Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies with Orange Icing

Another pumpkin recipe. I know.
I pulled out my great cookie cook book from the back of the kitchen and decided we are going to tackle some good cookie recipes. Chloe's choice was first, and she picked these.
This one has a new twist on the boring pumpkin cookies with added oatmeal and an orange icing on top. The  orange flavoring just gives it a little sweet kick. I'd say a good choice, Chloe!
*this recipe could be easily made gluten free by using GF cake mix and GF oatmeal.

Ingredients
1 package yellow cake mix (I used vanilla, but I bet spice would work too)
1/2 cup quick oats
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 egg
1 can pumpkin puree
2 tbsp veg oil
3 cups confectioners sugar
3-4 tbsp orange juice

Preheat oven to 350. In medium bowl, combine cake mix, oats, and spice. In separate bowl, combine egg, pumpkin puree, and veg oil. pour into dry ingredients and stir until well blended. Drop spoonfuls of mix onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. Let cool on wire rack.
For icing, mix confectioners sugar and enough orange juice to achieve spreading consistency. Frost the cooled cookies. (I actually just dropped a spoonful in the middle of the cookie and it spread itself).

Mississippi Mud Cookies

I am in need of a real camera intervention. Seems like every time I bake or cook and then post about it, I have forgotten to take a picture. And what fun is it to get a recipe with no picture? I apologize. For real. But, you have to believe me on this one....this cookie is a must.

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup chocolate chips
miniature marshmallows

In a bowl, melt the 1 cup chocolate chips in microwave for 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, or until melted. Set aside.
Beat butter and sugar till creamy with an electric mixer.
Add eggs, one at a time.
Beat in vanilla and melted chocolate.
Combine flour, salt, and baking powder; gradually add to chocolate mixture till well blended. Add pecans and chocolate chips.
Drop spoonfulls of batter on a cookie sheet. Place 3 marshmallows on top of batter.
Bake at 350 for 9 minutes, or until set.
Let cool on wire rack.

Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

(Original post 11/18/2010)

Like I need another reason to make something pumpkin. I think, no, I KNOW Bryan is getting tired of it. He HATES fall only because he knows everything I bake has pumpkin in it and he is not a fan of pumpkin.

But I am. And the kids are.

So, I found a recipe for pumpkin cookies a little while back. Tweaked it and perfected it, made it a little easier, and here we go!



Pumpkin Cookies
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 egg
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt

In a large bowl, cream together butter, sugar and pumpkin. Add egg.
In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
Add flour mix to pumpkin mix.
Here is where I like to add 1/2 cup of chocolate chips. Everything is better with chocolate.
Drop spoonful on to greased cookie sheet. They don't rise much or change shape, so if you are concerned how they look, fix them before you cook them.
Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes. Let cool before frosting.



Cream Cheese Frosting
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 lb powdered sugar
1 stick butter, softened
8 oz cream cheese, softened
Beat all ingredients together until creamy. Frost cooled cookies.

Santa Kisses

I am thinking that these are going to become a tradition in our home to make for Santa. I tried several different kinds of cookies but none have stuck out as "the one" that we make every year as a tradition. The girls and I tried these out today and they turned out great! They loved them and we named them Santa Kisses. So easy too. Simple little "Kiss" size meringues topped with crushed candy canes!
They actually came to be by accident and I didn't realize it until I went to blog about it. I couldn't find the recipe in the cookie book I was using. I then realized I was looking at two seperate recipes and accidentally combined them. Took a little from one that I liked and a little from the other. What a good oops!

yeild 32 cookies

2 egg whites
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 cup sugar
1 crushed peppermint candy cane

Heat oven to 225 degrees.
In a bowl, mix egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add 1 tbsp at a time, the sugar, until stiff glossy peaks form and sugar has dissolved.
Place meringue mixture into a pastry bag, or a ziploc bag with the corner cut off. On a foil lined baking sheet, pipe 1-1/2 inch mounds, forming a kiss shape. Sprinkle lightly with candy. Bake 1 1/2 hours, until dry, but not brown. Remove from oven, cool, and store in air tight container.