By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills
When the calendar says it’s October, I’m ready to bake and eat cookies. Of course, for me, that means exercising more to compensate, but those yummy treats are worth it! I’ve saved cookie recipes over the years and know which ones satisfy my sweet tooth.
If the autumn season tempts you to bake a few of your own, here are four of my tried and true favorites for this time of year.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1 large egg
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 375° and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, pumpkin spice, and salt.
In a large bowl using a hand mixer, cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in pumpkin, egg, and vanilla extract until combined, then add flour mixture. Beat on low until no raw flour appears, then fold in chocolate chips. Refrigerate dough for at last 30 minutes. (I use the freezer. makes the dough easier to handle.
Scoop 1” balls onto parchment-lined baking sheets, 2 inches apart, and bake until puffed up and golden around edges, about 12 minutes. Yum!
Mexican Hot-Chocolate Cookies
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 stick unsalted butter – room temperature
1 cup packed dark-brown sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
12 ounces semisweet chocolate pieces
1/2 cup turbinado sugar
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Whisk together flour, cocoa, cinnamon, salt, cayenne, and baking soda.
In a separate bowl, beat butter with brown sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla until well combined. Reduce speed to low and beat in flour mixture until just incorporated. Still in chocolate.
Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Gently roll each in turbinado sugar to coat; place 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until surface crack slightly, 11 to 14 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on sheets, then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely. Especially good with hot coffee!
Peanut Butter Cookies
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 beaten eggs
1 cup peanut butter
3 cups sifted flour
2 teaspoons soda
dash salt
Thoroughly cream butter, sugars, vanilla, and eggs. Stir in peanut butter. Sift dry ingredients and stir into creamed mixture. Refrigerate dough for 2 hours. Form into tiny balls. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. (I prefer parchment paper.) Make crisscrosses with a fork dipped in sugar. Chill for at least 30 minutes Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes. A Hershey’s Kiss in the middle of the hot cookie turns these into Pumpkin Blossoms. Delicious!
Ginger Cookies
My mother used to make these when I was a little girl
5 ½ cups sifted flour
1 tablespoon soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg beaten
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 cup dark molasses
½ cup strong coffee
Sift together dry ingredients. Cream shortening, add sugar. Beat until light. Add egg and vanilla. Add molasses and coffee, then the dry ingredients. Mix well and chill.
Roll out and cut.
Bake on a greased baking sheet. 400 degrees 8-10 minutes. Makes 12 dozen. Ice with butter frosting. Another great coffee cookie!
If you will comment below with your favorite cookie recipe, I’ll enter you in a random drawing giveaway for one of two copies of my new e-book Christmas Stories – short fun stories about this beloved season, releasing October 27th on Amazon.
Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links on the page above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”