Pumpkin Gingerdoodle Cookies

One of the first food blogs I ever started following was Peabody's blog, Culinary Concoctions by Peabody.  Everything she makes looks amazing - I truly wish I was one of her friends so I could have the pleasure of eating all of it ;) So, when I went in search of recipes to try this holiday season, I knew that I could surely find something wonderful to make from there.

And I was right.  After scrolling through a few posts, I stumbled upon these pumpkin gingerdoodle cookies.  Part pumpkin snickerdoodle and part gingersnap cookie, these cookies combine some of everyone's favorite holiday flavors.  My husband walked into the kitchen and saw me pulling these out of the oven and asked, "Can I have a snickerdoodle?" I informed him they weren't snickerdoodles but pumpkin gingerdoodles and he was happy to try them.  He quickly proclaimed, "These are way better than regular snickerdoodles."

I only had two issues with these cookies.  The first issue was really a non-issue: I had way more pumpkin snickerdoodle dough than gingersnap dough.  So in the end, I made some plain pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies as well (all were eagerly consumed regardless). 

The second issue was in the consistency of the cookies.  The pumpkin snickerdoodle dough puffed up into a wonderful moist, slightly cakey cookie.  The gingersnap dough, on the other hand, puffed up but deflated after I pulled it out of the oven.  So, my cookies looked lopsided when I placed the cookie doughs side by side.  Next I tried a batch with the pumpkin snickerdoodle dough on the bottom and the gingersnap dough on top.  Those turned out okay, but they weren't very aesthetically pleasing.  So finally I made a batch with the gingersnap dough on the bottom and the pumpkin snickerdoodle dough on top and those cookies turned out to the look the best.  I'm not sure how Peabody got her cookies to look the way that she did, but the cookies you see in the photo at the top of this blog post were the best that I could do. 

Regardless of how these cookies look, they are amazing.  We couldn't stop eating them in our household and almost didn't have enough to give out to family and friends because we wanted them all to ourselves! So, if you're going to only try one new recipe out this holiday season, I encourage you to make it this one - I promise you won't regret it!

Pumpkin Gingerdoodles
from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody


Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Dough

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup unsalted butter
2 eggs
¾ cup pumpkin puree
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

for rolling the cookies in: (I had to double this)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Mix 1 1/2 cups sugar, the butter, pumpkin, and eggs in a stand mixer with paddle attachment.  (It will appear curdled, but don't worry it will all come together in the next step.)

Add in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt and mix on low until fully combined. Set aside.

Gingersnap Dough

3/4 cup butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon ginger

Combine cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl and set aside for rolling dough in.

Cream together butter and sugar. Add molasses and egg and continue beating. Add flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger and mix until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease baking sheets with no-stick cooking spray and set aside.

(I found that it's best to refrigerate both cookie doughs for at least one hour before assembly and baking.)

Roll a small amount of gingersnap dough into a ball and a small amount of snickerdoodle dough and place them together and gently roll or squeeze together.

Roll in cinnamon sugar.

Place on baking sheets and bake for 9-11 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes before moving to cooling racks.

Magic Middle Peanut Butter Cookies

Wow, has it been a crazy few months. I can't believe that it's been over three months since my last blog post?! I thought that with my daughter starting school in September, I'd have all this extra time to bake and blog again.  However, as many moms out there know - your time without the kids is rare - so I found myself running a million different errands every time she was in school and I was never home to do any baking. I kept thinking to myself that I'd get around to another post "soon" and then before I knew it, I was busy getting ready for my daughter's third birthday party and then a few days later I had my baby girl! Life's been crazy with a newborn and a three year old, to say the least.  For those who have been following my blog for some time and would like to see some pictures of the new little one, you can visit our photographer's blog here. I'm so blessed to be celebrating this holiday with two beautiful little girls that are the light of my life.

And without further ado, I'm hoping to post a flurry of blog posts today to make up for my lack of blogging over the past few months (hopefully the kids will nap long enough for me to get these all up today!).  For those who are still looking for some last minute inspiration for their holiday baking, look no further :) I've got some great recipes that I've tried out this year, and of course there are the tried and true recipes from years past as well.

