measurements. I opted for the one that used the most vanilla extract. So kudos to this: The Ultimate Irish Lace Cookie Recipe.

Tips: Really you only need to put a teaspoon on the cookie sheet b/c they do spread. Wait a minute or two before taking the cookies off of the sheet. And, if you do have a silpat, I highly recommend using that for this recipe too. I baked mine for only 10 minutes, I was able to put 6 cookies at a time on one sheet.

Enjoy!

Candy Cane Meringues

This is a recipe from Pillsbury's December 2007 magazine on Holiday Cookies (I have quite a collection of little holiday books.) For this recipe you will need a piping bag, larger than 12 inches, I would go with a 16 inch piping bag, a small star tip, small paint brush and gel food coloring. Very, very important to buy the gel food coloring as opposed to regular food dye.

Baking in the oven.

Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees

INGREDIENTS

3 egg whites

1/2 t. cream of tartar

3/4 c. sugar

1/4 t. peppermint extract

red or pink gel food coloring

DIRECTIONS

Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar at a high speed until foamy. Gradually add the sugar and beat until the mixture is stiff and glossy. Beat in the peppermint extract. Next, using your piping bag with tip already in place, fold the top down over your hand, holding the bag like you would an ice cream cone. Take your paint brush, dip it in the gel and paint 3-4 long strips starting from the tip and extending up to the fold at the top of the bag. Then using a spatula, scoop meringue and fill your bag, leaving plenty of room for you to unfold it and twist the top. Squeeze out a little bit at a time until you see the red come through. On cookies sheets fitted with parchment paper (again very important to have the parchment paper, these cookies are very fragile and will come off easier with the parchment paper) squeeze out 2-2.5 inch candy canes. I find it easier to do mine upside down, as if I were writing the letter "J"- do what works for you. You have plenty of batter to work with so if you mess up it's all good. :) Once you've completed the task of shaping the candy canes, place in the oven for about 1 hour or until dry. I do two sheets at a time - one sheet on the top rack and one on the lower rack, after half an hour I move the bottom pan to the top and vice versa.

These cookies take some practice, but the end result is worth it. When removing the cookies from the parchment paper, I've found that the trick is to place one hand underneath the paper and using one finger lightly move it under the candy cane until it's loose.

Enjoy!

Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is one of my favorite cookie recipes for the holidays. Very rarely do I make this cookie with white chocolate chips. Typically, I substitute the white chocolate for dark chocolate chips. Both variations though are very good. I typically yield 30 cookies.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees 

INGREDIENTS 

1/2 c. butter, softened 

1/2 c. packed brown sugar 

1/2 c. white sugar 

1 egg

1 T. brandy 

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour 

1/2 t. baking soda 

1 c. white chocolate chips 

1 c. dried cranberries 

DIRECTIONS 

Cream together butter and sugars. Mix in the egg and brandy. Mix in the flour and baking soda. Stir in chocolate chips and cranberries. Using a cookie scoop or spoon, drop cookies onto lightly greased cookie sheet- leaving about an inch and a half between cookies. Bake for 8-10 minutes. I usually take mine out at 8 minutes.  Let cool on pan for about 2 minutes, then transfer to wire cooling rack. 

YUM!! 

Pumpkin Mousse

Here is another recipe I'd like to give kudos to: Praline Pumpkin Mousse

This recipe is SUPER easy and SUPER good. My husband loves pumpkin pie, but won't eat the crust. So, it's essentially a crustless pumpkin pie. The praline topping, again, very easy to make and very yummy.

Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice

I was in the mood for pumpkin today. Using a base recipe I tweaked it until I got the desired consistency and taste. I wrote down all my changes and came up with this cookie. Overall, this cookie is awesome. I yielded 50.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

INGREDIENTS

Cookies

1/2 c. butter, softened

3/4 c. white sugar

3/4 c. dark brown sugar

1 c. canned pumpkin puree

1 egg

1 t. brandy

3 c. flour

1 t. baking soda

1 T. pumpkin pie spice

1/2 t. salt

Icing

1 c. confectioners' sugar

2 T. milk

1/2 T. melted butter

1/2 T. brandy

few sprinkles of pumpkin pie spice

Chocolate Drizzle

small bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips OR Baker's Dipping Chocolate

DIRECTIONS

Cream together the butter and sugars. Add the canned pumpkin, egg and brandy and mix well. Next, mix in the flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Scoop cookies onto greased cookie sheet, leaving about an inch between each cookie. Bake for 15-20 minutes (I baked mine for 17 minutes). Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

For the icing - Mix together all ingredients in a small bowl. Add more milk to desired consistency. I used a wire whisk to drizzle the icing over half of the cookies.

