Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake Cookies

.  It has been quite some time since I've published posts within days of each other.  The Fall/holiday baking season must be getting to me.  It's too hard to resist.

But first things first.  I did have a Musselman's Giveaway a week or so back and it's about time I announced the winner of the Apple Butter, decorative bread carriers, and a Fall Musselman's recipe card!

And the lucky winner is... Drum roll pleaseeeee....

WHITNEY!!

Congralations girlie, and now all you must do is wait for your Musselman package to arrive!  Thanks again to the readers who participated, I absolutely love these giveaways and it's such a joy to share them with you all.  Until next round!

But hold on, don't leave.  Because we're about to get into these cookies.  Ones that I couldn't wait to post.  Because a combination of soft, fluffy pumpkin cake cookies studded with mini chocolate chips, and topped with a classic buttery glaze, is just too dang good not to share.  I can't keep all of these addicting goodies to myself.

But what I was truly excited about is the source of this recipe.  I nabbed the original Old Fashioned Soft Pumpkin Cookies from Ms. Jamie over at Life as {Emma's} Mom.  But Jamie isn't just some random blogger who I happened to stumble upon.  Nope, we actually went to the same high school in good ol' Woodbury [but she's a couple of years younger than I am].  And although our paths never crossed too often, the bloggosphere [and social media] has seemingly brought us together.

As her blog name may indicate, Jamie is a loving mother to her beautiful daughter, Emma.  And even though I don't know her precious mini me personally, it has been a joy to watch Emma grow up via [Instagram] pictures and videos.  And now that Jamie has her blog, I've also been incorporated into another passion of hers: cooking.

I can't tell you how many times I've come across the mouthwatering pictures of the dinners and treats Jamie makes for her daughter and fiance.  First, it makes me wish I lived closer so I could randomly stop by.  And two, I'm hoping Robbie never wisens up and realizes what he's missing out on.  I may need some cooking lessons...

But the moment I glanced at these pumpkin cookies, they were 'pinned' and moved to first on the list for my next baking day.  And the second these babies were out of the oven [and glazed as fast as humanely possible], all of my beliefs about Jamie's cooking/baking were confirmed.  I'm hooked.

These cakey cookies are absolute heaven.  So soft and pumpkin flavorful that you'll be coming back for way too many.  If there even is such a thing.  A perfect fix for those Fall-spices cravings we all get!

Happy baking!  .

My Notes:

• Jamie's original recipe didn't include mini chocolate chips.  So if you're not feeling those, leave them out.  Trust me, you'll still get a delectable cooke you won't be able to get enough of.
• This may test your patience, but be sure to let the cookies cool completely before glazing.  Otherwise the glaze will drip right off!
• For festive purposes, Jamie also added some food coloring to her glaze to get that orange pumpkin feel.  I'm boring and left the coloring out, but have fun with it!

Adapted from Life As {Emma's} Mom

Ingredients:

Soft Pumpkin Cookies:

2-1/2 c. all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp. salt

1-1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. butter, softened

1 large egg

1 c. pumpkin puree

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1-1/4 c. mini semisweet chocolate chips

Classic Glaze:

2 c. powdered sugar

3 tbsp. milk

1 tbsp butter, melted

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F.  Grease 2 baking sheets with non-stick cooking spray; set aside.
2.  Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt, in a medium bowl.  
3. In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugar until combined (about 1 to 2 minutes).  Beat in egg, pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract. until thoroughly combined.  Gradually add in flour mixture just before thoroughly combined.  Gently fold in mini chocolate chips.
4. Drop batter by rounded tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets.  Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until edges are firm.  Remove from oven to wire rack to cool completely.
5. For glaze, in a medium bowl, beat together powdered sugar, milk, butter, and vanilla extract until smooth.  Glaze cooled cookies as desired.

Yield: 30 cookies

Musselman's GIVEAWAY & Autumn Apple Butter Dip

.  Hello, my lovelies!

It's been a while but the giveaways are back!  I don't know about you all, but I absolutely love these.  And not just because I get free baking stuff sent to me [it doesn't hurt]...but because I get to test of some quality products and let you in on the real deal.  And then, one of you lucky ladies/fellas get some free stuff, too!  It's a win-win for everyone.

