Chocolate Chip and Pumpkin Seed Soft Pumpkin Cookies

I love making cookies. There something about having to keep a close eye on the oven, the anticipation of the perfect time to pull them from the oven. Not too early, but never to late. You have to pay close attention. A cookie is not very forgiving if left in for a minutes or two too long. Those minutes can make or break a great cookie. OS baking them is , to me anyway, like a form of meditation. You can’t be distracted, thinking about things like “who came up with the name Banana Republic and then used it for a clothing store?”, or looking up “ large metal rolling balls”. No, you need to pay attention to cookies, or else your cookies might burn. But don’t let that scare you, and really, you can totally think of all the random, but important, things you want while baking, just use a timer or think those thoughts while watching the oven.

These cookies are the cookies that you want to make. A cookie yes, but almost like little soft cakes, full of chocolate chips and pumpkin seeds and warm spices to elevate the pumpkiness of the pumpkin. A perfect cookie to bake when you are freezing and want nothing else then to sit in front of a warm oven, spacing out, and revealing in the smell of a fall kitchen.

Fall pro tip. Place outwear in the kitchen while baking. I had my jacket on a stool close by while the cookies were baking and even now, a few days later, it still smell like cookies.

To the cookies!

The stuff. Brown and granulated sugar, flour with salt, cinnamon, allspice ,nutmeg, and baking soda and baking powder. Pumpkin puree vanilla extract, canola oil, chocolate chips, and toasted pumpkin seeds.

Mix the sugars, oil, vanilla, and pumpkin puree together until completely incorporated.

Whisk together all the dry

Add dry to wet. Mix gently, until just incorporated.

A now you have cookie batter. But wait, can’t forget the chocolate and seeds.

I like to give the chocolate chips a rough chop to make the chips a bit smaller. You can skip this step or just use small chips if you want.

Chocolate chips and toasted pumpkin seeds go into batter.

After a gentle mix, it’s time bake.

Scoop the dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet (important to line or use a splat mat, or else they will stick)

Into the oven and out of the oven. Bakes to a plump golden brown perfection.

All the cookies cooling on a wire rack like all cookies should.

And then thats it.

Cookies for you and cookie to share, if you are nice like that.

Happy weekend!

-C

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Chocolate Chip and Pumpkin Seed Soft Pumpkin Cookies

make 2 dozen or so cookies

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoons baking powder

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 2 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/2 allspice

• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

• 3/4 cup cane sugar

• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar

• 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/2 cup toasted pumpkin seeds

• 2/3 cup chocolate chunks or chips

Preheat oven to 350

In a large bowl, mix together the sugars, purlin puree, oil, and vanilla until completely incorporated. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and baking powder, salt, all spice, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Once whisk, dump into the bowl with the wet gas gently mix together until just incorporated. Do not over mix.

Dump your chocolate ships onto cutting board and give them a rough chop just to break some of the chips apart. (or use small chips) Add the chop chocolate and the toasted pumpkin seeds to the batter and gently fold them, just to even distribute them.

Line being sheets with either parchment or use a splat mat and scoop equal size ball of dough onto the baking sheets. Leave enough room for the cookie to rise and spread. Place baking sheets into oven and bake fir 12-14 minutes or until the cookies have risen, are golden brown, and a tester stuck into the middle of a cookie comes out clean. Remove from oven and place the cookies on a wire rack to cool.

Then you eat them.

Any not eaten cookies should be store in an air tight container and can be left out at room temperature for a day or two but should be refrigerated or frozen for longer storage. The mr likes to eat them straight out of the freezer.

Almond Oat Rhubarb Cookies

The rhubarb is ready and I am ready. There will be rhubarb in everything for weeks. But what to start with? I was debating if I should go classic and make a pie, or maybe savory and make a rhubarb tomato soup (going to make that soup later), or maybe just a big batch of jam to stick on and in everything.. Then I remembered  that I had a cookie dream last fall, a dream that I had made almond rhubarb cookie. (that is the extent of my dream memory)  And who am I to ignore a cookie dream? So I starting off rhubarb season with cookies. 

