Just over a week ago my coworker organized a cake sale to raise money for Mind. The idea was that the Explainer team would bring in treats (homemade or store bought) and then donate some money to the cause. Mind is a lovely charity that provides advice and support for people experience mental health problems and they work to promote awareness and understanding in society. And my colleagues and I are big fans of sweets, we will eat pretty much anything, so it’s a great idea to put our love for food towards a good cause. 

Since it’s autumn, I’m pumpkin crazy  and was originally going to make pumpkin bread. But then when I was in Baltimore I bought some sprinkles called “micro leaves” in autumn colors and I just had to use them. So it was going to be pumpkin and it was going to be cookies. In case you don’t have awesome colorful sprinkles you can easily do this recipe without the sprinkles – but I do think they add a nice flair.

People made all kinds of things for the cake sale though. There was cheesecake, an apple tart, brownies, cookies, savory pastries, and so much more. It was the best day of work ever. Usually where there are sweets on the table everything is gone before my first break. This day there were cakes all day. ALL DAY! And more kept appearing throughout the day. Best, sugariest, day ever. Even better we raised £170 for Mind. Yay team.

I was really pleased with these cookies because they have all the spicy warm flavors of pumpkin spice and they are so soft and cake like. I was also really pleased because at the end of the day I went home with an empty tin. Always a sign of a good treat.

This recipe is adapted from Two Peas in Their Pods. In that recipe they use cinnamon chips. I’d never heard of cinnamon chips. What’s even in those?! According to Hershey’s website it is chocolate (I assume white chocolate) and cinnamon flavoring. But I couldn’t find those but what I did find was butterscotch chips. Yum. They are so crazy sweet with a slight toffee flavor. It’s a nice addition to the cinnamon and nutmeg you put into the batter.

The other thing is the original recipe covered the cookies in cinnamon sugar – I used sprinkles instead. But I think if you don’t have sprinkles try out the cinnamon sugar. Just mix 1/4 cup sugar with 2 teaspoons of cinnamon. Roll dough into balls, roll through sugar mix, and put on the try to bake.

I found this batter extremely sticky so I put it in the fridge for 1 hour. I like this because it makes the batter easier to work with and it gives the cookies a thicker chewier texture which I like. If you’re pressed for time you can bake it right away but you’ll likely get a flatter crisper cookie (and messy fingers).

Finally, just to come back to the reason why I made these cookies – for the cake sale to raise money for Mind. If you, or someone you know needs support with mental health please consider reaching out to Mind. Click on the link for their website, or call 0300 123 3393, or text 86463. Mind works with people in the UK and I’m familiar with them because of the cake sale. I’m not  familiar with resources in the US, but if you know of good resources and things worth sharing please write them in the comments below. Anyway thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy these cookies!

Adapted from Two Peas in Their Pods.

Messy level: Making these cookies is similar to any other cookie recipe – add dry ingredients to wet and there you go. But this recipe is pretty sticky so you’ll get messy as you form the cookies. All in all, pretty easy. 

Pumpkin Butterscotch Cookies

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

12 mins

Total time

27 mins

 

Serves: 2 dozen

Ingredients

• 2½ cups/ 312 grams all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¾ cup/ 170 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ½ cup/ 100 grams granulated sugar
• ½ cup/ 110 grams packed brown sugar
• ¾ cup/ 175 grams pumpkin puree
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup/ 170 grams butterscotch chips
• colorful sprinkles, optional

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices.
2. Using an electric mixer on medium, cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. This takes about 3-5 minutes.
3. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the pumpkin, egg, and vanilla and mix on low speed until combined.
4. Stop the mixture and slowly fold in the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.
5. Gently fold in the butterscotch chips.
6. Put the batter in the fridge and let it chill for 1 hour or up to overnight.
7. About 10-15 minutes before the batter is ready to come out of the fridge preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.
8. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
9. Shape dough into balls about 1 inches in diameter. Flatten slightly and sprinkle with colorful sprinkles if using.
10. Place the dough balls 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet.
11. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cookies are just brown around the edges.
12. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 1-2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely (if you can resist).

3.3.3077

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Meanwhile, back here in Virginia, the one thing I have made were these cookies. The recipe comes from the Momofuku Milk Bar cookbook and was recommended to me by my aunt. These cookies are colorful and festive and I made them for my friend to celebrate that she got a new job. I had been wanting to make these, but it’s taken awhile because the recipe is a bit labor intensive and requires some obscure ingredients. For real, I had to order some ingredients online. This cookie is a labor of love. But, sugary sweet, happy, and worth it.

