Pumpkin Cranberry Cookies

Here's a tasty fall cookie I was baking up around this time last year. 
Up next, pumpkin spice cookies with caramel frosting and candy corn cookies!

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These cookies are so moist and delicious! With pumpkin, spices and cranberries, they are the perfect fall treat. 

A pillowy pumpkin cookie is loaded with tart cranberries, fresh orange zest and spiced with plenty of cinnamon and nutmeg. It's all in there and it's all so scrumptious! All the flavors really go well together. Don't change a thing! And please, please use FRESH cranberries! The fresh cranberries give these cookies a nice tang that balances out the other flavors. The cranberries also give the cookies a pretty jeweled look. Dried cranberries just wouldn't be the same.


I dipped the tops of the cookies in a powdered sugar cinnamon glaze. The glaze took this from a tasty pumpkin cookie and turned it into a decadent treat!


Try them, you'll love them!

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Cranberry Pumpkin Cookies

INGREDIENTS:


1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 cup solid pack pumpkin puree
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup fresh cranberries
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon*
1 tablespoon orange zest
1/2 cup chopped walnuts**


DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.

2. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla, egg and pumpkin. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon; stir into mixture until well blended. Cut the cranberries in half and stir into mixture along with the orange zest and walnuts. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheets.

3. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.


* I always up the spices and add a pinch more cinnamon, freshly grated nutmeg, ground ginger and a pinch of cloves.

** You can add whatever nut you like. I left them out, but I 'm sure the cookies would be really good with them. Toasted pecans would be tasty too. 


*** I roughly chopped the cranberries in a food processor along with the orange zest and some of the sugar.

For the cinnamon glaze, I whisked together sifted powdered sugar, milk, cinnamon and nutmeg. You want the glaze to be thick so it will stick to the cookies and not run off too much.

* * * * * * * * *

The making of the pumpkin cookies...

Fresh cranberries take a whirl with grated orange zest and sugar.

This creates a lovely shade of red

Then the cranberries get stirred into the spiced pumpkin cookie batter. Oh man! This mixture smells heavenly.

On some of the cookie dough I sprinkled corse sanding sugar for a little crunch and sparkle.

The cookies bake up nice and fluffy.

And then you can enjoy them plain or dip them into a glaze. Either way, they're scrumptious!

Soft Frosted Sugar Cookies

These frosted sugar cookies are reminiscent of the soft Loft House cookies you buy at the grocery store.  They're a guilty little pleasure that you can't help but snack on (all day long, if you're me).

I love that these cookies are thick and soft! They remind me of gourmet bakery cookies. They're also fabulous because you don't have to roll them out! Big time saver. Dough balls are pressed flat with the bottom of a cup and then baked. Really simple. I cut a few hearts out of some of the pressed dough, just for fun. These would be great for Valentine's Day or to give to neighbors and friends. The frosting is on the sweet side, but still really tasty and like I mentioned above, very similar to the Loft House cookies (but much better, of course). 

These are great, simple cookies you can whip up anytime. Bake some today, you (and your loved ones) will be glad you did!

I halved the recipe below since I was making them for only three of us. My half recipe measurements are in pink.

Soft Frosted Sugar Cookies

        Inspired By: Annie-Eats.com
        Yield: about 2 dozen large cookies

For the cookies:
4½ cups all-purpose flour ( 2 1/4 cups)
4½ tsp. baking powder (2 1/4 teaspoons)
¾ tsp. salt (rounded 1/4 teaspoon)
1½ cups (3 sticks) butter, at room temperature (1 1/2 Sticks)
1½ cups sugar (3/4 cup)
3 large eggs (1 whole egg, plus 1 yolk)
5 tsp. vanilla extract (3 teaspoons)

For the frosting:
5 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted (2 1/2 cups)
1/3 cup (5 1/3 tbsp.) unsalted butter, melted (3 Tablespoons)
1 tbsp. vanilla extract (2 teaspoons)
7-8 tbsp. milk (plus more, as needed) (3-4 Tablespoons)
Food coloring (optional)
Sprinkles (optional)