Let's start off this series of posts with one of my favorite combinations - peanut butter and chocolate.  You really can't go wrong with anything made with these two ingredients! These cookies are impressive yet simple to make.  With chocolate cookies it can be difficult to tell sometimes when the cookies are done baking because they do not turn golden brown like other cookies do.  You'll want to watch these cookies closely - when they just start to barely crack you should take them out of the oven.  They'll continue to bake just a little bit more while they're cooling on your cookie sheet.  If you over bake them, they'll still be good, but a bit on the dry side. 

Magic Middle Peanut Butter Cookies
from Gonna Want Seconds

Cookie:
    1 1/2 Cups - All Purpose Flour
    1/2 Cup - Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
    1/2 Teaspoon - Baking Soda
    1/2 Cup - Sugar
    1/2 Cup - Brown Sugar, Packed
    1/2 Cup - Unsalted Butter, at Room Temperature
    1/4 Cup - Peanut Butter
    1 Teaspoon - Vanilla Extract
    1 - Large Egg

Filling:
    3/4 Cup - Powdered Sugar
    3/4 Cup - Peanut Butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Make Cookies: In a small  bowl, blend flour, cocoa, and baking soda.

In a large bowl beat white sugar, brown sugar, butter and 1/4 cup peanut butter, until light and fluffy.  Add vanilla and egg, beat until blended.  Stir in flour mixture until blended.  Set aside.

Make the filling: Combine the confectioners sugar and 3/4 cup peanut butter.  Beat well with electric mixer until mixture comes together.

Roll filling into 30 1 inch balls. Form exterior part of cookie by sectioning dough into approximately 1 tablespoon pieces and then shaping the exterior part of cookie around filling balls.  Cover the filling completely.  Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Flatten with a glass dipped in sugar.

Bake at 375 degrees for 7-9 minutes. Allow to cool on cookie sheet for 10 minutes then remove to a cooling rack and cool completely.

Nectarine Upside-Down Chiffon Cake (TWD)

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie: Baking with Julia recipe was hosted by Marlise of The Double Trouble Kitchen and Susan of The Little French Bakery: Nectarine Upside-Down Chiffon Cake.  It's been a long, long, time since I've posted for this group - I'm sorry :( I have just been so busy, and on top of that I'm six months pregnant and turning on the oven when it is 100+ degrees outside just hasn't been very appealing.  The good news, however, is that my baby girl (who is not so much a baby anymore) just started school this week so that means this mama is going to have a lot more time to bake each week! So, you should start to see blog posts pick up a little more at least.

I didn't have a pan large enough for this cake, so I made one large nectarine and peach upside-down chiffon cake and one mini blueberry upside-down chiffon cake.  After reading some of the comments on the weekly P&Q, I decided to skip the streusel and made sure to bake my cake for a few extra minutes.  I really think the longer baking time has to do with whether or not the cake is baked on a jelly roll pan.  I did not bake mine on one and I think it only took an extra 3-5 minutes to bake.  I did, however, cover the bottom of my pans with foil to catch the butter drippings, which was good because there was quite a bit.
The blueberry cake was delicious.  The chiffon was light and airy, as it should be.  It's a nice contrast to the denser, more traditional pineapple upside down cake.  I'm not sure how the nectarine and peach cake turned out because that one will be going with my husband to work tomorrow, but I imagine it's just as good as the blueberry cake.
Thanks to Marlise and Susan for hosting; you can find the recipe on their blogs here and here.  Make sure you check here, too, to see what everyone else thought of this sweet, end of summer treat.

* Recipe notes:

- If you bake your cake on a jelly roll pan, be sure to add at least another 10 minutes of baking time to your cake.  Definitely don't forget to wrap the bottom of your pan in foil, or you'll end up with a big mess on the bottom of your oven.
- Frozen blueberries work great with this recipe.  Do not thaw before baking.
- For more recipe notes, check here.

Filled Pate a Choux Swans and Turtles (DB)

Kat of The Bobwhites was our August 2012 Daring Baker hostess who inspired us to have fun in creating pate a choux shapes, filled with crème patisserie or Chantilly cream. We were encouraged to create swans or any shape we wanted and to go crazy with filling flavors allowing our creativity to go wild!