These cookies are all sorts of good. They have oats, almonds, flax, and a vegetable (because we all know that rhubarb is technically a veggies right?) so right there is a good enough excuse to make them. And to eat whenever, including breakfast, because remember, all the good stuff. But don't let that good stuff fool you. These cookies are just as good, if not better then any other cookie. Soft and chewy. So nutty, sweet but not too, and rhubarb all tart and fantastic cutting in to say hey hey hey. These are springtime, any time, cookie time cookies. Dream cookies that are now reality cookies.

Let the rhubarb begin!

The stuff. Almonds, oats and rhubarb. Brown sugar, vegan butter, a flax egg, cinnamon, baking soda, vanilla and salt.

First we need to turn the oats into flour so blend them in a food processor until that happens 

Next up are the almonds. These you want to pulse for about 2-3 minutes they become  more of an almond meal the flour. Don't over blend or else you might end up with almond butter. 

Next up. Sugar, vegan butter, cinnamon, vanilla, ans flax egg all go into a big bowl.

Mix well until all combined and incorporated. 

Now add in the oat flour, almond meal, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder.

Stir it up and there you go.. but the rhubarb!

Remove the leave from rhubarb if you haven't already. They will kill you!(or make you violently ill). Chop the rhubarb stalks into small pieces that are roughly the same size as chocolate chip. Some chunks can be a little bit bigger, but you don't want the piece too big or else you will end up with soggy cookies.

Rhubarb goes into cookie batter Mix it all in. 

Scoop out dough onto baking sheet and give them all a good pat to flatten them down a good bit. Place them into the oven for  17-22 minutes to bake. until nice deep golden brown.

Golden brown and baked all nice. Look at those rhubarb chunks. So pretty.

Cookies out on a wire rack to cool and firm up a bit.

So now you eat yourself a cookie. Or two.

-C

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Almond Oat Rhubarb Cookies

makes 18-22 cookies depending on size

• 1 1/2 cups raw almonds

• 1 1/2 cups old fashion oats (gluten free if needed)

• 1/3 cup vegan butter room temperature

• 1 flax or chia egg (1 tablespoon ground seed and 3 tablespoon water)

• 1 cup packed brown sugar

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

• 2-3 stalks rhubarb (about 1 1/2 cups chopped)

Preheat oven to 350

Add oats to a food processor and blend until the oats turn into flour, which will take about 2 minutes. Dump the now flour into a bowl. Add almonds to the food processor and pulse for 2-3 minutes until the almonds turn into fine meal. Dump into the bowl with oats.

In a large bowl mix together the vegan butter, brown sugar, flax egg, and vanilla until fully incorporated. Add in the oat and almond flours, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda and mix until la dough forms. 

Grab rhubarb and chop into little pieces that are roughly the size of a chocolate chip. Measure out 1 1/2 cups and dump into batter. Mix until incorporated. 

Scoop out cookies onto a parchment lined baking sheet and flatten each cookie to aboutt 1/2 inch thick. Place into  preheated oven. and bake for 17-22 minutes (rotate after 12)  or until a nice golden brown on top and bottom. (Depending on your baking sheet and stove, it could take a few minutes longer, just keep your eyes on the cookies!)  Once bakes, place on a wire rack to cool. These cookies are very fragile until they cool off so be careful handling them. 

Let cool and eat. And yes, these are 100% exceptable to eat as a breakfast cookie. 

Left over cookies should be stored in an airtight container at room tempature for 2-3 day, longer in the fridge, and can be frozen .

And eat yourself a cookie. Or two.

Cookie anecdote.  I placed a cookie sheet full of cookies back into a cold oven to store while I was cleaning up the kitchen. And left them there and kind of forgot about they, And then I cranked the oven on to make dinner and a few minutes later smelled something burning. OH fuck... the cookies! I pulled them out just in time to see that I had completely burnt the bottoms. SO PISSED ( I might have raged cried a little). But you know what I did? I cut all the bunt bottoms off and placed the crumbles up un-burnt bits onto a bowl. The mr came home and ate the bowl of crumble and was happy as a clam. And lucky had left out half of the cookies l on the counter so not all were lost. But lessons learned. Cookies crumbles are just as good as whole cookies and always check the oven before turning it on. There might be cookies in there!!! 

