Pumpkin Chip Cupcakes

We had a Halloween potluck at work at the end of October (cuz we like to come up with any excuse we can to eat good food).

I volunteered to bring in dessert, mostly because I love to bake (you probably already knew that). But also because I still had some homemade cream cheese frosting chilling in the fridge, begging to be used up. I made a big batch of it when I made pumpkin spice cookies for my mom, and I couldn't let the rest of it go to waste.

I tried to branch out and make something non-pumpkiny, since I've been making so much pumpkin stuff lately. But in the end, cream cheese frosting simply tastes amazing paired with pumpkin, and it *was* a Halloween potluck. So I caved. And, I told myself it was OK because I tried out a new recipe.

I snatched this recipe for Pumpkin Chip Cupcakes out of one of those little grocery store aisle booklets last year, vowing I would make them one day. Well, that day arrived. The combination of the frosting, pumpkin, pecans and chocolate chips sounded promising. Plus, I had some mellowcreme pumpkins to use up and some fall-inspired sprinkles.

My co-workers enjoyed them, and I threw the leftovers back in the fridge in the breakroom, where they sat all weekend. But they seemed to keep pretty well because people were still eating them on Monday (and claiming they were still just as good).

Ingredients

1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 tspn baking powder
1/4 tspn baking soda
1/4 tspn salt
1/4 tspn ground cinnamon
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup cooking oil
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1/3 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
Vanilla, chocolate or cream cheese frosting

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease or line muffin cups with paper baking cups; set aside.

In medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Make well in center of flour mixture.

In another medium bowl, combine eggs, pumpkin and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture; stir until just moistened. Fold in pecans and chocolate chips. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds full.

Bake regular sized muffins for 20-25 minutes (mini muffins for 14-16 minutes), of until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in muffin cups on wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove from muffin cups. Cool on wire rack. Tint frosting as desired; spread over cupcakes. Top with sprinkles.

Source: Better Homes and Gardens' Simply Better "Halloween Treats"

Baptism Cookies

I searched high and low for a recipe that would be good for my little cousin's baptism party on Saturday.
I wanted something that could sit out all day, since the party was going to span both lunch and dinner. I wanted something that could withstand a mild Arizona spring heatwave. And I wanted something that was easy to grab and nibble on while standing, since the party was buffet-style.
And, as usual, I wanted something I could make quickly. I had a lot of basketball to watch on Friday.
I rediscovered a gem on allrecipes.com that I bookmarked (and then forgot about) long ago. The recipe is titled "Scarlett's Best Ever Sugar Cookies," but the name is a bit deceiving. They're not *really* sugar cookies. They're crunchier. And they are loaded with pecans. Those who tested out the cookies and posted comments on the site debated whether they are actually more like a pecan sandie. My husband said they tasted like a pecan shortbread cookie.
I have begun calling them "baptism cookies." Cuz I made them for the baptism celebration. So there.
Regardless. They're good. They're bite-sized. They're crisp. They're dusted with sugar. And I think they're slightly addicting.
And maybe I should mention... the recipe makes a TON of cookies. Seriously. When all was said and done, I probably made about 120 cookies.
Once I realized I had pleeeentyyyyy of cookies for the baptism party (and still half the dough left), I dumped the rest of the dough into a Tupperware container, and stuck it in the fridge. I took the cookies I had already made to the baptism, and then on Sunday, I heated the oven back up, and started throwing more cookies in. I sent some to work with Mike and brought some in for my co-workers. And I still have some at home. Good thing I like them.
Next time, I'll either cut the recipe in half, or I'll freeze half of the dough to use later.

Ingredients
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup butter
1 cup vegetable oil
2 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup granulated sugar for decoration

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, cream together sugar, butter, and oil. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt and cream of tartar; stir into the creamed mixture. Mix in the pecans. Roll the dough into balls the size of walnuts. Place balls onto ungreased sheet.

3. Press each ball down with the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar.
(If possible, find a glass with a decorative bottom to give the cookies a pattern. I couldn't find one, so I just used a plain juice glass. They taste just as good.)


4. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown around the edges.

Source: allrecipes.com