I've made pate a choux several times in the past before, but it had been quite some time.  As such, I didn't catch that a key piece of information was missing from the recipe until my dough turned out like soup! :(  The recipe states that you are to melt the butter in water, milk, and salt.  Then remove the saucepan from the heat and add the flour.  Well, it doesn't say if you're to melt the butter over low, medium, or high heat so I did it over medium heat.  Unfortunately, if your liquid isn't boiling when you add the flour, it won't cook the flour and you end up with a soupy mess instead of a beautiful pate a choux dough! So, I've added those notes to the recipe so you can avoid that fatal mistake if you make this recipe.

Otherwise, everything went off without a hitch.  I made a few swans and then loved the idea of making some turtles as another Daring Baker had posted in our private forum.  I filled my pastries with chocolate pastry cream and they were delicious. 
Thanks Kat, for hosting this month's challenge.  You'll find the recipes below.  Also be sure to check out the Daring Bakers' Blogroll to see all the other wonderful creations that were made!

Pate a choux 

(cannot be doubled)

Recipe source: Good Housekeeping Illustrated Guide to Cooking, 1980 edition


Ingredients
½ cup (120 ml) (115 gm) (4 oz) butter
1 cup (240 ml) water
¼ teaspoon (1½ gm) salt
1 cup (240 ml) (140 gm) (5 oz) all-purpose flour
4 large eggs

Directions:

1. Line at least two baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper, or grease pans well.
2. Preheat oven to moderately hot 375°F/190°C/gas mark 5 .
3. In a small saucepot, combine butter, water, and salt. Heat over until butter melts (and liquid has come to a full rolling boil), then remove from stove.
4. Add flour all at once and beat, beat, beat the mixture until the dough pulls away from the sides of the pot.
5. Add one egg, and beat until well combined. Add remaining eggs individually, beating vigorously after each addition. Resulting mixture should be somewhat glossy, very smooth, and somewhat thick.
6. Using a ¼” (6 mm) tip on a pastry bag, pipe out about 36 swan heads. You’re aiming for something between a numeral 2 and a question mark, with a little beak if you’re skilled and/or lucky.
7. Remove the tip from the bag and pipe out 36 swan bodies. These will be about 1.5” (40 mm) long, and about 1” (25 mm) wide. One end should be a bit narrower than the other.
8. Bake the heads and bodies until golden and puffy. The heads will be done a few minutes before the bodies, so keep a close eye on the baking process.
9. Remove the pastries to a cooling rack, and let cool completely before filling.

Assembly

1. Take a swan body and use a very sharp knife to cut off the top 1/3rd to ½.
2. Cut the removed top down the center to make two wings.
3. Dollop a bit of filling into the body, insert head, and then add wings.
4. Your first attempt will probably not look like much, but the more you make, the more your bevy of swans will become a beautiful work of swan art.

Vanilla Crème Patissiere

(Half Batch)
Ingredients:
1 cup (225 ml.) whole milk
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
6 Tbsp. (100 g.) sugar
1 large egg
2 large egg yolks
2 Tbsp. (30 g.) unsalted butter
1 Tsp. Vanilla
Directions:

1. Dissolve cornstarch in ¼ cup of milk. Combine the remaining milk with the sugar in a saucepan; bring to boil; remove from heat.
2. Beat the whole egg, then the yolks into the cornstarch mixture. Pour 1/3 of boiling milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly so that the eggs do not begin to cook.
3. Return the remaining milk to boil. Pour in the hot egg mixture in a stream, continuing whisking.
4. Continue whisking (this is important – you do not want the eggs to solidify/cook) until the cream thickens and comes to a boil. Remove from heat and beat in the butter and vanilla.
5. Pour cream into a stainless steel/ceramic bowl. Press plastic wrap firmly against the surface. Chill immediately and until ready to use.

Chocolate Pastry Cream

(Half Batch Recipe):
Bring ¼ cup (about 50 cl.) milk to a boil in a small pan; remove from heat and add in 3 ounces (about 80 g.) semisweet chocolate, finely chopped, and mix until smooth. Whisk into pastry cream when you add the butter and vanilla.

Coffee Pastry Cream

(Half Batch recipe)
Dissolve 1 ½ teaspoons instant espresso powder in 1 ½ teaspoons boiling water. Whisk into pastry cream with butter and vanilla.

Chantilly Cream

1 cup (225 ml.) cold heavy cream
2 tablespoons confectioners' (powdered) sugar
Chill medium mixing bowl and whisk in freezer for 10 minutes before beginning. In chilled bowl, whisk cream until it begins to foam and thicken. Add sugar and continue to whisk just until soft peaks form. Do not over-whip.

