peanut butter kiss cookies

I'm pretty sure you don't need another baked good recipe at this point in the season but these are one of my favorite sweets in the entire world and they happen to be easier than the rest too. So I'm giving it you to anyway.

There has been no shortage of sweets in our house these days.. and cinnamon rolls, cake pops, marshmallows, toffee and dulce de leche are still on the agenda before the weekend. Maybe it'll all balance out with the amount of brussel sprouts we're eating! (maybe?)

Peanut butter kiss cookies

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup sugar (i used half brown, half white)

1 egg

about 18 kisses

Combine peanut butter, sugar and egg.

Shape into 1" balls and place on cookie sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees F.

Press a kiss into the center of each cookie until edges crinkle.

I told you! So ridiculously easy..

p.s. josh decided to join the cookie photo shoot. nice pose!

English Scones with devonshire cream

Teas were a huge part of my childhood. There were fancy birthday teas, the annual ladie's christmas tea at church, and every so often mom and the girls (I have 2 sisters) would go to the Pomeroy House tea room to have afternoon tea. It is one of my most beloved memories about childhood and I cherish every cucumber sandwich, scone and drop of tea. So of course, when I planned our trip to Washington scones with devonshire cream and lemon curd and jam were top priority. Right up there with shopping at H&M.

These scones and devonshire cream are about as close as you can get to the ones in England, without being there. I prefer to break them apart bite by bite with my fingers and layer on the jam or lemon curd, and top with a generous dollop of devonshire cream. Or you can always slice it like you would a roll and spread the jam and cream as pictured.



Either way, you will be biting into heaven on earth. The scones are soft, buttery pillows and when layered with jam and cream they become divine. And ohhh, devonshire cream. It makes them. I'm telling ya, you are missing out on something great if you don't eat it all together.




English Scones
Makes 16

4 cups Flour
3 tablespoons Sugar
4 teaspooons Baking powder
1/2 teaspoon Cream of Tartar
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 1/2 cups Half and half
1 1/2 sticks of butter - chilled
1 large egg yolk (save white for brushing)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cream of tartar. Cut in butter, until combined and resembles a course meal. (the butter lumps should not be pea sized)
Add egg yolk to half and half. Stir half and half mixture into dry ingredients. Knead slightly in the bowl to combine. Divide dough in half. Form each half into a round, slightly dome shape about 1 inch thick. Cut the round into 8 wedges. Brush tops with egg white. Place the wedges on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 18-20 minutes, tops will be golden brown.


Devonshire cream

1 cup Whipping cream
2 tablespoons Powdered sugar
1/2 cup Sour cream

Whip the cream until soft peaks form. Stir in powdered sugar and sour cream.

chewy chocolate gingerbread cookies

Gingerbread cookies have always been a favorite of mine. In high school my friends and I would stay up late making chewy molasses rich cookies, baking about half the dough and eating the rest straight out of the bowl while watching movies. Just thinking back on it I can almost feel the inevitable stomach ache we'd always get.

Part nostalgia, part needing a holiday treat for a party, I decided to make some gingerbread cookies. I came across these in Martha Stewart Cookies. I figured everything's better with chocolate right? Nod yes, please. Because the combination is magical.






(click on pictures to enlarge)


Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies
makes 2 dozen

1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 tablspoon cocoa powder
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons boiling water
7 ounces good quality semi-sweet chocolate, cut into chunks
1/4 cup granulated sugar

1. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper

2. In a bowl, sift together first six ingredients. In a different bowl, beat butter and fresh ginger until lightened, about 4 minutes. Add brown sugar, beat until combined. Add molasses, beat until combined.

3. In a small bowl, dissolve baking soda in boiling water. Beat half of flour mixture into butter mixture. Beat in baking soda mixture, then remaining half flour mixture. Mix in chocolate; turn onto plastic wrap. Pat out to a 1-inch thickness; seal wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours or overnight.

4. Preheat oven to 325. Roll dough into 1 1/2-inch balls; place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Chill 20 minutes. Roll in granulated sugar. Bake until surfaces just begin to crack, 10 -12 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and cool completely.

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

(click on picture to see full size)


I love fall. Most people do. The weather is perfect just about everywhere. The trees are gorgeous, in all the stages of yellow,
orange and red. My birthday is in the fall. My anniversary is in the fall. But one of the best things about fall is the pumpkins.
Especially when it comes to pumpkins in baking. (and lattes!)

Since we we're gone for all of october, I had a bit of catching up to do. And I have some lofty plans to squeeze in all the pumpkin recipes I can. But I had to start somewhere so the day after we got home, these babies were in the oven. They are the epitome of fall, and goodness they are delicious.



Pumpkin Spice Muffins (adapted from Pioneer woman recipe)

• 1 cup All-purpose Flour
• ½ cups Sugar
• 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1-½ teaspoon Cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoons Ground Ginger
• ½ teaspoons Nutmeg
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• 4 Tablespoons Earth Balance Margarine or Butter - Cut Into Pieces
• 1 cup (heaping) Pumpkin Puree
• ½ cups Evaporated Milk (I used soymilk)
  
• 1 whole Egg (or egg-replacer equivalent)
• 1-½ teaspoon Vanilla

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Generously grease 12 muffin tins.

Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Cut in butter with two knives or a pastry blender until it is fully incorporated. In a separate bowl, mix together pumpkin, evaporated milk, egg, and vanilla. Pour pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture. Add raisins. Fold gently until mixture is just combined. Pour into a greased muffin pan—batter hardly ever fills all twelve unless you keep it down to 1/2 full.

Bake for 25 minutes. Allow to cool in pan for 15 minutes, then remove and allow to cool.