Gingerbread Ice Cream

I saw this cookbook called Gingerbread a couple of months ago and as I was flipping through it, I started to realize that I wanted to make everything in the book. I had no idea how I would ever narrow it down and choose a recipe to actually make. I thumbed through it again and bookmarked a bunch of things and then, last week I had 6 egg yolks hanging out in the fridge and I knew ice cream was the answer.

I saw Tracey's post about this ice cream last week and that just help verify the fact that I was going to make it.

This ice cream tastes and smells exactly like gingerbread! It is loaded with spices and molasses. Fresh ginger is steeped in the milk/cream mixture, so it really has a great ginger flavor. This is the perfect ice cream for the holidays. It tastes like the holidays! It also stays nice and creamy, even after spending time in the freezer. If you have a gingerbread fiend in the house, they will love this!

Here is the recipe for Gingerbread Ice Cream

Rhubarb Sorbet

Rhubarb, Rhubarb- I love you, Rhubarb! I grew up eating lots of rhubarb and every Spring when it makes an appearance, I try to decide what I want to make with these precious stalks.

I've been on quite a sorbet kick lately and had been wanting to try Rhubarb sorbet for quite awhile, so that is the first thing that I did with my rhubarb.
Sorbet has got to be one of the easiest desserts to make. This one is no exception. Chop a few things, throw them in a pan, let it cool and churn away. You don't even have to churn if you don't have an ice cream maker. You can freeze and stir with a fork and then puree in the food processor. I used that method last time.

This recipe contains fresh ginger and orange zest, so there is a complexity of flavors, but you can really taste the rhubarb shining through. I did not strain my puree, because I hate to waste any of the rhubarb and I like the bite you get from a little piece of ginger sometimes.
I do wish I would have reduce the amount of sugar I added though. The finished product was just a tad bit too sweet. One of rhubarb's best qualities is that tart flavor and the sugar took too much of that away. But, that is just my opinion, of course!

Here is the recipe for Rhubarb Sorbet from Simply Recipes
* I didn't strain the ginger and rhubarb pulp out of my sorbet
* If I make this again, I will add less sugar- it was just a little bit too sweet

Chicken, Kiwi, and Mango Salad

Finally, it is beginning to warm up around here! I think Spring might be right around the corner. I'm so happy about this because the cold is going to leave and go away for a really long time!

The sun is shining and it is beautiful outside. Those two things make me think of fresh, springy (or summery) salads.

This is a salad that will make you feel happy and it is really easy to make. You just need a handful of ingredients. The dressing is made with mayo, but I used lowfat greek yogurt instead and it is flavored with ginger and lime. The kiwi and mango are delicious with the chicken and those cashews add just the right amount of crunch. Yum.

Recipe for Chicken, Kiwi, and Mango Salad
* I used greek yogurt instead of mayo

Ginger Sugar Cookies, Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies, Chocolate Peppermint Bars, and Chewy, Chunky Blondies w/ holiday add-ins

These are the cookies that I made and sent in the mail to some family members. When I am making a bunch of treats at the same time, I always try to choose a variety of flavors and textures. Since it is Christmas time, I made sure to choose some cookies that had appropriate flavors for this time of year. Ginger, pumpkin, peppermint, cranberries, etc.

I recently received a copy of The Gourmet Cookie Book, a cookbook in which the best cookie from the pages of Gourmet magazine was chosen for each year, from 1941-2009.
I thumbed through this book and chose a couple of recipes to try. The ginger sugar cookies stuck out to me because my family loves ginger and they looked like a chewy, delicious cookie.
They smelled yummy and my kids each sampled one. My 4 year old thought they were too spicy, but my other kids loved them.
These pumpkin oatmeal cookies look ordinary enough, but boy are they tasty. I was curious about their flavor, so I ate one. These were sooo good. Usually it seems like oatmeal cookies have all sorts of add-ins, like raisins, or nuts or chocolate chips, but these were so yummy because the stars of the show were just the pumpkin/spices and oatmeal. I will definitely make these again and again.
These chocolate peppermint bars were described by my son as "brownies with candy cane flavor". I didn't try one, but my son really didn't want me to send these in the mail. The batter was hard to spread, but it evened out in the oven. Not very pretty, but good to eat.