Directions:
To make the cookies, preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.  In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt, and whisk together to blend.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar and beat together on medium-high speed until soft and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed.  Blend in the vanilla.  With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients mixing just until incorporated and evenly mixed.  Cover and chill the dough for 1 hour.*

When you are ready to bake the cookies, scoop a scant quarter cup of dough and roll into a ball.  Flatten the ball slightly and place on the prepared baking sheet.  Repeat with the remaining dough, spacing the cookies at least 2-3 inches apart.  Bake about 10-12 minutes or just until set.  (Do not overbake!  The edges should be no more than very lightly browned if at all.)  Let cool on the baking sheet for several minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To frost the cookies, place the confectioners’ sugar in a medium bowl.  Add the melted butter, vanilla, and milk to the bowl and whisk until smooth.  Whisk in additional milk as necessary, 1 teaspoon at a time, until you reach your desired consistency.  Tint with food coloring if desired.  Use an offset spatula or spoon to frost the cooled cookies.  (If the frosting begins to thicken as you decorate, just continue to whisk in small amounts of milk to keep it workable.)  Top with sprinkles if desired.  Store in an airtight container.

* My dough was thick, so I skipped chilling it and just baked them. They baked up nice and fluffy and didn't spread.

** These don't stack well. The frosting sets up, but it gets a little smashed when stacked.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies!

Cookie dough lovers rejoice! These fudgy brownies, topped with a layer of egg free chocolate chip cookie dough are simply amazing. They are my new favorite treat. 

These bars are pretty easy to make. They start with a yummy homemade brownie batter.

 Once they bake, cool completely.

Then spread homemade chocolate chip cookie dough (egg free!) on top of the brownies. I couldn't really spread the dough, so I patted it into disks and then pressed it together on top of the brownies.

 This glorious mixture goes into the refrigerator for an hour to setup.

 Then just cut and enjoy!

My family loved these and I had plenty of extras, so I shared them with the neighbors and they loved them too!

chocolate chip cookie dough brownies

Source: RecipeGirl.com

BROWNIE:
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup butter, at room temperature
2 cups light brown sugar, packed
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour

COOKIE DOUGH (EGG FREE!):
3/4 cup butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
3 Tablespoons milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup semisweet chips + 1 teaspoon shortening for drizzle, optional

Directions:

Prepare the brownies: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 9x13-inch pan with nonstick spray. In a medium glass bowl, melt chocolate in the microwave in short bursts of 30 seconds; stir after each burst and remove from microwave when melted and smooth. Set aside to cool slightly. In a large mixing bowl, mix butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer. Beat in eggs and vanilla extract. Mix in melted chocolate. Blend in flour and mix just until combined (don't over-mix). Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake 25 to 35 minutes*. Watch closely and remove from oven when toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool completely.

Prepare the cookie dough: In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to combine butter, brown sugar and white sugar. Mix in milk and vanilla. Mix in flour just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

Spread cookie dough over the cooled brownies. Refrigerate until the dough is quite firm. It's okay to speed up the process and place it in the freezer too. The firmer the dough, the easier it will be to cut into neat squares. Use a sharp knife to cut the brownies. You may need to wipe the knife off with a paper towel in between cuts since the fudgy brownies and cookie dough will tend to stick to the knife a bit. These brownies are best to serve placed inside cupcake papers and served with a fork.

If you'd like to add chocolate drizzle on top, melt 1/2 cup chocolate chips with 1 teaspoon of shortening in the microwave; stir until smooth. Scoop the melted chocolate into a zip baggie and snip off the corner. Squeeze the bag to drizzle the chocolate on top of each brownie. Sprinkle additional chocolate chips on top, if desired.