You may remember that I've done an Apple Butter giveaway before but Musselman's is always coming up with creative ideas for their products.  So what do we got this time 'round...

Well in honor of my most absolute favorite season, Musselman's went completely Fall and sent me a package of: Apple Butter, four completely Fall recipes with a twist [including Spiced Apple Cake with Orange Glaze, Overnight Oatmeal, and Party Swedish Meatballs], and four decorative mini loaf containers for gifts.

Now even though the above three recipes all sound scrumptious [uh hello, swedish meatballs are perfect for football game days!] but I just couldn't pass up the Autumn Apple Butter Dip because 1) two ingredients?  C'mon.  And 2) who doesn't love snackin' on dips while watching a gamut of Sunday football games?  Hands raised high.  I know.

So the dip it was.  A couple of 'cups', a few swirls, and into the serving platter this very Fall-esque, hint-of-pumpkin dip went.  Served with a platter of Gingersnaps and we've got ourselves a lovely snack.

So what do YOU have to do to get in on this apple butter action?  Well, easy.

Musselman's recently revamped their Apple Butter e-Recipe Book that you must check out!  And when you do, simply leave a comment below on this post telling me which of the de-lish Apple Butter recipes from Musselman's e-Recipe Book that you'd like to try [or already have].  Then, whomever is the lucky winner, will receive the same giveaway package I received, complete with a large jar of Apple Butter to make your favorite recipe!  Again, win-win all around here, folks.

So get browsing and leave a lovely comment.  You have until October 26, 2013, to enter so there's no time to waste.

Happy baking!

P.S. head on over to the Musselman's website to view the Autumn Apple Butter Dip recipe featured here, it's worth the click!  .

Secret Recipe Club: Baked Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

.  Before I get into this delicious, Fall-ey oatmeal.  I have to ask.

Have you entered my giveaway?  If you haven't, do it now.  If you have, then keep reading ☺

And now for the even better stuff: SRC.  Yep, it's that time again!

For October, I was matched with Debbie Does Dinner...Healthy & Low Calorie.

Uh oh...

As we know, LSM isn't exactly about cutting things out, particularly butter, sugar, you name it.  More is more in LSM terms.  Right?  Right!   But the moment I started browsing through Debbie's recipes, I knew there wouldn't be a problem.

To breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even dessert, Debbie has it covered.  I had my eye on a few things, including [Slow Cooker] Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup, Cuban Quesadillas, and Pumpkin Sloppy Joes [because that just sounds interesting!].  Too bad I don't rarely cook!  I may have to try that slow cooker recipe though, even that can't be too difficult for me.

Anywho, after much debate, I settled upon this Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal because 1) I'm obsessed with anything pumpkin, 2) it's Fall, and 3) breakfast items = my faaaaavorite.  Even though I rarely eat breakfast.  Ironic.

I whipped this recipe up in a jif one morning before Robbie left town for work.  I figured he needed a good send off to the airport and we're both pumpkin lova's, so this was a no brainer.

The dish is rather hearty, with a texture somewhat similar to bread pudding.  And the spices, pumpkin, and oatmeal all marry together in a matter of minutes to create a wonderful morning treat.  From the reviews on Debbie's blog, everyone kept saying the pecans really made the dish. And lo' and behold, they really did!  That little crunchy nuttiness really brought everything together, so don't you dare leave them out.  Unless you have to.  Get me?

Thanks Debbie for the wonderful and healthy breakfast recipe!  Until December!  .

My Notes:

• Unfortunately I couldn't find any small containers of apple cider [and I knew a big gallon of it would go to waste] so I ended up using apple juice instead.  However, as you'll notice by the ingredients list, this dish is more on the sweet side and so I think the apple juice added just a tad too much sugar.  I think the apple cider would have a much deeper note [if that makes sense], so if you can, stick with that!