They are a bit like snicker doodles,which the author, Christina Tosi, says is because of the cream of tartar. In the book, Tosi also wrote that she wanted to create boxed Funfetti cake in a cookie. And I think she nailed it. The cookie is so sweet, indulgent, and so cheerful. Yes, I did just say a cookie could be cheerful. I love the colorful sprinkles – it makes them the perfect celebration cookie.

As I said this recipe is from the Momofuku Milk Bar cookbook. This recipe requires a two step process – first you make “crumb” and then you make the cookie dough. Neither step is super challenging, but I thought you should be forewarned. If you get intimidated, just remember how wonderful and pretty sprinkles are and then you’ll be able to keep going.

Ingredients

Crumb:

1/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 tbsp brown sugar

3/8 cup cake flour (45 grams)

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1 tbsp rainbow sprinkles

1/8 cup grapeseed oil

1/2 tbsp Clear Vanilla Extract (clear or imitation extract is apparently important, makes it taste more like box Funfetti cake)

Cookie Dough:

16 tbsp butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 tbsp glucose

2 eggs

2 tsp clear vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups of flour

2/3 cup milk powder

2 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/4 rainbow sprinkles

cake crumb recipe

Directions:

1. First we’re making the crumb. Preheat the oven to 300°.

2. Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment on low speed, mix together the sugars, flour, baking powder, salt, and sprinkles.

3. Add the oil and vanilla. Mix again until evenly mixed and small clusters start to form.

4. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Pour the clusters onto the parchment paper. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Break them up occasionally as they cook. The crumbs should still be a bit moist when you take them out of the oven – they will dry out as they cool.

5. Let them cool completely before using them in the cookie dough. (I waited 1 hour)

6. Take the butter out of the fridge. You can let it come to room temperature while you wait for the crumb to cool.

7. Ok, now start on the cookies. In the stand mixer (which you’ve cleaned out from before), combine the butter, sugar, and glucose. Beat on medium-high for 2 minutes.

8. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat for 7-8 minutes. (Tosi says this is the key to her cookies being great – the butter is so fluffy and creamy this way).

9. Reduce the mixer speed to low. Add the flour, milk powder, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, and rainbow sprinkles. Mix until the dough just comes together, no more than 1 minute. You do not want to over mix.

10. Add the crumbs and mix in for 30 seconds.

11. Line a cookie sheet with parchment. Portion out the dough into large-ish balls (about 2-3 tbsp). Flatten the tops a bit with your fingers. Cover tightly with plastic wrap.

12. Put the cookies in the fridge for 1 hour, or up to 1 week.

13. When you’re ready to bake, heat the oven to 350°.

14. Arrange the cookies about 3 inches apart on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

15. Bake for 13-18 minutes. They are ready when the edges start to be gold and the center of the cookie is starting to get color. They will seem soft, but they harden as you let them cool.

16. Let cool before serving. Then share them with friends and feel happy!

Messy level: 3 spoons. To make this cookie, you are basically making two recipes and that means a lot of dishes and a lot of chances for flour to fly. Glucose is really sticky and messy, eggs are drippy, and butter is greasy. It’s not the worst mess you’ll ever make but there’s potential. Give yourself time and try to be organized and it won’t be so messy!

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Rice crispy treats seemed like the perfect treat to make. They are ooey-gooey, pure sugar, and remind me of being in elementary school. But, I wanted to step them up a notch and include candy corn. I’m not a huge fan of candy corn; I want to eat about twelve pieces and then I’m done with it. Other people must feel the same because I had to go to two different CVS locations to find candy corn. When I finally did find it, I was directed to a tiny bag in the regular candy section, not with the Halloween section.

Candy corn might be waning in popularity, but it’s still a Halloween staple for me. I knew they’d add a nice color and different crunch to my rice crispy treats. With marshmallow, butter, and candy corn, there’s no better quick and yummy Halloween treat. So now I’m sugared up and ready! Happy Halloween!!

Adapted from the Rice Krispies website

Ingredients:

4 tbsp butter

1 10oz bag of regular or mini marshmallows

6 cups of Rice Krispies cereal

1 cup of candy corns

2 tsp Halloween sprinkles

Recommended: A silicone spoon or spatula. It will get coated with butter and so nothing sticks to it. 