Crushed Oreo Peanut Butter Cookies

Is it weird to crush up a cookie to make a new cookies? I don't think so , I actually think it's kind of my best idea ever (although I am sure that I am not the first to think of this). I now have this desire to make all sorts of crushed cookie cookies and crushed cake cookies, and crushed up cookies in cinnamon buns and you get the idea. Picture it now. A cookie full of huge hunks of birthday cake, or a crushed chocolate chip cookie inside a chocolate chocolate cookie crushed up inside of a peanut butter cookie rolled in crushed up chips....This could get dangerous.

Back to these cookies. 

Not going to lie, these cookies were 99 percent inspired but Lindsey Lohan. And no, not because they are like crack (although that's what the mr's brother thought) but because of the movie, The Parent Trap. Yes, it is now on Hulu and yes, I watched it, and yes I was by myself, and no I will not feel shame for that.  In the movie the Lindsey's (well, the one Lindsey that plays two Lindsey's.. you should watch it if you don't know what I am talking about) are away at summer camp being all innocent and cute (what happened to you Lindsey?) but get into a little trouble and are banished to a cabin away from other campers. After getting over there anger at one another, they start talking about their parents and how they share the same birthday and how they look exactly alike. Then they start to eat Oreos dipped in peanut butter. This is the point in the movie where they know something is up and that they are actually twins separated at birth. (Not because they look exactly the same or share the same birthday, it's totally the cookies. Powerful Disney moment.)  I mean, if that food combination could do that for these girls, well what could it do for me? (so far not a damn thing)  But I had the peanut butter and a few Oreos left from a ice cream cake and I needed to bake because I needed to so I listened to the innocent cute Lindsey's and make these crushed up Oreo and peanut butter cookies. And the world thanked me, but really, we should thank Lindsey too.I hear she could really use a win right now. And maybe I will eventually find a girl that looks like me and share my birthday and can be my twin too. I'll make her these cookies.

The stuff. We are gonna need some white and brown sugar, vanilla extract, flax eggs, peanut butter and earth balance. Also flour, baking soda and baking powder, a little bit of salt, and of course, Oreo cookies.

Add to a bowl the sugars, flax eggs, peanut butter, vanilla, and the earth balance. 

Mix until smooth and creamy.

After mixing all the dry together, dump it into the wet and mix until cookie dough happens. 

Then add in your crushed Oreos! I just used my hands and crushed them directly into the bowl, but you could also stick them in a bag and smash them. Your choice. 

Cookies in the cookie dough.. Don't eat it. Ok, maybe eat a little. 

Scoop same sized amounts of dough onto a cookies sheet and take a flat something or another and smoosh the balls into flat disks.

Once the oven is preheated, pop those suckers into the oven to bake. I did 12-13 minutes and they came out perfect. 

See, perfect. 

Now fill your cookie jar with al those perfect cookies and hide it. If seen, they will be devoured. Share with your long lost twin. 

-C

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Crushed Oreo Peanut Butter Cookies 

make 2 dozen 

• 1 3/4  cups all  purpose flour
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/3 cup earth balance or other vegan butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 flax eggs (2 tablespoon flax meal with 6 tablespoons water)
• 10 Oreos 

Preheat oven to 350

In a large bowl combine the sugars, the peanut butter, vanilla, earth balance, and the flax eggs. Mix until all completely combined and smooth. In a smaller bowl combine the flour, baking soda and powder, and salt and whisk to mix. Dump the dry into the wet and mix until combined. Take Oreos and crush them into small pieces (I used my hands but you could stick them in a bag and smash them with a rolling pin or something) into the dough. Mix until evenly disturbed.

Measure out same sized balls of dough and place them on a cookie sheet. Take a flat surface and smoosh the dough so it it a flat dish. Bake cookies for 11-13 minutes or until the edges are starting to lightly brown. Remove and place on a cooling rack.

Eat the cookies.  Hide the cookies. 

Lemon Sugar Cookies

Right now it is all about the holiday cookies. There are the chocolate ones, the filled ones, the nutty ones and all at the other ones, but really, what is the holiday without a good basic sugar cookie covered in way to much icing and sprinkles? Not right it what it is.