The last cookie I made is a classic bar cookie that always gets great reviews- Dorie's Chewy, Chunky Blondies. I have made these multiple times before and they are always a crowd pleaser. Usually they are chock full of nuts, chocolate, toffee bits, coconut-basically whatever you want to add.
This time I decided to add in some holiday flavors, so I went with dried cranberries, white chocolate chips, chopped macadamia nuts and toasted coconut.
These bars are perfect for sharing.

Ginger Sugar Cookies from The Gourmet Cookie Book
March 1965
Cream 3/4 cup softened butter and gradually beat in 1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed.
Stir in 1 egg and 1/4 cup molasses and blend thoroughly.
Sift 2 1/4 cups flour with 2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp each of cinnamon and ginger, 1/2 tsp cloves, and 1/4 tsp salt.
Gradually blend the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture and chill the dough for 1 hour.
Drop by heaping teaspoons into 1-inch balls and dip the tops in sugar.
Arrange the balls at least 3 inches apart on a greased baking sheet and sprinkle each cookie with 2 or 3 drops or water.
Bake the cookies at 375 degrees for about 7 or 8 minutes, or until they are firm.

Chewy, Chunky Blondies adapted from Dorie Greenspan's “Baking: From My Home to Yours” p.109

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups (packed) light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup coarsely chopped macadamia nuts
1 cup toasted coconut

Getting Ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 9×13-inch baking pan and put it on a baking sheet.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add both sugars and beat for another 3 minutes, or until well incorporated. Add the eggs one by one, beating for 1 minute after each addition, then beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing just until they disappear into the batter. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the chips, cranberries, nuts, and coconut. Scrape the batter into the buttered pan and use the spatula to even the top as best you can.

Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of the blondies comes out clean.(I usually have to keep adding 5 minutes at a time, until they are done- don't be afraid to let them cook a little longer). The blondies should pull away from the sides of the pan a little and the top should be a nice honey brown. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for about 15 minutes before turning the blondies out onto another rack. Invert onto a rack and cool the blondies to room temperature right side up.

Cut into 32 bars, each roughly 2-1/4 x 1-1/2 inches.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies as seen on The Way the Cookie Crumbles

2½ cups (12 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (7 ounces) white sugar
1 cup (7 ounces) packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup pumpkin puree

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line two baking pans with parchment paper or a silicone mat. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, oats, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large bowl with a hand mixer), beat the butter and both sugars until fluffy, about one minute. Add the egg, beating until incorporated, then mix in the vanilla and pumpkin. With the mixer on the lowest speed, add the flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated.

3. Drop heaping teaspoons of dough onto the prepared baking pans. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned around edges. Let the cookies cool slightly on the pans before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Recipe for Chocolate Peppermint Bar Cookies from The Gourmet Cookie Book-
December 2006

National Bundt Cake Day- Spicy Pumpkin Mini Bundts

National Bundt Cake Day is here again! The Food Librarian has been counting down to this day just like she did last year, by making 30 days of Bundts! Mary is so creative. Each and every bundt has been imaginative and delicious. My favorites that she has posted this year are the Ice Cream Bundt, the Buttermilk Butternut Squash Bundt (probably because I made it last year for this day of celebration), Meatloaf Bundt with Tunnel of Egg
and the Root Beer Bundt (I've made that one too).

I have loved looking at all of her beautiful Bundt cakes.

Of course I wanted to join in the fun, so this year I made Spicy Pumpkin mini bundt cakes. Now when I say mini, I don't mean those cute individual mini bundt pans that hold about 1 cup or so of batter. I mean I used my mini cupcake bundt pan, which is like a muffin tin, but it has little bundt molds in the pan instead of the usual muffin tin.

I took these as the refreshments for a cub scout meeting and they were gone in a flash. Everyone really enjoyed them. I made a simple icing of powdering sugar and skim milk to drizzle over the tops. They were delicious!