For a chocolate drizzle- Melt chocolate chips in the microwave safe bowl in 30 minute intervals, stirring after each interval until melted. Drizzle the other half of the cookies with chocolate or dip them. If you're using Baker's chocolate, follow the directions on the container.

NOTE: If you don't want to do half your cookies in chocolate, double the icing recipe. Also, do not add butter to melted chocolate. I learned that the hard way tonight.

I hope you enjoy!

Fall Harvest Cookies

This cookie is my newest creation. The idea hit me tonight and I just couldn't help myself. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. I didn't have chocolate chips on hand, instead I had Baker's chocolate that I ground up and mixed with the batter. If you don't have time to grind up your chocolate you can easily substitute the ground chocolate for a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips. If you are using chocolate chips add them in when you mix in the granola.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 c. softened butter

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. white sugar

3 oz. ground semi-sweet chocolate (if using)

1 T. pumpkin pie spice

1 egg

1 T. brandy

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 t. baking soda

2 c. Granola (I used Kashi Mountain Medley granola)

Semi-sweet chocolate chips (if using)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375

Cream together butter, sugars, ground chocolate (if using), and pumpkin pie spice. Beat in the egg and brandy. Then mix in the flour and baking soda. Stir in the Granola (and chocolate chips if using). Scoop onto un-greased cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes. (I take mine out at 8 minutes and let cool for one minute before transferring them to a wire rack.)

I hope you enjoy these cookies as much as I have. They are so yummy! :)

Chocolate Fingers

Anyone that knows me knows that I cannot say "no" to chocolate. This is an excellent cookie recipe adapted from a chocolate cookbook. The cookie has a very light texture. You will need a pastry bag and a large star tip. For a festive look, you can add sprinkles. :)

Chocolate Fingers. I had melted chocolate left over so I used it on some strawberries. Yummm.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 c. butter

1/4 c. + 2 T. confectioners sugar

1 1/2 c. self rising flour

3 T. cornstarch

7 oz. semi sweet baking chocolate

1/4 c. French Vanilla coffee creamer (or milk)

DIRECTIONS

Mix together butter, sugar, flour and cornstarch. Melt 3 oz. of chocolate. I typically place about an inch of water in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. I then place a heat resistant glass bowl on the top of the hot water and melt my chocolate that way. You can also use a microwavable bowl and heat the chocolate in 30 second intervals until melted. Just be careful not to burn the chocolate. Pour the melted chocolate into the batter and mix well. Your batter will be thick. Pouring a tablespoon at a time, add the coffee creamer (or milk) until you get a light consistency that will be easy to pipe.

Light consistency that will be easy to pipe.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Place your star tip into your pastry bag. While holding the bag, fold the top down over your hand. This way when you scoop in the batter you can grab it off the spatula. When all the batter is in the pastry bag, squeeze the batter towards the tip. Spin the top of the bag closed to prevent leaking.

Squeeze batter onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. Each cookie should be about 2 - 2.5 inches long. In order to make your cookies have a squiggled look, while piping quickly move your hand back and forth. Experiment with whatever shape you like.

Leave about 1 to 1.5 inches between cookies. Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

Just as before, melt 4 oz. of chocolate. Dip each cookie in chocolate and place on parchment paper until the chocolate is set. Enjoy! :)

Autumn Leaves

These cookies leave your kitchen smelling AMAZING. It's the perfect way to bring in the fall season. I first made this recipe last year as a gift for my best friend's wedding (her and her husband got more than just cookies I promise). She got married in November and it was a beautiful fall theme. I also use this recipe at Christmas now as it is a nice change from the classic sugar cookie.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 c. butter, softened

1 c. sugar

1 T. pumpkin pie spice

1 egg

1 T + 1 t. brandy

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 t. baking powder

DIRECTIONS

Cream together butter, sugar and pumpkin pie spice. Add the egg and brandy, mix well. Next mix in the flour and baking powder. Place dough in a bag or wrap in plastic wrap and place in fridge for about 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface. Cut cookies into desired shapes. Bake for 13 minutes. Move to wire rack let cool completely.

ICING

This is an excellent recipe. It is from Woman's Day Magazine.