Freezing/Storage Instructions/Tips: While the crème filling stores well when covered tightly and kept in a refrigerator, the baked choux does not store well at all, especially after being filled. Therefore, you must eat these the day they are made. This won’t be a problem, though, I assure you.

Blueberry Nectarine Pie (TWD)

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie: Baking with Julia recipe was hosted by Hilary of Manchego's Kitchen and Liz of That Skinny Chick Can Bake: Blueberry Nectarine Pie.  This pie is about as summer as you can get.  I love taking advantage of fresh fruits that are in season. 

In this recipe, the blueberries and nectarines get cooked down in a little bit of lime zest and brown sugar and then they're tossed in some fresh lime juice with more fresh blueberries and nectarines.  The lime is what really brings out the flavors in the fruit.  This pie was delicious, and the only thing I'd probably change is to double the fruit next time, as my pie came out a bit thin.
Thanks to Hilary and Liz for hosting; you can find the recipe on their blogs here and here.  Make sure you check here, too, to see what everyone else thought of this fruit-filled summer treat.

* Recipe notes:

- You'll definitely want to use a pie crust shield or cover the edges of your pie with some foil about half way through the baking process to prevent the edges from getting burned.
- I had to bake my pie about an extra 10-15 minutes before the crust was golden and the fruit juices were bubbling.
- I did not bake my pie on a baking sheet; in my experience that only causes the bottom crust to be undercooked.  Instead, I simply laid a piece of foil at the bottom of the oven to catch any juices that might bubble over.

Homemade Crackers: Pepper Jack and Oregano Crackers and Cheddar Rosemary Icebox Crackers (DB)

Our July Daring Bakers' Host was Dana McFarland and she challenged us to make homemade crackers! Dana showed us some techniques for making crackers and encouraged to use our creativity to make each cracker our own by using ingredients we love.

It's been quite some time since I made homemade crackers, so it's hard for me to compare this experience with my previous one.  However, I found that both of these recipes were extremely quick and easy to execute.  The icebox crackers, in particular, were very simple.  Just mix everything together and form the dough into a log and refrigerate; then slice and bake when ready.


My schedule is a bit hectic these days, so I stuck with the recipes as written and didn't take any creative license with them.  The only thing I changed was to omit the walnuts from the cheddar rosemary crackers because I don't care for nuts.

Both types of crackers were very flavorful.  My only complaint would be that the cheddar rosemary crackers were way too salty; so I'll definitely cut back on the salt next time.  These crackers reminded me of a gourmet version of cheezits; the rosemary is such a wonderful addition.

I really enjoyed this challenge because it reminded me of how much I love making my own crackers.  With a toddler to feed, I love that I can make her a snack that doesn't have all the additives and preservatives that are found in store bought crackers.

Thanks Dana, for hosting this month's challenge.  You'll find the recipes below.  Also be sure to check out the Daring Bakers' Blogroll to see what everyone else thought of these savory homemade treats.

Pepper Jack and Oregano Crackers (Roll with pasta rollers or by hand):

Servings: Approximately 80 crackers

Ingredients

1⅔ cups (400 ml) (235 gm) (8¼ oz) all-purpose (plain) flour
2¼ cups (540 ml) (225 gm/8 oz) grated pepper jack cheese, firmly packed
2 teaspoons (10 ml) (1 gm) dried oregano
½ teaspoon (2½ ml) (3 gm) salt
½ teaspoon (2½ ml) (½ gm) black pepper
½ cup (120 ml) (4 fl oz) vegetable oil
½ cup (120 ml) (4 fl oz) water

Spice topping

¼ teaspoon (1¼ ml) (1/8 gm) cayenne
1 teaspoon (5 ml) (3 gm) kosher salt
1 teaspoon (5 ml) (5 gm) sugar

Directions:

1. Combine the spice topping and set aside.
2. Grate the cheese and put in the bowl of a food processor with flour, oregano, salt and pepper and pulse to combine. This can also be done by hand.

3. Add the oil and pulse until the consistency of wet sand is reached.
4. Add enough water for the dough to come together.
5. Form the dough into two disks, wrap with cling film and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
6. Heat the oven to moderate 325°F/160°C/gas mark 3.
7. Working with a quarter of the dough at a time, either use a rolling pin or roll out in your pasta rollers to 1/8 of an inch (3 mm) thick. If you use pasta rollers, ensure the dough is well floured so as not to stick.
8. Cut the strips into cracker shapes or cut out using a cookie cutter.