So to kick off holiday cookie baking I had a cookie decorating and pizza  party with the littles and big littles. Cookies, icing and frosting, and so many sprinkles. I went the smart route with preparation and precut all the cookies before the party. I was thinking that I would have everyone cut there own cookies out but then I was thinking  a bunch of little and hot pans and more likely then not burnt cookies. I just didn't want to deal with it and it was a good choice on my part. I am so smart. 

These cookies are kind of your basic sugar cookies with a little lemon twist. The lemon adds that extra something, a little zip behind the sweetness, especially after all the glaze. And they can be baked to be slightly soft or to have a nice crisp edge. A good, tasty,  all around cookie, perfect for any holiday cookie party. 

And just a warning about cookie parties. There will be madness and states of being that only an emense amount of sugar can produce.

The stuff. Flour, baking powder sugar, and salt. Squash puree, earth balance, vanilla, and some lemons. 

Sugar, butter, puree, lemon zest, lemon juice and the vanilla get cozy into big bowl and then mixed together.

Some people prefer to do this step with an electric beater but I like to use a wooden spoon because arm powder. Either way, make sure the mixtures is completely mixed and that there are no huge chunks of butter. 

Now add in the dry and mix mix mix until if forms a dough.

 Don't be afraid to use your hands here.. I started out with the spoon and finish with my hands. It is much easier.

The dough needs a little time in the fridge so wrap it in plastic (or a large plastic bag) and stick in the fridge for a least and hour or up to a day. 

When your ready for cookie cutting time, remove dough and let sit on counter for a few minutes to warm up. Then place on a lightly floured surface and roll out about 1/4 inch thick (you can go a little thinner if you like)

Cut your cookies.

And keep gathering and rolling ou the dough until all the dough is a cookie.

Bake the cookies for anywhere between 10-13 minutes. This is dependent on if you like a softer cookie or one with more of a crunch. 

All the naked cookies.

And you are probably going to want to make some glaze, which is super simple. Powedred sugar, water, corn syrup, and vanilla extract. 

You of course need to get crafty with colors so color the icing  to your liking.

Then it's all about decorating. The mr and I did a few cookies ourselves before the cookie party began. We figured we wouldn't really get a chance to once all the littles showed up. We were right. 

Also I bought brand new synthetic paint brushes (important that they are new) to use to paint on the glaze. It was a very good idea. We loved it and so did all the little. 

Our cookie masterpieces. Who doesn't love a rapper snowman?

Let the party begin. I ended up making 3 batches of cookies because the more cookies the better. And again, so smart to have the cookies all precut and ready. I couldn't imagine having to deal with cutting cookies with everyone. There would have been tears (most likely mine) 

Christmas music on, happy little littles, it started out so wholesome and good.  Glaze, frosting, so many sprinkles. I could smell the sugar in the air. I also said that there was to be no cookie eating until after dinner so naturally I think that each little ate about 5 cookies before dinner. It would have been worse if I had they could eat any at all. 

And then we ate dinner and more cookies and they all went freaking crazy. Like running around screaming, stoping once in a while to maybe think they might throw up,  then kept on running and screaming.  Sugar can do crazy things. 

 Just a few of the creations from the night. There were snowmen, 3D trees and reindeer, and stars. I guess I don't have a snowflake which bummed me out but stars made do. And yes, that is indeed a target employee cookie.. so awesome.

All in all, the party was a success. The cookies came out great. The decorations were on point. The littles and big littles had fun and were all in a sugar coma by the end of the night.  Annnd my house is covered in a light film of stickiness. 

Enjoy your weekend and make lots of cookies because that is what you are suppose to do. 

-C

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Lemon Sugar Cookies 

makes 20-25 cookies (all depending on you shapes ands sizes of cutters)

Cookie

• 2 1/4  cups flour 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 cup squash puree
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup room temp  vegan butter
• 1 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest

Icing 

• 2 tablespoons corn syrup
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons plant milk or water
• 1 teaspoon extract (vanilla, almond, or lemon)  
• food coloring (optional) 

preheat oven to 350

In a large bowl beat  together butter, sugar, vanilla, squash, lemon zest and lemon juice until fully incorporated. Add in flour, salt, and baling powder and mix until it all comes together. When dough gets a little hard to mix with a spoon, use your hands and compress the dough into a ball.  Take dough and wrap in plastic wrap or place in a zip lock pulled to dough tight and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour or up to a day.

