Pumpkin Cookies, What Fun!

Pumpkin cookies are made with a cookie press and it just so happens I own one. Not too many people own a cookie press anymore, mostly because no one makes dainty little shaped tea cookies anymore. But my wonderful husband found one at a garage sale and brought it home to me as he knew I wanted one. The directions said to make the pumpkin shapes with the star plate which is a metal plate with a tiny star shape cut out of the middle. Chloe and I were skeptical as to whether it would really produce pumpkin shaped cookies but, it DID! After a quick lesson in how to use a cookie press, Chloe pressed out all of the pumpkins (Pictures 1 and 2) while I attached the stems. Then we put on raisin mouths and chocolate chip eyes and popped them in the oven. (Can you find the "Mike Wasowski" cookie?) (Picture 3)

You can see from the photos that they became larger as they baked. (Picture 4) Once out of the oven, we added candy corn noses to a few of them but Chloe thought they looked "freaky" with the noses so we didn't do too many. Aren't they cute!

Cool little side note - while we prepared the cookies, we did a little review in preparation for Chloe's Florida history test the next day. Quick! Who led the first European expedition to Florida?* At any rate, we were discussing what a colony is, what an expedition is, and the like and Chloe says, "I guess a colony is sort of like homesteaders." I knew making cookies would allow me some teachable moments. She's listening, she's remembering. (If you have no idea what I am talking about, read the previous blog about making homesteaders.) So, we've started with Florida history and homesteaders but who knows what we'll be talking about by the time we hit recipe no. 100?

Next week: Rich Chocolate Squares

(*Answer: Juan Ponce de Leon)

Homesteaders

Homesteader - n. 1. one who has a homestead. 2. one granted land under the Homestead Act. 3. One really amazing cookie! Tonight we made Homesteaders. Funny name for a cookie but this is, without a doubt, the best cookie recipe we have made so far! The dough was shaped into a flat rectangle and popped into the freezer for 30 minutes. Then the cookies were sliced - making a long rectangular shaped cookie - and baked.

The recipe called for nuts to be added to the dough. However, Chloe, being a typical 9 year old, doesn't care too much for nuts in her cookies so we decided to substitute chocolate chips. This was most definitely a good choice!

Once the cookies had baked and cooled, they were drizzled with a confectioners' sugar frosting. Don't they look good?!! The texture of the cookie was that of a light shortbread but the taste of it was more like a chocolate chip cookie. The 1 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon added to the batter gave an unexpected flavor boost. So good!

As part of making these cookies, Chloe and I got to have a little history conversation about the meaning of the word "homesteader." I explained to her (briefly) about the Homestead Act and what that meant for pioneers in particular being able to claim land for their homestead and build a life on that land. Yeah, she was about as interested as you are. But at least we got a little education in there along with the baking!

Next week's recipe is supposed to be No-Bake Apple Oatmeal Cookies but Chloe and I both agree that they sound yuck. So, we are skipping this recipe and moving on to Pumpkin Cookies - not cookies made with pumpkin but cookies shaped like pumpkins, right down to the orange bodies and green stems. Should be fun!

Deluxe Oatmeal Cookies

Okay, so we actually made these about a month ago but we've been busy. Up to Virginia to visit Adair for Parents' Weekend. Catering jobs. Our 13th wedding anniversary. Halloween. You would think with only one child at home, life would be slow and easy. Not so!

At any rate, these were definitely deee-lux cookies. They had it all (except chocolate). They were classically oatmeal chewy, with the sweet gum of raisins mixed in. They spread out thin which gave them a deceptively light taste. The cinnamon and cloves added a nice little spicy hint. The recipe made 6 dozen so we had plenty to share! Definitely would make these again.

Chloe seems fascinated with measuring the ingredients and putting them together in the mixing bowl. She definitely likes to create things! She is always "making up" recipes from food items we have around the house. She has come up with some pretty interesting concoctions, especially in the drink category - milk, apple juice, strawberry yogurt, chocolate sauce smoothie, anyone?