9. Transfer to a parchment lined cookies sheet and sprinkle with the spice mixture.
10. Bake for 20-25 minutes until medium golden brown.
11. Store in an airtight container and eat within three days

Cheddar, Rosemary and Walnut Icebox Crackers (form into a log and slice):

Servings: Approximately 48 crackers

Ingredients

½ cup (120 ml) (1 stick) (115 gm/4 oz) butter, well softened
2¼ cups (540 ml) (225 gm/8 oz) grated aged cheddar cheese (the better the cheese, the better the cracker), firmly packed
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons (285 ml) (190 gm/6oz) all-purpose (plain) flour
1 teaspoon (5 ml) (6 gm) salt (I found this to be way too much! try 1/4-1/2 tsp)
1/2 cup (120 ml) (60 gm/2 oz) finely chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon (15 ml) (1¾ gm) finely chopped rosemary

Directions:

1. Combine butter, rosemary and cheese in a stand mixer and beat well (can also be done by hand)

2. Add the flour, salt and nuts and stir to combine
3. Form the dough into two tight logs and wrap with cling film

4. Chill for at least an hour and up to several days. The log can be frozen at this point for several months.
5. Heat the oven to moderate 325°F/160°C/gas mark 3.
6. Slice a log into 5mm (1/5 inch) coins and place on a parchment lined baking sheet
7. Bake about 10 minutes until golden brown
8. Store in an airtight container and eat within three days
9. Try this recipe with different cheeses, nuts (or no nuts), and spices. Get creative!

Storage and Freezing Instructions/Tips:

Generally crackers with less fat and cheese last for weeks in an airtight container and richer crackers only a few days. Dough can be made days ahead, stored in the fridge and baked when needed. The icebox cracker dough can be frozen for several months before thawed, sliced and baked.

Dove Visible Care Body Wash & Spa Certificate Giveaway

I'm a busy working mom.  Sadly, since the birth of my little girl, I've had less and less time to devote to this blog.  I'm thankful to all my readers who still check in on this blog, despite the less frequent updates.  I know the other mothers out there can relate to what I'm talking about.  Sometimes life is so hectic and chaotic, that something as simple as taking a hot shower feels like a day at the spa! It's my own "me time" where I don't have to worry about getting anything else done for anyone else but myself.

I was recently sent a sample of Dove Visible Care Renewing Body Wash to try out at home. It's part of a new line of premium body washes made by Dove that contains the highest concentration of Nutrium Moisture technology of all Dove products.  I was a bit skeptical that you could really see any kind of difference in a short amount of time, but after using it for just a week, I could actually tell that my skin was softer.  I love that I can improve the look and feel of my skin by using a product that is already part of my daily routine - a body wash - instead of adding another step to my regimen because quite frankly, as a busy mom, my skin care regimen is quite minimal these days!

It is available in three varieties: New Dove® VisibleCare Toning Crème Body Wash helps to promote skin’s elasticity and strength, Renewing Body Wash nourishes and replenishes skin, and Softening Body Wash softens skin and dry spots.
 
Not all of us have the time or money to go pamper ourselves at the spa... but this is one small way that you can pamper yourself with more beautiful looking skin in one easy step.  Of course we'd all love some real pampering at the spa, though, right? So, if you'd be interested in entering a sweepstakes to win one of two $500 spa gift cards, follow the instructions below to enter. Even if you don't win, be sure to visit Dove^® VisibleCare^® to get a coupon for $1 off!

Enter to win one of two $500 Spafinder gift certificates!

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY
COMMENTS TO THIS POST ARE NOT SWEEPSTAKES ENTRIES. PLEASE SEE BELOW FOR ENTRY METHODS FOR THIS SWEEPSTAKES.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
a) Follow this link, and provide your email address and your response to the Promotion prompt
b) Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: "#SweepstakesEntry"; and then visit this link to provide your email address and the URL to that Tweet.
c) Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and then visit this link to provide your email address and the URL to that post.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. Winners will have 72 hours to claim the prize, or an alternative winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 7/18/2012 - 8/22/2012

Be sure to visit the Dove^® VisibleCare™ Crème Body Wash brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!