If you haven't made a bundt cake lately, today is the perfect day to do so. The Food Librarian has made at least 60 bundts, so go check out her blog if you need some ideas.

Here are the bundts I want to try the most from this last Bundt frenzy- Zucchini Olive Oil Bundt ,
Lavender-Lemon Bundt,
and the Snickerdoodle Bundt.

Oh who am I kidding? I want to try them all!



Recipe for Spicy Pumpkin Bundt Cake

Oaty Rhubarb Streusel Bars & Blackberry Crumb Bars

When I am asked to provide dessert for something in the summer, I always think of desserts that include fruit. I decided on these 2 quick and easy fruit bars which showcase blackberries and rhubarb.

A couple of weeks ago I bought a large amount of rhubarb, because I knew it wouldn't be available much longer. I brought it home and chopped it, so that I could put in it in the freezer and use it later.

I used some of the rhubarb in these Oaty Rhubarb Streusel Bars. The base is a basic oatmeal crust/crumble, of which some is reserved to be the crumbs on top. The base is baked for a little while and then the rhubarb is added. The rest of the crust is sprinkled on top and then a ginger icing and crystallized ginger are sprinkled on top. These bars turned out looking so delicious.
I didn't get to taste one, but there weren't any leftovers, so I can only assume they were great.

The Blackberry Crumb Bars had a cake-like base, then the blackberries were placed on top and a separate streusel was sprinkled on top.
These were a little bit more difficult to cut, so my kids and a friend were able to sample one of the pieces that fell apart. They said it was delicious. My kids were begging for more, but the rest had to be whisked away!
If you are looking for an easy fruit cake/cookie streusel bar, try one of these!


Recipe for Oaty Rhubarb Streusel Bars



Recipe for Blackberry Crumb Bars

Carrot Ginger Dressing

If there was ever a salad dressing that would make you want to eat salad at every meal, every day for the rest of your life- this is it.
I saw this recipe on Prudence Pennywise a couple of weeks ago and Prudy served it with an Asian Steak Salad.
I don't eat steak, but I had a feeling that this salad dressing would be good on any type of greens and veggies.

I was sooo right.
I didn't really measure out the ingredients- except for the carrots and celery. I just estimated the amounts (I feel fairly confident doing this, given how much time I spend in the kitchen) and gave them a whirl in the blender.

I tasted it with a spoon and then I tasted it again.
This stuff was so good, I probably could have eaten it as soup or poured it in a glass and had it as a drink.
But really, it is so yummy. Nice and fresh, but also creamy from the pureed veggies.
It would be great as a dip for vegetables too.
Luckily, I doubled the recipe, so after we ate it one night, I was able to enjoy it for lunch over and over again.

Salad never tasted so good.

Recipe for Carrot Ginger Dressing from Prudence Pennywise
I didn't actually measure the ingredients, I just kind of eye balled it
I added 2 cloves of garlic and a couple Tbls of water

Gingery Lavender Shortbread

A couple of weeks ago when we went door to door, up and down our street to collect food for the food bank, we met our across the street neighbor for the first time.
She happens to be an older woman who lives all alone. Her husband passed away quite a few years ago and she has no children. We stayed and talked to her for a while.
The next day my 5 year old was begging to go across the street to talk to her again.
The next day- same story. and the next day and the next day.

So, we decided to make her a treat and go drop in to say hi and see how she was getting along.

I am growing lavender and had successfully dried some, so I was anxious to use it in a recipe.
I found this shortbread recipe in a book I have on the shelf and made a few tweaks to it. I added lemon zest and a little bit of salt and topped the shortbread off with some purple sugar.

We had to taste test it before we took it over (of course), and then we tied some ribbon around it and headed off across the street.

The kids were happy because we made someone else smile and because we were able to have a sweet treat. We had some shortbread leftover so I shared with some other friends. I thought the lavender flavor was faint, but one taster said it was definitely noticeable.