*  These took longer to bake then the stated time. More like 30-40 minutes. Start checking them for doneness around 30 minutes and then give the pan a slight shake ( with an oven mit on of course). If they jiggle, check them every 5 minutes or so. Once they longer jiggle and a tooth pick comes out almost clean, they're done. They'll finish cooking as they cool.
** The brownies do puff up fairly high, but will settle once they cool and then you can press them down further when you add the cookie dough on top. 
*** The cookie dough topping will have the texture of regular cookie dough, so be sure to beat your sugar and butter really well until light and fluffy. Also, let the vanilla and milk beat in for a few minutes.  This will help the slight grittiness from the sugar.
**** I'm not sure if packaged brownie mix would work for these, but if you do go that route, stick with fudgy, thin brownies so you don't end up with monster tall bars.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

 These cookie bars are a yummy treat and super easy to whip anytime you're craving something sweet!

These bars are soft and buttery and can be made with any combination of your favorite chocolate chips, dried fruit and nuts.


I divided the dough in half and made one dark chocolate and cherry batch and one white chocolate, toasted pecan and cherry batch.

Both variations were delicious! 

Try this recipe and use it as a base to add you favorite chips etc., I'm sure you'll love them!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda 

3/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar 

3/4 cup packed brown sugar 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon molasses (opt.)

2 eggs

1 (12 ounce) package semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped nuts (opt.)

Preheat oven to 375* Grease a 15x10-inch jelly roll pan. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, both sugars and vanilla in large mixer bowl. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Beat in molasses. Gradually beat flour mixture into butter mixture. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Spread into prepared pan.

Bake 10-13 minutes or until golden brown. Start watching these at about 9 minutes and make sure they don't brown too quickly! Pull them out of the oven when they are golden on top.


Variations:
* 1/4 cup peanut butter, chocolate chips, peanut butter chips
* White chocolate chips, dried cherries

* Dried cherries, toasted pecans and dark chocolate
* Butterscotch chips and toasted pecans

Cookie Coatings

One of my favorite cookies I make all the time is a chocolate cake mix cookie. They are so soft and so chocolatey, everyone always loves them. I made a batch last night for my husband who likes to make a cookie sundae with vanilla ice cream, cookie dough bits and a couple of hot cookies from the oven to finish it off. Yes, it's really really good. Now, where was I...oh yes, my favorite chocolate cookie.

To make the chocolate cookies, you roll the dough into balls and then into powdered sugar and bake. So, I thought it would be interesting to roll the balls of dough into different coatings and see how they baked up and more importantly, how they tasted.

From the top and left to right:
Cinnamon-Nutmeg, Rainbow nonpareils, Plain powdered sugar.
Cocoa powder, Shredded coconut, Chocolate protein powder.
Granulated sugar, Coffee, Brown sugar.

I mixed most of the coatings with powdered sugar so they would stick to the cookie dough better.

 They all baked up fine and the texture didn't change that much.

Now it was time to taste all the cookies. Yahoo!

 The Results:

Cinnamon-nutmeg: Cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg was mixed with powdered sugar. This coating was one of my favorites! It gave the cookie a really nice, but subtle spicey warm flavor. I would make this combination again. Very good.

Nonpareils: This one was too crunchy, of course. Maybe a few rainbow sprinkles on top would be fun.

Plain: The original delicious fudgy cookie.

Cocoa: Powdered sugar/cocoa powder mix. Added a nice chocolatey boost to the cookies, but had a dry texture on the outside and kind of stuck to the roof of your mouth while eating it. Wouldn't make again.

Coconut: I grounded up flaked coconut with powdered sugar so it would adhere better. This combination was another one of my favorite. The coconut gave the cookie a chewy exterior, but the middle was still soft and fudgy. The coconut chocolate combo was really tasty.

Protein Powder: The worst cookie of the group, it just had an odd flavor. I was stretching with this one.

Granulated Sugar: This was a tasty combo. The cookie had nice crunchy exterior and wasn't that much sweeter. I would make this one again.