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. bag of confectioner sugar

1/4 c. powdered egg whites (Just Whites)

1/3 c. water

food coloring

sprinkles optional

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, whisk together sugar and powdered egg whites. Add the water. Using a mixer on high speed, mix for about 5-8 minutes or until thick and white. Separate icing into separate bowls and add food coloring.

Add more water to thin it, or more powdered sugar to thicken it to your desired consistency if you wish.

* You will need A LOT of red food coloring.

Coat each cookie with different colors. You can use a toothpick and drag it through the different colors to give your cookie a marbled effect. Let dry for at least an hour.

Scones

This is a recipe I recently made. One of my friends was going to a fancy tea party and so she made scones. Though I asked her for her recipe, she has a life and wasn't able to get it to me in time to satisfy my scones Jonesing. So I searched the internet and found a recipe that would work. I tweaked it to my liking and the original recipe can be found here.

I enjoyed the texture. For some reason the juice will turn your batter into a very pale blue, but when it bakes it looks fine. I patted mine down on the counter into about an 8-9 inch diameter circle and used a pizza cutter to make 8 wedges. I wouldn't recommend doing that again as the scones really get big as you'll see in the picture I'll attach. I would recommend either scooping them out like cookies, or rolling them slightly and cutting into squares. You can also sprinkle some sugar over the dough before you bake it, I did. :D

Preheat oven to 400

INGREDIENTS

1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour

1/3 c. sugar

2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

8 T. butter, cubed

Bag of chocolate chips

1/2 c. cranberry juice

DIRECTIONS

Place all of the ingredients except the chocolate chips and cranberry juice in a large bowl. Using a pastry blender (or forks) combine the ingredients until it resembles crumbs. Mix in the chocolate chips. Stir in the juice. From here you can either scoop out bits of the dough onto a greased cookie sheet or place the dough onto a lightly floured surface, pat out and cut. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Place onto wire rack and let cool.

Want S'mores?

This recipe was inspired by my best friend. I used to go on vacation with her family to the mountains. One of the things I remember is making s'mores over the grill on their porch. I wanted to design a cookie that had a similar taste and the "Want S'more?" cookie was born. It took me a few times of making this recipe in order to get it to taste how I wanted. I bought a box of cinnamon graham crackers and crushed them myself for this recipe, but you can use any kind you wish. I was kicking myself when I saw in the store that they sell graham cracker crumbs. Who knew?

This cookie has more of a cake like consistency, but it's still good.

Preheat oven to 350
*Important. Grease the cookie sheets.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 c. softened butter
1 c. crushed graham cracker
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. marshmallow creme
1 T. brandy
2 eggs
2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 t. baking powder
1 bag Hershey chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

Cream together butter, graham cracker, sugar and marshmallow creme. Add brandy and eggs. Mix in flour and baking powder. Stir in chocolate chips. Scoop onto GREASED cookie sheet. Bake for 12 minutes. Remove from pan, place on wire rack to cool.

Chocramond Cookies

Let's start this blog off with a bang. This is the first recipe I ever created. I came up with this recipe in May 2010. I'm not sure if I had more fun designing the recipe or coming up with its name. The cookie got its name based on its ingredients. The flavor combination is that of chocolate, cranberries and almonds or chocramond. I can usually yield about 36+ cookies with this recipe using a cookie scoop.

*You'll need a food processor for this recipe.

Preheat the oven to 375

INGREDIENTS

1/2 c. softened butter

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. white sugar

3/4 c. ground almond slivers (almond slivers are easier to grind in the processor. The consistency should be similar to that of the sugar.)

1 egg

1 T. brandy

1/2 t. almond extract

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 t. baking soda

Bag of Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips

1 c. dried cranberries (I use Ocean Spray Craisins infused with pomegranate juice.)

DIRECTIONS

Cream together butter, sugars and ground almond. Beat in the egg, brandy and almond extract. Next, mix in the flour and baking soda. Stir in chocolate chips and cranberries. Scoop out cookies onto baking sheet, leaving about an 1.5 inches between cookies. Bake 8-10 minutes. Remove from pan, place on wire rack and cool.

(I tend to take mine out at 7 minutes. Just depends on what you like.)

*You can always substitute the brandy for vanilla extract. You'll notice almost all of my baking recipes call for brandy. I'm not a lush, it's just vanilla is really expensive. I can buy a big bottle of dark brandy for 5 dollars as opposed to 12 dollars for the same amount of vanilla.