Gingery Lavender Shortbread- adapted from BH&G the ultimate cookie book

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon dried lavender blossoms
• 1 cup butter
• 1/4 tsp salt
• zest of 1 lemon
  

1. Preheat oven to 325F.
2. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
3. In bowl, combine flour, sugar, crystallized ginger, lavender, and ground ginger.
4. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs and starts to cling.
5. Form mixture into a ball; knead until smooth (dough may be crumbly at first but will come together as you work it with your hands).
6. Roll or pat dough onto prepared cookie sheet in 11” x 6” rectangle.
7. With large knife, carefully halve rectangle lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 16 slices.
8. Do not separate slices.
9. Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until edges are light brown and center is set.
10. Re-cut the rectangle and separate the slices while warm.
11. If desired, sprinkle with additional sugar.
12. Cool on cookie sheet 5 minutes.
13. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
14. To Store: Place cookies in layers separated by waxed paper in an airtight container.
15. Store at room temperature for 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

A Variety of Mini Scones

On Mother's Day, we had a brunch and program for all the women at church. When we were discussing the menu, we decided to keep it simple. I suggested scones and volunteered to make a few varieties.
I apologize for the bad photos, but they were taken in a rush, on my way out the door to church.

I made a few recipes that I have made before- like these rhubarb and cranberry ones (Yes, I had one last bag of cranberries in the freezer that I used). And I tried a couple new recipes, like the Cherry Chocolate Scones and the Ginger Scones- both were very popular.

I also made a gluten-free scone, but used a gluten free mix and just had to add butter, buttermilk, dried blueberries and lime zest.
I used the Pioneer Womans' directions found in this post, to cut all my scones into minis, making them all much more figure friendly. Each recipe yielded about 30 or so mini-scones.
I also shaped and froze most of the scones ahead of time and just baked them straight from the freezer (just add a few minutes to the baking time)- a tip that Bridget shared on one of her posts about scones.

Recipe for Cherry Chocolate Scones
* I used milk chocolate chips
* I made a glaze with half&half and powdered sugar for these scones

Recipe for Ginger Scones
* I used milk, powdered sugar and ground ginger for the glaze

Recipe for Rhubarb Scones
* I used fresh lemon juice and powdered sugar for the glaze

Recipe for the Cranberry Scones
* this time I left out the egg yolk and used 3/4 cup buttermilk instead of heavy cream
the scones were much easier to shape because the dough wasn't as wet
* I used fresh orange juice, zest and powdered sugar for the glaze

Ginger Ice Cream

When my family was here visiting a couple of weeks ago, my youngest brother turned 18. I was really excited about his big day because that meant I could make cake and ice cream!
I decided to use a couple of my brother's favorite flavors. He loves lots of things and ginger is one of them. My mom used fresh ginger root a lot in dishes growing up, so my whole family is quite familiar with its zing.

I found some crystallized ginger at EarthFare in the bulk section, which was much more affordable than the small bottles of it I have bought at other grocery stores before. Don't you love it when that happens? I know I do.

I had already bookmarked this particular recipe a few months ago, so I was excited to finally have an occasion to make it for.

The ice cream turned out perfectly- smooth and delicious, with that spicy bite that fresh ginger adds. The pieces of crystallized ginger added the perfect little something.
We all really liked this ice cream and later in the week we discovered that it tastes really good sandwiched between graham crackers. (I figured it was ok to buy them if we had company because then I wouldn't eat them all myself.)


Recipe for Ginger Ice Cream
*Note- I use my Microplane Grater/Zester to grate fresh or frozen ginger root. It makes the job much easier

Curried Vegetable Couscous

This is another great recipe from the Mayo Clinic Cookbook that caught my eye, even though there was not a picture provided alongside the recipe. Kind of disproves something I said the other day about pictures being the inspiration for the dishes I choose to cook and bake, but oh well!

I love anything that has curry in it. Curry powder, curry paste- whatever it is, I love it.
My mom used curry powder in quite a few dishes when I was growing up and I think that is probably part of the reason why I love it so much.