Coconut Pecan Squares

Last week, we made coconut pecan squares. I have been busy and haven't been able to blog about them until now. Let me first back up and tell a before-we-made-the-coconut-pecan-squares-on-Tuesday story. Monday night, I pulled out the cookie cookbook to check and make sure we had all the ingredients we would need for the coconut pecan squares. I told Chloe what we were making the next night and her excited response was,"Oh! Can I help?" I just stared at her for a moment and then remembered she is a 9 year old girl with lots of other things on her mind like Barbies, Spongebob, and the latest Freddie video on YouTube. I reminded her that we are cooking our way through the Cookie Sampler. "Oh yeeahhhhhh...." was her reply. Coconut pecan squares are a bar cookies made in an 8x8 square pan. It makes 3 dozen so that gives you an idea how small we cut them. There's a reason for that. They are very rich! If you like coconut, pecans and brown sugar, you would LOVE these. My husband says they're a keeper. I'm adding them my catering dessert menu. Yes, they're that good. Tomorrow: Deluxe Oatmeal Cookies

Cinnamon Cookies (a/k/a To Die For Cookies)

This week the recipe was Cinnamon Cookies. A little molasses, a lot of cinnamon, two sticks of butter and the other usual ingredients. When the first batch had cooled, I gave one to Chloe to taste test. A few minutes later she was sneaking into the kitchen for another. And then another. I cut her off after three cookies. But that's how these cookies are. You get one in your mouth and then you want more, more, more! I took a few to my friend, Tena, who told me it was the best cookie she'd ever eaten. Definitely a keeper.

Next week: Coconut Pecan Squares (Daddy the coconut lover will be happy!)

Comfort Cookies

This week we made Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies. They turned out about like we expected....yummy comfort food! They do have oatmeal in them and dark chocolate - that's good for you, right? Chloe asked her best friend, Katie, (who lives next door) to come over so they could take a plate to the young men who live in the house across the street (should I be worried?!) but it was too late in the evening to make a social call so the girls settled for a sample of the finished product with a quick glass of milk before Katie's mom came to take her home, along with a plate full of cookies!

Next week - Cinnamon Cookies (I love fall!)

The Beginning of Autumn

...or at least the beginning of the Autumn cookie section. It's a loooong way from feeling like autumn weather where I live but since it's the first week of September, Chloe and I decided to begin making all the cookies in the Autumn section of the Cookie Sampler. A little bit about the Cookie Sampler - it was published by a magazine called The Country Sampler, which was a catalog type magazine that showcased items for country decor at the height of the country decor craze - circa 1987. The editors of the magazine collected cookie recipes from various readers and contributors and published them, separating the recipes into sections - Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, Holidays - you get the idea. Every recipe we will be making is someone's favorite even if it doesn't turn out to be ours. This week we made Apple Pecan Cookies. The ingredients included the regular items - sugar, flour, eggs, salt, shortening - and also applesauce, pecans, raisins, cinnamon and cloves. As we were mixing, Chloe commented about how good it smelled. When we opened the oven after cooking the first tray, the house was filled with such an aroma! We have our house on the market - anyone want to buy a 1960's ranch in Orlando? - and if we baked these cookies right before someone came to see the house, I am certain they would sign a full price contract on the spot! Like life, sometimes things turn out perfectly and other times, not so much. These cookies were like that. They were not the most beautiful cookies I have ever made, sort of blobbish, but they tasted pretty good. They were soft and cakelike. There were pecans in the batter (it was not dough, it was thick batter) and each cookie was topped with a pecan half. Chloe, who likes pecans in certain culinary situations - pecan roll, anyone? - labeled the pecan half on top of the cookies "disgusting" but she otherwise liked the taste of the cookies. Many of you have graciously offered to take cookies off our hands in an attempt to help me keep my weight under control (and I appreciate your willingness to sacrifice for my sake!) Tonight, I took most of the cookies to "Christmas in September," an event at my church in preparation for the Singing Christmas Trees. We donned our Christmas sweaters and brought our Christmas goodies to share. The A/C was turned down low and the music and theme for this year's Singing Christmas Trees was unveiled. It's going to be great so if you live in or near Orlando, make plans to attend. You can order tickets by going to www.firstorlando.com.

The First Recipe

Chalk it up to getting older, feeling like I'm running out of time, my nest being largely empty or maybe just the fact that I like to bake and I like cookies. But the week before my 18 year old daughter, Adair, headed off to college I suggested to my 9 year old daughter, Chloe, that after we returned from our week-long trip to settle her sister in her new dorm, we should begin making cookies. And I'm not talking a few nights and some random recipes. We've committed to all 100 cookie recipes contained in a cookbook entitled The Cookie Sampler. I have had this cookbook for many years and have tried a number of the recipes in the book over time. But now we are going to make ALL of them. At least one recipe a week - which means this project could last two years or more. I have a feeling I am going to learn a few lessons along the way and hopefully impart a few words of wisdom to Chloe before I run out of time. Tonight we made our first recipe - Boston Sugar Cookies. We donned our aprons, measured out all the ingredients and put them together according to the recipe instructions. Then we baked. And then we ate. 3 cookies apiece out of the 4 dozen plus that we made. And a glass of milk, of course. We even took pictures! I've posted a few here. No life lessons learned with this recipe but we made some good cookies. Next week - Apple Pecan Cookies.