Directions

1. Using a large pot, met the butter on low heat.

2. Add the marshmallows. Stir occasionally until melted. This takes less than 10 minutes (though I didn’t time exactly).

3. Remove from heat. Add the cereal and candy corn and stir. Do this on a flat surface because the cereal will try to shoot out! Stir until everything is coated in a web of marshmallow.

4. Press the mixture into a 9×13 pan. Press it in using your silicone spoon.

5. Sprinkle the sprinkles on top of the mixture. Press them down using your spoon.

6. Let sit until cool, then cut and serve.

Messy: Seriously a one pot dish. Ordinarily, melted marshmallow gets all over everything – but it doesn’t! It’s so coated with butter and cereal that the pot was almost spotless. I had NOTHING on my spoon, shirt, hands, or hair. It was awesome. I think this is one of the easiest and cleanest desserts  you could make.

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I love holiday decorations. From October to February you can be sure there is some sort of decoration in our apartment.  Holiday decorations make me feel happy and festive. Why treat holidays like any other day when there’s the opportunity to make things look colorful and special?I have things to hang on the door, towels to go in the bathroom, centerpieces for the kitchen table and much much more. And of course, I also have things for baking (Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Easter cookie cutters). A few weeks ago I added to the collection while I was shopping with two college friends. I found a four-pack container of Halloween sprinkles.

“What are you going to make?” Jackie asked, “I expect to see them on your blog.”

Gulp. This was going to be a mini-challenge. I had planned to make regular sugar cookies, but that was out of the question since I’ve already posted that recipe.  So what to make? She suggested cupcakes and I was totally prepared to do that, until I was indulging in some after work retail therapy at Hill’s Kitchen, and I bought a set of Halloween cookie cutters. Therefore, cookies it would be.

I wanted something with a holiday flair, so I searched for pumpkin cookie recipes and didn’t find anything I was excited about. Then I went to my favorite cookie book, The Art of the Cookie and found a brown sugar cookie recipe that included a suggested addition of cinnamon and all spice. Boom, I was sold. Ultimately, I didn’t stray too far from the regular sugar cookie but these are different enough in look and taste. While cooking the whole apartment filled with a warm cinnamon smell that made the place feel like the holidays. The cookies are chewy, with a rich flavor that reminded me a bit of mellow gingerbread cookie. The cookie comes out a nice brown, and topped with autumnal colored sprinkles, they have just the spooky Halloween feel I was hoping for.

Aparted from the Art of the Cookie

Ingredients

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp all spice

1/4 tsp nutmeg

14 tbsp unsalted butter (it’s less than 2 sticks)

1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

1 large egg

1 tbsp molasses

1 tbsp heavy cream (usually I just use milk, this time I actually used cream)

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, all spice, and nutmeg.

2. Using an electric mixer (or your arm if you’re strong!) mix the butter and sugar on medium-high until light and fluffy. This should take 2-3 minutes in the mixer and it will look like a mocha colored mousse.

3.  Add the egg and molasses to the butter and sugar. Beat on low until the egg is completely incorporated.

4. Still on low, slowly add the flour into the wet ingredients. I did this in four batches. I’d pour some in, mix until it was mostly incorporated, then add more flour, and mix again.

5. Add the heavy cream and mix until everything is incorporated.

6. Scrape out all the dough and form it into a large rectangle or circle. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for at least one hour. I left the dough in the fridge for a day. I made the dough one night and then baked it a day later.

This is the dough after it’s been wrapped and in the fridge

7. When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°.

8. Generously flour your work surface and rolling pin. Take the dough out of the fridge. Break out a manageable piece (I broke it into thirds). Using the rolling pin, roll the dough until its somewhere between 1/4″ and 1/8″ thick.

9. Press cookie cutters in the dough to make the shapes you want!

10. Line your cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place the cookies at least 1/2″ apart. Decorate with sprinkles ahead of time if you want, or you can wait to decorate until they are done being baked.

11. Bake for 10-13 minutes. Since the cookies are dark it’s hard to tell when they are done. Simply press the center of the cookie with your finger. If it’s mushy let them cook longer. If it’s a little firm, the cookies are ready!

Messy Level: I’m giving this three spoons. For me, all baking is messy. I opened up a brand new all spice bottle, but the teaspoon in to scoop and when I took the spoon out I spilled probably another 1/2 tsp. Why can’t I be clean?! I truly don’t know. I also had dough on the sleeves of my sweatshirt. Cookie-cutter cookies take a lot of steps, and a lot of flour, and therefore there is so much opportunity to make a big mess. But for me, these kind of cookies make the holidays.

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