Cheating never tasted so good ...

When I was in Ohio last month visiting family, I made a discovery in my mother's pantry: Pumpkin Spice Cookie Mix from Betty Crocker. These cookies are very similar to the Pumpkin Cookies I make, but they have a slightly buttery taste and aren't sticky like the others. They're super easy and are an inexpensive, quick way to bring a touch of pumpkin to your kitchen. I added chocolate chips to one batch, and as the photo shows, icing is always an option as well. I haven't seen them in my Florida grocery stores, but I *do* know they exist :)

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

I hadn't baked for my husband's coworkers in quite some time, and I wanted to thank them for some awesome baby gifts they'd purchased for us.

I checked my cupboards, referenced my recipe books and found an easy cookie recipe that sounded perfect for the occasion.

These were really moist, not overly peanut-buttery and super soft. I didn't have white or yellow cake mix, so I used french vanilla and it worked well. I think chocolate cake mix would work well, too, like the Peanut Butter M&M bars and variation that I made a few months ago.

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
1 yellow or white cake mix
1 cup chocolate chips or chunks

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

With spoon, mix eggs, butter and peanut butter together. Stir in cake mix and then add chocolate.

Drop dough balls on to a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake 8-12 minutes or until light golden brown around the edges.

Remove cookies and place on non-stick rack to cool.

Source: 101 More Things to Do With A Cake Mix

Pumpkin Cookies

I've been using this recipe for about three years now. I cannot praise the simplicity and yummyness of these cookies enough. I've gotten so many compliments on them, and the thing I love most is that they are so moist, yet SO healthy.

This is a Weight Watchers recipe that I found long before I tried Weight Watchers. I use cream cheese frosting with them, which makes them less Weight Watchers friendly, but the basic cookie is very healthy.

This is one of those recipes that I make over and over in the fall - because they're in season and because I always have the ingredients for them on hand.

Ingredients
1 box spice cake mix
1 15 oz. can pure pumpkin

Instructions

Mix together cake mix and pumpkin.

Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 for around 10 minutes or until firm.

Allow to cool. Frost if desired.

Makes about 48 cookies, which are 1 Weight Watchers point each
Note: You can use a white cake mix and add 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice instead of using a spice cake mix.

Source: recipecircus.com

The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie

I was in the mood to bake a few weeks ago and was fresh off a trip with Meg and our husbands to San Francisco, where we visited Ghirardelli Square.

Conveniently, I also had a bag of Ghirardelli baking chips in my pantry. I hopped on to the Ghirardelli Web site and found a recipe that looked yummy - AND I had all of the ingredients for it in house.

My husband said these were the best chocolate chip cookies he's ever had. His coworkers finished a plate of them before he came home for his lunch break. They were quite a hit, and I'll be making them again, I'm sure!

Ingredients:
* 11 1/2 ounce(s) 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips
* 2 1/4 cup(s) unsifted flour
* 1 teaspoon(s) baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon(s) teaspoon salt
* 1 cup(s) (2 sticks) butter
* 3/4 cup(s) sugar
* 3/4 cup(s) packed brown sugar
* 2 eggs
* 2 teaspoon(s) vanilla
* 1 cup(s) chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 375ºF. Stir flour with baking soda and salt; set aside. In large mixer bowl, cream butter with sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Gradually blend dry mixture into creamed mixture. Stir in nuts and chocolate chips. Drop 1 tablespoon of dough per cookie onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Source: ghirardelli.com