Coffee: This was the ugliest looking cookie of the bunch. I was surprised that it didn't taste terrible too. I blended finely ground coffee with powdered sugar to take out some of the bite of the coffee. This coating gave the cookie a good coffee flavor and the texture wasn't too gritty, but I don't think I would make this version again. I would add coffee flavor another way.

Brown Sugar: This was way too sweet. With the brown sugar being so moist, you had to really press a lot onto each ball of dough to get it to stick. The outside was fairly crunchy too.

* * *

The winners of the group; cinnamon-nutmeg, coconut and granulated sugar.  I would take of tray of these plus the original powdered-sugar coated ones to a party. Yum!

Original Chocolate Gooey Cookies
1 stick butter, room temperature
1 (8 oz) block cream cheese, room temperature
1 egg, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla
1 chocolate cake mix

Beat butter and cream cheese together until light and fluffy. Mix in egg and vanilla. Beat in cake mix until throughly incorporated. Refrigerate dough for two hours (so it's easier to handle). Roll chilled dough into balls and then into powdered sugar. Bake at 350 for 11 minutes.

If you're feeling adventurous, try one of the winning cookie coating combinations above!

Strawberry Kisses

Moist, fluffy strawberry cookies are topped with a yummy crowning of vanilla frosting.

These cookies are made with a strawberry cake mix and strawberry oil to really bring out the bright berry flavor. I'm sure they would be just as tasty without the strawberry oil though! To make them more interesting (and because I bake with my five year old) I made a simple vanilla frosting to go on top. You can substitute any flavor of cake mix for these and pair them with your favorite frosting. 

These are great plain, but a little frosting and maybe some sprinkles dress them up nicely and make for a more decadent treat.

Cake Mix Cookie
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, room temperature
1 (8 oz) block cream cheese, room temperature
1 egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla (or extract to match your cake mix)
1 (18 oz) box cake mix

Beat butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and extract. Stir in cake mix until moistened. Wrap dough in plastic and chill for two hours. Roll chilled dough into balls and roll balls into powdered sugar.  Preheat oven to 350.

Bake cookies, 2-inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet for 10-12 minutes. The cookies will look slightly wet when they come out. Cool completely on a rack. Dust cookies with extra powdered sugar or frost with you favorite frosting.

* I used one strawberry cake mix and 1 teaspoon of strawberry essence that I picked up at a pastry shop for the above cookie.
* For the frosting, I beat one stick of butter with 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 1/4 teaspoon almond extract and enough milk to make it a desired spreading consistency.

Cookie Dough Pops!

It started out as harmless chocolate chip cookie dough. 

 But after I made a batch of plain chocolate chip cookies...

 I added toasted pecans to half and baked some more.

 But I still had all this tasty cookie dough left. So, I froze half the dough to bake up another time...

And with the rest of the dough? I made cookie dough pops! I rolled the dough into balls and put sticks in each one.

 Then I melted some milk chocolate and let it cool.

 Then each tasty pop got a dip in the chocolate goodness.

 Glorious

 I rolled some in crushed pecans and popped them in the refrigerator.

 These were awesome! It doesn't get better than yummy cookie dough dipped in chocolate!

Enjoy!

* If you're concerned about raw eggs, use an egg-free cookie dough. Or eat these in moderation (if you can!)

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/4 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 1/3 cup butter flavored Crisco (I substituted a portion of this w/ butter)

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla 

1/2 tsp molasses

4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Mix flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl; set aside. In a large bowl, beat crisco until fluffy. Add sugars and beat until smooth. Add eggs, beating after each one. Add vanilla and molasses. Add the dry mixture and mix until just combined. Stir in semi-sweet chocolate chips. Spoon large tablespoon-size balls onto an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake at 375 degrees for 11-12 minutes.

Or make cookie dough pop!

