Pumpkin Cranberry Cookies

I've been missing the smells of chocolate, berries, batter and vanilla wafting through my house and knew it was time to get back to baking. What better way to jump back into it than to make some pumpkin cookies! I got this recipe from Joy of Baking and added cranberries for even more of a "fall" feel. These cookies are almost like muffins or scones in a way, as they are scrumptious, fluffy and soft. The cream cheese frosting adds the perfect "oomph" to them, but they are fantastic on their own as well.

*Note: I think I over beat the batter a bit and made the cookies larger than they should have been.If you make sure to not over beat the batter and aim for smaller cookies than me, you'd probably end up with a more traditional cookie texture.

Ingredients

Cookies

2 cups all purpose flour 

1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoons ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 1/4 cups  light brown sugar (I used regular brown)

1/2 cup  canola oil or corn oil (I used safflower oil, which is healthier)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup  pumpkin puree (about 1 can, if you don't have fresh)

1/3 Cup dried cranberries (not in the original recipe)

Frosting

4 ounces  (1/2 brick) room temperature cream cheese (I used low fat)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325.

In a medium sized bowl, sift together all dry ingredient and set aside.

Using your mixer,beat together eggs, brown sugar, oil, vanilla and pumpkin.

Gradually add the flour mixture and mix until just combined. (This is the part I over did it a bit... oops!)

Using a 1/4 Cup or large spoon, pour batter into large dollops onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. Make sure to space them about 2". Also, the cookies don't flatten out when they bake like many other do, so you might end up with them lumpy if you are sloppy during this step.

Have lumpy cookies? Never fear! Use your frosting to make them into something fun, like this angry man cookie. Think of them as clouds... we'll all see something different.

Bake at 325 for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean from the centers of the cookies.

While they bake, make your frosting! Beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth, or about 2-3 minutes. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Mix well until your frosting is a good consistency.Use a piping bag for fun, or just spread it on evenly. Make sure cookies are thoroughly cooled before icing them.

My brother decorated this one. I'm not even going to tell you what it's supposed to be.

 

Frost, eat and enjoy!

Happy Baking!

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Pie

Oh cheese, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. Actually, that would take days, years even. For the sake of my readers, I will not count the ways.




Even if you aren't as in love with cheese as I am, this pie is fantastic (and like all desserts, I think it tastes WAY better after a day or two). The pumpkin is perfect for the fall weather we've started to have (FINALLY!) and the cream cheese mixture is a perfect compliment. To tell the truth, I'm not even that much of a fan of pumpkin pie, but this one did the trick. I'm a fan!

I got this recipe from Better Homes and Gardens New Baking Book.

Click here for the crust recipe. You can make the sweeter crust, but the savory one (using salt instead of sugar) works great. I personally think the pumpkin is sweet enough on its own. (Plus you're adding sugar already... it's your call!)

Ingredients

Single Pie crust
1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 slightly beaten egg
1 1/4 cups canned pumpkin
1 cp evaporated milk
2 beaten eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 brown sugar (we used dark)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 Tbs flour
2 Tbs brown sugar
1 Tbs butter, softened


Line a 9-inch pie pan with your pie crust and set aside. (Crimp edges as desired.)

Beat together cream cheese, 1/4 Cp sugar, vanilla, and the slightly beaten egg. Mix until smooth (use an electric mixer). Ours was a tiny bit chunky from the cream cheese, which was no big deal. Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes while you prepare the rest of your pie.






Combine pumpkin, evaporated milk, 2 eggs, 1/4 Cp sugar, 1/4 Cp brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg.

Pour over the cream cheese mixture.

Cover the edge of the crust and pie with foil. This will help with over browning.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake 25 minutes more.

While the pie is baking, combine pecans, flour, brown sugar, and butter. Because I'm not a fan of nuts on pie (or in generally really... I just started eating them for the first time, and I'm almost 30.), we halved this part of the recipe, as you'll see in the pictures. Sprinkle over the pie and bake another 10 minutes. The pie is done when a knife inserted comes out clean. Cool for at least 1-2 hours on a wire rack. Refrigerate to store.