From Debbie Does Dinner...Healthy & Low Calorie

Ingredients:

1 c. pumpkin puree

1 c. apple cider

2 eggs

1/2 c. milk

1/4 c. honey

2 tbsp. maple syrup

2 tbsp. butter, melted

2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1-3/4 c. old fashioned oats

1-1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. baking soda

1/2 c. pecan halves

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F.  Grease an 8x8-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, apple cider, eggs, milk, honey, maple syrup, butter, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla extract until smooth.  Stir in oats, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.  
3. Pour into prepared dish and sprinkle with pecan halves.  Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until set.  Serve with maple syrup or honey.

Yield: 9 servings

Tried & True Tuesday: My Grandma's of New England Coffee Cakes

.  Wow, looking back it has been quite some time since I've last done a Tried & True post.  Oops.  I think TWD had a little something to do with that though so I'm sure you'll forgive me.

But to make up for my post-slacking, I definitely have something extra special for you all today.  Odds are many of you haven't heard of My Grandma's of New England.  Is that a correct statement?  I know I most certainly never had but before the fork full of rich coffee cake goodness hit my lips, I knew I was hooked.

I first experienced this mind blowing goodie while Robbie and I were last in Arizona.  His mom dished out breakfast plates to everyone and insisted we all at least take a bite of the Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cake she had waiting for us.  And not one of us regretted that push.  My goodness, I can't even think of where to begin and how my love for this coffee cake grows with every thought.

Well Robbie's mom obviously caught on to my subtle hints [i.e., running around the house yelling to the world about this coffee cake] and sent two of these beloved coffee cakes to us for my birthday [both Pumpkin Spice and Blueberry].  However, I'm still not quite sure if she secretly knew about the surprise party and that we'd be having extra guests I hadn't planned for...?  Hmmm?!

Anywho, the least I can say is that My Grandma's was a hit.  A complete homerun.  Actually, more like a grand slam.  Both of the coffee cakes were demolished by the end of the weekend and people were still walking around the kitchen asking if we had any left.  That good, I tell ya.

The elements of each cake are nothing complex, but they have mastered the art of making a quality, straightforward coffee cake.  I'm going out on a limb and saying these are the best coffee cakes I have ever had.  No joke.  They're ridiculously moist, the texture of the cakes strongly reminded me of the Pumpkin Bars I've made before.  And each of the two cakes were also adorned with a simple cinnamon-sugar mixture that adds the perfect crunchy sweetness to the cakes.  And, of course, the blueberry version had pops of fresh, succulent blueberries.  Heaven sent!

Dad approves!

What also has me outrageously excited about this company is not only the abundance of varieties [e.g., cranberry, apple, chocolate, banana-walnut, and even low fat versions!] but these coffee cakes make the most perfect gift!  Just like Robbie's mom did, you can spread the love to friends and family across the country.  So let that be my warning that my friends and family may be receiving some of these in the near future...

The Improv Cooking Challenge: Mini Pumpkin Pie Cheesecakes

. You all know how much I absolutely adore the baking/cooking challenges I am a part of (i.e., SRC and ICC), right?  Well I am, they're something I look forward to every month because it's a chance for me to really dive into the baking world.  Both being introduced to fellow bloggers and getting to tap into my creative side (no matter how hidden it may be!).

But this time around, I bring you a post I am oh-so-happy about but in the meanwhile, a little gray cloud also hangs.  In my first ICC post, I introduced you all (if you didn't happen to already know her) to Sheryl from The Lady Behind the Curtain.  She was the founder of ICC and the passion she held for the idea simply radiated from her blog.  However, due to personal circumstances, Sheryl had to leave behind both her blog and ICC.  It was a sad moment when I received her e-mail, letting all of the participants know that ICC would no longer be.

So what the heck am I doing with a second ICC post?  Fortunately, Kristen, from Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker, swooped in to save the day.  Later that same morning, Kristen sent out an e-mail to the ICC participants, offering to continue ICC through her own blog.  WHAAT!?  YESSSS!  As much as we will all miss Sheryl's amazing words, I think I can say for most bloggers that we are so ecstatic that Kristen decided to keep ICC in the mix.

So here I am with my November ICC post, and the secret ingredients?