After the dough has had time in the fridge, remove and let sit for a few minutes.. Lightly flour the counter and roll dough out to about a quart inch thick. Grab your cookie cutter and cut away at rolled out dough. Place cut cookies on a baking sheet, gather up remaining dough and roll out all over again. Repeat process until all the dough has been used. Place cookies  in oven and bake for 10 minutes or until cookies are just barely turning golden brown.  If you like a crispier cookies, cook for 2-3 minutes longer. Remove and place on a cooling rack to cool. 

Prepare your icing.

Mix all the ingerdients together until full incorporated. Color to your liking. 

And once the cookies are  cool its time to start you decorating! You can dip, pour, paint, or pip icing onto cookies. Embellish with sprinkles and candies.

Eat your cookies 

Coconut Lime Shortbread Cookies

The mr was being awesome and spent the afternoon in the pantry adding a few finishing touches I requested ( more shelves and more supports) There really isn't enough room in there for the both of us and the air compressor, but I needed to be close by to tell him what to do (in a non annoying way) so I figured the best way I could help was to be in the kitchen and make cookies. That's helpful right? Answer is yes, cookies are always helpful. 

It's been a while since I made cookies and I am pretty sure that these were the first cookies that I have made in this kitchen which seems crazy and I should go on a cookie making binge. I finally moved all of my food and baking stuff over from the loft so now I can bake on a whim. Cookies, cakes, bread... whatever I want whenever I want.  It is so nice having my baking things all around me. I feels like home.

And I think from now on whenever we have a house project that I am not to interested in doing (like we need to empty and clean out he basement) I will just make cookies instead. I'll be like "Oh, I could help with that or....I can make you favorite cookies" (with a wink, wink and a kissy face)  We will see if that floats with the mr. I'll let you know.

The stuff. Coconut flour, regular flour, and a little bit of salt. Sugar, coconut oil, ground chia seeds with water and a lime.

Zest the limeand mix into the flour.  Add the juice to the chia seeds.

Mix together the chia seeds, sugar and melted coconut oil until evenly combined

Then dump dry into wet and mix until it turns into dough.

Take any liberties in shape you want here. I rolled some into balls and some I made into hearts. These cookies don't spread so pretty much any shape you make it's going to stay that way. Just make sure to smoosh the doughwith you hand or a fork to an even 1/2 inch so it bakes evenly.

Once the baking sheet is full, stick it in the preheated oven.

12-15 minutes laterthe kitchen smells all nice and the cookies are golden and ready. Stick them on a rack to cool.

Oh but wait, why not add some chocolate drizzle.  Easy easy. Justmelt some chocolate chips with a bit of coconut oil.

And drizzle it all like yeah

Sweet coconut lime goodness. My pantry is all done and the mr got some love cookies. All in a days work.

bye!

-C

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Coconut Lime Shortbread Cookies

makes about 12-15 cookies

• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup coconut oil (melted and cooled)
• 1 lime (juice and zest)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons plus 4 tablespoons water
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips and teaspoon coconut oil for drizzling (optional)

Preheat oven to 350

In a medium bowl, whisk the flours, the salt and the zest of the lime. After zesting lime, juice it and mix2 tablespoons of the juice into the chia seeds along with the water. In a separate larger bowl, mix together the sugar and coconut oil until combined then mix in the chia seeds. Dump the dry mixture into the wet and mix until combined and dough has formed.

Roll cookie dough into balls the size of walnuts. Place on cookie sheet and about 1/2 inch smoosh flat with either your hand or a fork. If you want, shape the dough into a shape (like a heart) just make sure to flatten it so it bakes evenly. The cookies don't spread so you can place then really close together on the cookie sheet. Place i oven and bake for about 13-15 minutes or until the bottoms of the cookies are a nice deep golden brown. Place cookies on a wire rack to cool. Now they don't need it, but I was told the chocolate drizzle was awesome...

Place chocolate chips and coconut oil in a microwave safe bowl and place in microwave at 30 second intervals until the chocolate and oil can be mixed together into a drizzable consistency. Now take that and drizzle all over tops of cookies.

Eat. Store uneaten cookies in airtight container