12 weeks of Christmas Treats Archives - Page 3 of 3

October 11, 2012 ·

Pumpkin White Chocolate Chip Cookies from Alida's Kitchen

Every time I drop Adam off at Preschool, he asks what I’m going to do while he’s at school. Last week I told him laundry and other boring things. He told me I should make something…I should make something with pumpkin. Little did he know, I had these Pumpkin White Chocolate Chip Cookies on my list of things to do, so easy enough. I told him I would make some pumpkin cookies, and he just beamed! That definitely sounds better than laundry 🙂

These Pumpkin White Chocolate Chips cookies are very soft with a little chewy bite from the oats. I changed up the sugar ratio a bit from the original recipe because I love what brown sugar does to baked goods. The original recipe calls for 1 egg, but I initially made a half recipe. How do you cut an egg in half? I used the full egg in half, and 2 in a full recipe. The dough is a little gooey, so it helps to refrigerate it a bit before baking. Otherwise I don’t know exactly how this impacts the recipe, but I do know these cookies are perfection and would not change a thing.

I am sharing these delightful cookies for week 3 of the 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats, hosted by Meal Planning Magic. While these cookies are perfect for any holiday cookie platter, I do think they would also make an excellent Halloween or Thanksgiving treat, or any time treat for other fellow pumpkin lovers!

Pumpkin White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yields: approximately 48 cookies

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup canned pumpkin
1½ cups white chocolate chips

Instructions

In a large bowl, cram butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, oats, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon.
Stir in flour mixture into butter mixture alternately with pumpkin. Fold in white chocolate chips.
Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes to overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheet(s) with parchment paper.
Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets and bake for 12 to 13 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Adapted from Taste of Home

If you’re a blogger and want to join in on the fun, check out this post for the form to fill out to start baking along with us!

Grandma’s Lemon Bars

October 4, 2012 ·

For the next 11 weeks, I am excited to join a group, hosted by Meal Planning Magic, called 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats. I missed last week due to somebody’s pesky 2 year old molars, hence 11 weeks 🙂 So every Thursday, I will be sharing a delicious Holiday-inspired treat. I know what you’re thinking…Christmas? It’s only October! It’s never too early to plan. Time to dust off those holiday cookie platters!

For my first Christmas treat post, it is only fitting that I share a favorite recipe that my Grandma used to make for the Holidays ~ Lemon Bars. There was always something extra special about her lemon bars. They had a perfect balance of tangy and sweet, they had the lovely dusting of powdered sugar on top, and they literally melted in your mouth. Of our favorites she made, my grandma’s lemon bars topped the list of many (and there definitely were many). To me, no Holiday cookie platter is complete without lemon bars. I never realized how easy they were to make, which is an added bonus!

Grandma’s Lemon Bars

Yields: 16 bars

Ingredients

½ cup butter, melted and cooled
1 cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup powdered sugar
Cooking spray
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs, beaten
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
zest of 1 lemon
powdered sugar, for topping

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8" square baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
In a small bowl, mix together butter, 1 cup flour and ¼ cup powdered sugar. Press into prepared baking pan. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden.
In a large bowl, mix sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and baking powder. Add eggs, juice and zest, folding gently until combined.
Pour lemon mixture over baked crust.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Let cool completely and then dust with powdered sugar.

Be sure to check out all the other bloggers who are participating this week in the 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats blog hop. And if you’re a blogger and want to join in on the fun, check out this post for the form to fill out to start baking along with us!