Pumpkin and Cream Cheese 

Gosh dang it, those are some fab ingredients, huh?  The possibilities are endless and I can't even begin to tell you how many ideas flashed through my mind when attempting to decide what to bake.  But to help myself out, I narrowed down the options to something that would serve a dual purpose: a pumpkin/cream cheese treat for ICC and a goodie that would be perfect in anyone's Thanksgiving spread.  Which brings us to the shining star of this post, my very own Mini Pumpkin Pie Cheesecakes.

So what are these little guys anyway?  Well, they're a combination of pumpkin pie and cheesecake!  The buttery crust and pumpkin flavors from a traditional pumpkin pie and the wonderful lusciousness we have come to love about cheesecakes.  Pretty straightforward, eh?  But trying to figure out exactly how to make these was definitely not straightforward.  I'll tell you that I spent a good amount of time Googling and researching exactly how to put together pie crust and cheesecake.

What type of crust should I use?  Flakey?  Shortbread?  Do I pre-bake the crust?  Or will it end up burning since cheesecake bakes for quite awhile?  How big should I cut the pie crusts?  What types and amounts of spices do I use to get that pumpkin pie flavor?  How long do mini cheesecakes bake?  When do you know to take them out of the oven?

These and about, oh, a bajillion more questions rushed through my mind.  It was a lot to think about but I think after nailing down what recipes I wanted to use, everything went rather smoothly.  If I do say so myself ☺

I absolutely love how this recipe gives you individual servings of dessert.  We all know how much we tend to eat on Thanksgiving [or at least I do...], so these will give you the hit ending to a stuff-you-silly dinner without knocking you into a complete food coma.

Finally, I just want to say thanks again to Kristen for picking up ICC.  I had a great time with this months' ingredients and can't wait for December! .

My Notes:

• The pie crust recipe below yields four individual pie crusts or two double-crust pies.  That's a lot of crust!  But don't worry, you can freeze the remaining dough you don't use [mine is definitely in the freezer] for 2 to 3 months and use it later for something else.
• If you don't have any shortening around, you can use 1 cup of unsalted butter.
• To me, cutting shapes out of pie crust was very intimidating.  But I attempted leaves this go around and I can vouch that it's not hard in the least!  It's actually rather simple and makes any dessert look extra special!
• Since I created this recipe from several sources, you'll have a lot of cheesecake filling left over.  However, you can always use the left over dough and filling to make more mini pumpkin pie cheesecakes.  
• If you don't have the time to make these individual cups, the entire recipe will make enough for a 9-inch pumpkin pie cheesecake.  Make the crust, place it in the pan, pour in the entire cheesecake mixture, and bake at 325°F for 1 hour.
• I initially baked these yummies for 30 minutes at 325°F and thinking they were done, took them out.  But, they definitely were still a little underdone so I popped them back in the oven for 20 additional minutes at 350°F.  So, please note!, my time stated in the recipe is a guesstimate, so make sure to check on your pies around 40 minutes or so just to be safe.

Ingredients:

Crust:

3 c. all purpose flour

2 tsp. sugar

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 c. unsalted butter, cut into chunks

1/2 c. butter-flavored shortening

1 large egg

4 to 8 tbsp. ice water

1 tbsp. lemon juice

Pumpkin Cheesecake:

3/4 lb. (one and a half 8 oz. packages) cream cheese, softened

3/4 c. sugar

3/4 c. firmly packed light brown sugar

5 large eggs, at room temperature

1-1/2 c. canned pumpkin puree

3/4 c. heavy whipping cream

1-1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1-1/2 tsp. ground ginger

Pinch of ground cloves

Pinch of nutmeg

Garnish:

Whipped cream (homemade or store-bought)

Directions:

1.  For crust, place flour in food processor (or large bowl).  Add sugar and salt and process for 20 seconds to combine.  Cut in butter by pulsing (or using pastry blender or fingers) until mixture looks crumbly.

2.  Add egg and drizzle ice water and lemon juice on top.  Turn on food processor for 15 seconds (gently mix crust with fingertips) until mixture just holds together.  Turn out dough onto lightly floured surface and gently knead for a few seconds to smooth out dough.

3.  Divide dough in half and pat into flattened disks.  Wrap well in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour or overnight (this is when the dough can be frozen until you need it for something else).