A Taste of Fall

Pumpkin Cranberry Cookies
These cookies are so moist and delicious! They are the perfect fall treat. 


Side Note: I've misplaced my USB camera cord, so I can't download all of the many photos I took while making these. This lovely picture (and the recipe) is from allrecipes.com.

A pillowy pumpkin cookie is loaded with tart cranberries, fresh orange zest and spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg. It's all in there and it's all so scrumptious! All the flavors really go well together. Don't change a thing! And please, please use FRESH cranberries! The cranberries give these cookies a nice tang that balances out the other flavors. The cranberries also give the cookies a pretty jeweled look. Dried cranberries just wouldn't be the same.


I dipped the tops of the cookies in a powdered sugar cinnamon glaze. The glaze took this from a tasty pumpkin cookie and turned it into a decadent treat!


Try them, you'll love them!

* * * * *

Cranberry Pumpkin Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 cup solid pack pumpkin puree
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup fresh cranberries
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon*
1 tablespoon orange zest
1/2 cup chopped walnuts**

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.

2. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla, egg and pumpkin. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon; stir into mixture until well blended. Cut the cranberries in half and stir into mixture along with the orange zest and walnuts. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheets.

3. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

* I always up the spices and add a pinch more cinnamon, freshly grated nutmeg, ground ginger and a pinch of cloves.

** You can add whatever nut you like. I left them out, but I 'm sure the cookies would be really good with them. Pecans would be tasty too. 

For the cinnamon glaze, I whisked together sifted powdered sugar, milk, cinnamon and nutmeg. You want the glaze to be thick so it will stick to the cookies and not run off too much.

Fall Day Comforts

The day started off a bit dreary in Salt Lake. Cloudy gray skies, thunder cracking in the distance with impending rain. It was the perfect atmosphere to make soup! I went for simple and comforting and choose a tomato based vegetable soup. I didn't follow a recipe, I just used what I had on hand and tossed it all in a crock pot.  Sometimes these are the best kinds of soup!

And of course I needed something sweet and comforting to go along with my chilly day soup... So, I made Big Soft Ginger Cookies. These cookies are so yummy! They're loaded with fragrant fall spices and they are absolutely heavenly warm from the oven. They also make the house smell delicious!

With a chill in the air, you can't go wrong with a bubbling pot of soup, a nice loaf of crusty bread and some freshly baked ginger cookies.

Soup
To my crock pot I added:
1 large onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 (15oz) cans chopped tomatoes with juices
2 cups water (or stock)
1 can garbanzo beans (or white beans)
1 can red kidney beans
6 celery stocks, chopped
1 1/2  cups baby carrots, chopped
1 cup frozen peas (added towards the end)
1 cup frozen corn ( added towards the end)
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp paprika
2 tsps. parsley
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basi
pinch cayenne

I threw all the ingredients in a crock pot (except for the peas and corn which I added the last 15 minutes) and set the soup to cook for six hours. Stir soup occasionally and add more liquids if needed. Also, taste before serving and add salt or more seasonings to taste.

Big Soft Ginger Cookies

INGREDIENTS
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup margarine, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
1/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons white sugar

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then stir in the water and molasses. Gradually stir the sifted ingredients into the molasses mixture. Shape dough into walnut sized balls, and roll them in the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet, and flatten slightly.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

For your dipping pleasure...

Baking Powder Biscuits
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon white sugar
1/3 cup shortening
1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Gradually stir in milk until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl.
Turn out onto a floured surface, and knead 15 to 20 times. Pat or roll dough out to 1 inch thick. Cut biscuits with a large cutter or juice glass dipped in flour. Repeat until all dough is used. Brush off the excess flour, and place biscuits onto an ungreased baking sheet.
Bake for 13 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges begin to brown.

* * * * * * * *

Instead of sour cream, I served non-fat greek yogurt on the side. It was a great substitute for sour cream (if you're putting a dollop on your soup).

 The kiddos got cheese quesadillas for dipping.