I made this to take to a family dinner as a side dish and it was well liked by everyone which meant I didn't get as much of it leftover throughout the week for my lunch, but at least it was a hit.
It uses whole wheat couscous, which is almost exactly the same tastewise as normal couscous.
You use a food processor to mince celery, carrot, red bell pepper, onion, garlic and gingerroot and then saute the veggie mixture with the curry powder. (That is why the whole dish looks yellow, not bad lighting, just curry powder!)
Meanwhile the couscous cooks up and then you throw the whole thing together. It was so easy and really delicious.

I am going to try it again with quinoa or millet and can't wait to eat it again!


Recipe for Curried Vegetable Couscous

TWD-Lemon-Ginger and Lime versions of Coconut Tea Cake

This week's TWD recipe, Coconut Tea Cake, was chosen by Carmen who blogs over at Carmen Cooks. You can find the recipe on her blog. Or you can go to one of the links I have from when I made this recipe previously.
I have made this recipe twice before; I made mini lime bundt cakes and a regular sized Lemon-Ginger Bundt, both times because I had leftover coconut milk that I needed to use.
Basically, Dorie's book is the first thing I turn to if I need to bake something or if I have leftover ingredients that could be used for baking.

Both times I made this cake it was delicious. Both times I made a simple glaze.
It was a hit both times.

Check out the TWD Blogroll to see what other variations people made of this cake!

Today is my younger brother's 18th birthday and I am so thrilled that he is here with me to celebrate! I am going to bake him an awesome cake and we are going to have a fun day~ Happy Birthday Andrew!!!!

Pumpkin Spice Scones

Every time I open a can of pumpkin, I know exactly what I am going to do with it. Well, at least part of it. The fun thing is figuring out what to do with the sometimes 1/3 cup or so, of pumpkin puree that I have leftover.

I don't even remember how I happened upon this recipe for Pumpkin Spice Scones,
from Pinch my Salt. But I read that the recipe had been triple tested until it was just right and I loved the spices that were included in these scones. Also the two different icings, cinnamon and ginger-molasses had me intrigued.
These scones were absolutely amazing. I don't know if it was the fact that these had cake flour in them, but they were so soft and delicious. I can't even explain the texture, it was unbelievable. Cathy and I were tweeting about these and we completely agreed, so its not just me that raved about these.
The spices were absolutely perfect too.
I left out the raisins, just because I felt like it. I love raisins, but I really didn't want them in these for some reason.
I can't wait to make these again over the Christmas break. Perfect for breakfast, brunch or a snack.
I will use any excuse to make these again.


I made a little bit of a change on the icing-- I poured a little bit of molasses in a bowl- added some ground ginger and about 1 cup of powdered sugar. added skim milk until I could get it to come together. More ginger and molasses, until it had that spicy bite.


Recipe for Pumpkin Spice Scones

MSC-Gingerbread Cupcakes

(TWD is posted beneath this MSC post)

This month's MSC Cupcake was chosen by Kayte who blogs over at Grandma's Kitchen Table. We don't post the recipes for this group, but you can read more about her pick by going to this post.
You can find the recipe by turning to page 246 of Martha Stewart's Cupcakes.

This cupcake definitely has the flavor of gingerbread, all the right spices.
It is supposed to be topped with Fluffy Vanilla Frosting, but I made a lemon glaze instead.
My mom used to make gingerbread this time of year when I was growing up and it always was served with a lemon sauce, so I tried to recreate that flavor combination.

These cupcakes were also topped with optional Gingerbread Cutouts. I was a little cookie-d out when I made these last week, so I skipped those and used Chocolate Covered Candy Coated Sunflower Seeds to top my cupcakes instead.

I found these cute little containers of the candy sunflower seeds that looked like Christmas lights at Cracker Barrel and decided they were a fun little prop. Plus, the candy sunflower seeds are really yummy.
After I had just sprinkled them on, I realized I could have made little shapes or wreaths on my cupcakes or whatever I felt like, with the sunflower seeds.

These cupcakes were the perfect pick for December. The perfect flavor and everything for this time of year!

Go to the MSC Blogroll to see what everyone else thought about these cupcakes and to see some great decorating!