4.  Grease a standard muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray.  Take one disk from the refrigerator and roll out to about 1/8-inch thick.  Cut out circles of dough roughly 1-inch wider than the muffin tin (using a cookie cutter or top of glass).  

5.  Place cut outs into muffin pan, using fingertips to gently form the crust to the pan.

6.  If desired, use the second dough disk to cut out shapes to adorn the cups.  You can also use the remainder of the second disk to make additional mini crusts to fill.

7.  Heat oven to 325°F.  For cheesecake, in a large bowl beat cream cheese with electric mixer on low speed until very smooth.

8.  Gradually add sugar and brown sugar.  Add eggs, one at a time (scrape down sides of bowl as needed).  Add the pumpkin puree and mix until just blended.

9.  Stir in heavy whipping cream, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg.

10.  Fill crusts with cheesecake mixture until just barely full.  Bake 45 minutes or until cheesecakes are set and crusts are golden brown.

11.  When cheesecakes are done, turn off heat and prop open oven door to let the cheesecakes cool for 1 hour before removing from oven (do this step, it will help avoid cracks in the top of the cheesecakes).

12.  Garnish cheesecakes with whipped cream before serving.

Yield: 9 mini cheesecakes

Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake Tarts

.  HAPPY [almost] HALLOWEEN! 

Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend thus far, I can imagine all of the crazy costume parties there have been!  My parents decided to make the trek down to Omaha for the 'holiday' weekend, so Robbie and I will be spending some quality time with them eating, carving pumpkins, and enjoying this beautiful Fall weather NE has given us lately.  But I couldn't send you all off to enjoy a candy-filled Halloween without my own little contribution.

Enter: Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake Tarts.  These little guys are scrumptious and portable, what more could you ask for?!  The cheesecake is creamy and spiced-pumpkiney, set atop an Oreo [yes, OREO!!] crust.  To finish, a smooth, vanilla homemade whipped cream adorns these individual servings.  Nom, nom, nom!

I wish everyone a very happy and safe Halloween!  And don't forget to hand out candy to those kiddies ☺ .

My Notes:

• The original recipe calls for (about 15) gingersnap cookies for the crust.  This is actually the second time I've made these, so I've used both gingersnap and Oreos.  Personally, I prefer the gingersnaps.  They add an additional spice element that I just love, but of course, it's all up to what you are wanting!  Just like my Pumpkin-Chocolate Cheesecake Bars, pumpkin and chocolate is a winner, winner!
• The original recipe also instructs you to beat the cream cheese with all of the cheesecake ingredients.  However, I noticed that my cream cheese didn't blend as well as I would have liked (I had a couple bits of cream cheese that refused to get mixed in), so I would suggest beating the cream cheese until smooth before adding in the remaining ingredients.  
• Fill the muffins cups using all of the batter, the cheesecakes don't rise very much so you shouldn't have to worry about any overflow.
• To make the whipped cream, the recipe calls for 2 teaspoons of powdered sugar.  However, I didn't love the flavor, so I added in an additional 3 teaspoons of powdered sugar.  Flavor to taste!

Adapted from Nestle 

Ingredients:

Crust:

2/3 c. (about 11) crushed Oreo cookies

2 tbsp. butter, melted

Cheesecake:

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened

1 c. pure pumpkin

1/2 c. sugar

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 large eggs

Homemade Vanilly Whipped Cream:

1 c. heavy whipping cream

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 tsp. powdered sugar

Directions:

1.  Heat oven to 325°F.  Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

2.  Combine cookie crumbs and butter in small bowl.  Press scant tablespoon onto bottom of each muffin cup.  Bake 5 minutes.

3.  Beat cream cheese, pumpkin, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla extract in small bowl until blended.  

4.  Add eggs and beat well.

5.  Evenly pour batter into muffin cups.

6.  Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until cheesecakes are set.  Cool in pan on wire rack.  Remove tarts from pan and refrigerate.

7.  For whipped cream, beat the heavy whipping cream and vanilla extract just until soft peaks form.  Add the powdered sugar and beat until just combined (do not over beat, or mixture will look curdy).

8.  Garnish cooled cheesecakes with whipped cream.  

Yield: 1 dozen tarts