Pumpkin Butterscotch Snickerdoodles

October 1, 2014October 8, 20171 Comment

Happy first day of October everyone! If you are like me, than you try to hold on to summer just as long as you can. Unfortunately, for us on the East Coast summer came late and fall didn’t follow in suit. But now that it is officially October (and fall) I am gearing up for my favorite season, full of baking, decorating and holiday celebrations! I thought it would be appropriate to kick off the season on Pretty Little Pastimes with a pumpkin cookie recipe. While the lines grow longer for PSL’s, non-caffeine drinkers like me have to get their pumpkin fix in other ways. So, I present to you the Pumpkin Butterscotch Snickerdoodle! Fluffy, sweet and full of fall flavors, this has to be one of my top five cookies of ALL TIME! I hope you love them as we do. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Butterscotch Snickerdoodles

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 and 1/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
6 tablespoons pumpkin puree
1 and 1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup butterscotch chips

In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar and 1/2 cup of sugar together until no lumps remain. Whisk in the vanilla and pumpkin puree until smooth. Set aside.

In a large bowl, toss together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, 1 and 1/2 teaspooons cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together with a rubber spatula. Fold in the butterscotch chips. Cover the dough and let chill for at least 30 minutes. This is an important step, so don’t skip it!

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Take the dough out of the refrigerator. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Roll the dough into balls (about 1/2 tablespoons each). Mix together the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Roll each of the doughballs generously in the cinnamon-sugar mixture, coating all sides. Arrange on the two baking sheets. Slightly flatten the dough balls, as the dough will not spread much while cooking.

Bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow the cookies to cool for at least 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. You can store at room temperature for up to one week … but they NEVER last that long!

Follow along for more fall-inspired treats this season!

Blood Orange, Salted-Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

June 27, 2014June 27, 20141 Comment

The chocolate chip cookie, a classic that we all grew up eating hot out of the oven with a cold glass of milk, right? Well, consider this a grown up version of your favorite go-to cookie. This Dark Chocolate Chip Cookie has all the sweetness you remember, with an added citrus zing and sea salt finish. What’s not to love about that?

Next time you find yourself face-to-face with Blood Oranges, grab some of these colorful cuties and add them to your favorite orange recipes. I can’t wait to try them in some frosty beverages for a pop of color and tartness! But for now I will take my Blood Oranges with a dose of chocolate!

Blood Orange, Salted-Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 sticks butter, room temperature
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup pure granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 and 1/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons blood orange juice
zest of one medium blood orange
2 and 1/4 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
5 ounces dark chocolate chips
sea salt for garnish (optional)

In a small bowl combine flour, salt and baking soda. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugars until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Incorporate eggs, one at a time, until combined. Add vanilla, zest and blood orange juice. Mix until evenly distributed.

Slowly add in the flour mixture, stirring to combined. Once thoroughly mixed, stir in the dark chocolate chips (be careful not to over-mix).

Refrigerate the dough for 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drop the chilled dough onto a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until edges are slightly golden brown. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and let sit for 2 minutes before transferring the cookies to a wire rack.

Sprinkle tops with a small amount of sea salt and enjoy!

Dark Chocolate Chip Banana Cookies

April 18, 2013April 18, 2013Leave a comment

I have a terrible habit of buying bananas and letting them get too ripe sitting on the counter. I have tried the plastic wrap over the stem trick and I admit that it does prolong the inevitable over-browning of my poor produce. But this time, rather than giving up, I found a cookie recipe that calls for very ripe bananas. I tweaked it a little and added some dark chocolate chips and walnuts. They came out soft and cake-like and had a banana bread flavor, yum!

Dark Chocolate Chip Banana Cookies

2 & 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2/3 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup mashed bananas (approx. 2 bananas)
2 cups dark chocolate chips
1 cup walnuts (optional)

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. In a mixing bowl sift the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. In a separate mixing bowl, cream the butter with the white and brown sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and pure vanilla extract. Mix the mashed bananas. Slowly add the flour mixture into the batter until just combined. Stir in the dark chocolate chips and walnuts. Drop the mixture by the tablespoonful onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake for 7-10 minutes or until the bottoms are golden brown. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and cool completely.

I loved the sweet banana smell that came wafting out of the kitchen while these were baking. They are a nice dessert alternative to banana bread and a great way to use up bananas that you might otherwise toss out. I would like to say that I will only be making these when I have a craving, but with my track record, they just might become a permanent staple around the house. Enjoy!

Lemon Blueberry Cookies

April 11, 2013April 13, 2013Leave a comment

I have always been a ~~big~~ HUGE fan of lemon flavors in cooking and baking, so when I saw a recipe for lemon cookies, I knew what was next on my baking list! With the addition of lemon zest, fresh blueberries, and white chocolate chips these, these cookies really wowed me. With the use of the cake flour, they came out very soft and the flavor combination works for snacking from breakfast to dessert (dangerous)!

Lemon Blueberry Cookies

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 & 1/4 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 pint fresh blueberries
1 cup white chocolate chips
zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1 lemon

In a large mixing bowl beat butter and sugar on medium speed until fluffy. Add the eggs, vanilla extract and lemon juice one at a time, mixing until incorporated after each. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet and combine. With a rubber spatula, fold in the blueberries, lemon zest and white chocolate chips. Cover the bowl and place in the refrigerator for at least one hour.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spoon the cookie mixture onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 10-13 minutes or until the bottoms of the cookies are golden brown. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and let cool completely.

The cookies do spread while in the oven, so try not to overcrowd (a couple of mine ran into each other). Also, if you are looking for a more traditional cookie texture, you can replace the cake flour with 3 cups all purpose flour.

These cookies did not last long in our house, so I know I will be making them again and again upon request! Enjoy!

Double Peanut Butter M&M’s Cookies

April 3, 2013April 4, 20132 Comments

Every so often, a cookie recipe comes along that you just know is going to be a keeper and I was right with this peanut butter cookie. The problem with recipes I have attempted in the past, is that they are too hard or lack sweetness. This cookie stays soft and has just the right amount of sweetness for me. Although you can make them with Milk Chocolate M&M’s, I always make them using Peanut M&M’s or, my favorite, Peanut Butter M&M’s. With the Peanut Butter M&M’s you get a double peanut butter cookie that is hard to resist!

I made these over my Easter weekend with pastel colored Peanut Butter M&M’s eggs for a little holiday flare.

Double Peanut Butter M&M’s Cookies

1/2 cup salted butter, softened
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 & 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 & 1/2 cups peanut butter M&M’s

In a large mixing bowl cream the butter and sugars on medium speed. Mix in the peanut butter, egg and vanilla, one at a time, until combined. Slowly mix in the baking soda and flour; be careful not to overmix. Gently fold the M&M’s into the dough. Place the finished cookie dough in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drop the dough by the tablespoonful onto an ungreased cookie sheet (I always cover my cookie sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup). Press the dough slightly since they do not spread much while baking. Bake for 8-9 minutes until just the edges are beginning to turn golden but the cookies is still soft. Remove from oven and allow to cool/harden on a wire rack.

I will definitely be adding these to my Christmas Cookie baking list. With red and green M&M’s, they will make a great care package for my mom who can resist all sweets except a good peanut butter cookie! Like mother, like daughter. Enjoy!