More Christmas Cookies and Treats

When my sister was here visiting a couple weeks ago, I asked her what cookies she wanted me to make and send her for Christmas. I gave her some Holiday Baking Magazines and told her to pick as many as she wanted.
She folded down lots and lots of pages and then I narrowed it down to 6. I chose things that I could make all in the same day and then threw in a couple more treats at the end.

First up is Peppermint Bark. This is a Christmas goodie that my mom has made for quite a few years and she uses Martha Stewarts recipe. I actually like it better when you use almond bark instead of white chocolate, so that is what I did. I like to sprinkle some of the chopped candy canes on top, as well as mixing them into the melted white stuff. My hubby really likes this and so do my kids. Great gift.
Recipe for Peppermint Bark
My sister requested a molasses cookie and I decided I would make Dorie's recipe, because I knew it was a crowd pleaser. This time I didn't flatten my balls of dough, so I had smaller, chewier cookies. This recipe is so great that it really deserves a repeat.
I sent some of the last batch to my family, so they will be super excited to get more of them in the mail.

Recipe for Sugar Topped Molasses Spice Cookies
I saw this cookie in a Martha Stewart Holiday Cookie issue and was intrigued by the combination of cornmeal and dried fruit in a cookie. I knew sending this cookie to someone else would be great, since most members of my family do not like cornmeal. The recipe originally called for dried cherries, but I subbed in dried cranberries because that is what I had in the pantry.
These also have orange zest and they aren't overly sweet. Great cookie.
Recipe for Cornmeal-Cranberry Cookies

I saw this cookie in a couple of different Martha Stewart mags and remembered that Tracey made them a couple weeks ago. I figured bars are great for sending and these have all types of mix-ins, so they were added into the bunch.
I subbed in peanut butter chips for the butterscotch chips, toffee bits for the white chocolate and then, on top of that, these have chocolate chips, cut up caramels, and marshmallows.
What a combination. I think I will have to make these again. My son was upset that he didn't get to sample one.
Recipe for Rocky Ledge Bars
My sister wanted these peanut butter bars. They were supposed to have Hershey's Kisses on top, but I thought they would send better if they didn't have those on top. They are a play on Peanut Butter Kisses, but easier to make because they are a bar. I used creamy peanut butter in these, instead of chunky.

Recipe for Peanut Butter Bars

My sister chose these bars and I thought they were a great choice because they have green and red in them naturally. They have a basic butter, flour, brown sugar crust, which you prebake for a few minutes and then the cranberry-pistachio topping is added and they are put back in the oven to finish baking.
Great way to use fresh cranberries.
Recipe for Cranberry Pistachio Bars
My sister also chose these pumpkin oatmeal raisin cookies. They are just like an oatmeal raisin cookie, but with pumpkin puree added to the batter. I made these into bars, simply because I was trying to bake 8 different things all in one day and it made it easier for me.
I wasn't too excited about these, but I did taste a small square and they really were good. Definitely more tasty then they might seem.
So, these are all the items that made it into my treat box. I sent a few of most of these cookies to my Secret Baker.
I also made a batch of Spiced Pecans and the upcoming cookie for Tuesdays with Dorie got thrown into the mix too.
Needless to say, after this day of baking, packaging and mailing, I was wiped out. It was worth it though.
I also threw in a picture of the Cake Pops I made last weekend for a birthday party. These are a fun little treat for a Christmas or Holiday get-together, if you need a fun idea.
How-to for Cake Pops
Pumpkin Raisin Oatmeal Cookies from Woman's Day Holiday Cookies 2009
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cup quick oats
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup raisins
3/4 cup walnuts (I omitted these)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease baking sheets.
2. Combine flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl.
3. Beat butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in a large mixer bowl until light and fluffy. Add pumpkin, egg, and vanilla; mix well. Add flour mixture; mix well. Stir in nuts and raisins.
4. Drop by rounded Tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 14 to 16 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned and set in centers. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Recipe for Peppermint Bark

Recipe for Cornmeal-Cranberry Cookies

Recipe for Rocky Ledge Bars

Recipe for Peanut Butter Bars

Recipe for Cranberry Pistachio Bars

Recipe for Sugar Topped Molasses Spice Cookies

Cake Pops