Peppermint Meltaways

Christmas is coming - which means lot of peppermint flavored goodies! Hooray! I love peppermint and I love cookies, so I had to try these as soon as I found the recipe. They are amazing and must be made many, many times. These cookies use cornstarch with the flour which I don't always have around but I bought some to make some Brazilian cookies and never used it all so I happened to have a TON of it still. Perfect way to use it up!

 

Peppermint Meltaways

1 c. butter, softened

1/2 c. powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. peppermint extract

1 1/4 c. flour

1/2 c. cornstarch

Cream the butter and powdered sugar. Beat in the extract, then add the flour and cornstarch. Refrigerate 30 minutes so it is easier to handle or use a cookie scoop. Shape the dough into 1 inch balls and place about 2 inches apart on baking sheets. I used parchment paper for mine but you don't have to.  Bake 9-11 minutes at 350 degrees or until the bottoms turn golden brown. Remove and allow to cool.

frosting:

2 Tbsp. butter, softened

2 Tbsp. milk

1/2 tsp. peppermint extract

1 1/2 c. powdered sugar

food coloring - optional

1/2 c. crushed peppermint candy

Cream all ingredients together, except the candy. Add more powdered sugar or milk to get the consistency you want. Spread over the cookies and top with candy.

 

S'mores Brownies

Brownies are amazing things, I mean, they are chocolate. I don't understand calling blondies brownies. They aren't chocolate after all. And brownies are chocolate. Period. End of story. Brownies=chocolate. They get even better when you add more yumminess to them!

 

S'mores Brownies

crust:

3/4 c. graham cracker crumbs

3 Tbsp. sugar

3 Tbsp. butter, melted

Mix together and press into the bottom of a greased 8x8 inch pan. You can also line the pan with aluminum foil (which I do) and grease the foil. It makes it so much easier to get the brownies out of the pan! Press the crust evenly into the bottom of the pan. 

brownie:

1/2 c. butter, softened

2 oz. unsweetened chocolate

1 c. sugar

2 eggs

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 c. flour

1/2 c. milk chocolate chips

Melt the butter and unsweetened chocolate together in a medium pan over low heat. Stir until blended. When it is completely melted, remove from heat, add sugar, then vanilla, and eggs. Stir in flour just until it is mixed in. Spread the batter evenly over the crumb mixture and bake 22-25 minutes at 350 degrees or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a moist crumb. Sprinkle the milk chocolate chips over the brownie layer and let stand 5 minutes until the chocolate melts. Spread chocolate to cover the brownie.

topping:

1 1/2 c. mini marshmallows

Sprinkle the marshmallows over the warm brownies. Broil 20-30 seconds until the tops are golden brown and remove from the over. Cool.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

This is one of my kids' favorite muffin recipes - probably because it is one of the few I add chocolate chips to and chocolate chips make everything better! They are always so excited when I make these muffins and have even been a little offended when I gave some extras away to friends.

 

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

1 2/3 c. flour

1 c. sugar

1 Tbsp. pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp, baking powder

2 eggs

1 c. pumpkin

1/2 c. butter

1 c. chocolate chips

Mix the flour, sugar, spices, and baking powder together in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and add the eggs, pumpkin, butter, and chocolate chips. Stir just until combined. Divide in the 12 muffin cups either lined with paper liners or sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees 20-25 minutes or until tops are golden brown and centers are cooked through.

Pumpkin Cookies

After Halloween we cook our pumpkin so we can bake yummy things with it. This year was a little sad. With my work schedule, I only got some of the pumpkin cooked before it molded. Well, you make the most of what you have so we made some pumpkin cookies! Yummy! Who doesn't love a frosted cookie?

 

Pumpkin Cookies

1/2 c. butter, softened

1/2 c. vegetable oil

1/2 c. canned pumpkin - or cooked from your jack-o-lanterns

1 c. sugar

1/2 c. powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

3 1/2 c. flour (you may need a little more of less)

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves)

frosting:

3 c. powdered sugar

4-6 tsp. water

1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Mix butter, oil, pumpkin, sugars, vanilla, and eggs together in a large bowl, beating well to combine. Add in baking soda, cream of tartar, and pumpkin pie spice. Slowly add in flour a cup at time, mixing well after each addition. Add a little more flour if needed, dough should be stiff. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Drop dough onto cookie sheets with a cookie scoop, then flatten dough slightly. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until bottoms are golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool. 

For frosting: Mix the sugar, water, and pie spice together. Add more water until you get the desired consistency. Frost/ glaze cookies. 

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

And more Saturday morning muffins. You can never have too many recipes for these...

I usually use this recipe when the boys refuse to eat certain apples. They will somehow ignore an apple or two at the bottom of the fruit drawer until they are too bruised or old (which doesn't take much) for them. So I use those apples for muffins.

 

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

1 1/2 c. flour

3/4 c. sugar

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 c. milk

1/3 c. butter, melted

1 egg

1 c. finely chopped apple

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Make a well in the center and add the butter, milk, and egg. Mix just until everything is combined - the batter should still be a little lumpy. add in the apple and fold in. Divide batter into 12 muffin tins and bake about 20 minutes at 375 degrees or until tops are golden brown.