Holiday Spices Elicit Memories of Comfort.

Comfort foods remind us of the innocence of childhood, and the wonders of all.  All?  Yes, the taste, texture, sight and smell, especially during the “Ber” months are filled with it.  A warm bowl of buttery mashed potatoes slowly moves along the tongue, down the throat and into the belly.  The feeling of fullness, the taste of the butter, milk and potatoes surrounds us like a warm blanket cloaked over our shoulders, while we gaze into a wood burning fire.

Then there are the spices that make their ways into drinks, main dishes, side dishes and desserts.  These aromatic spices elicit memories of warmth, feeling safe, loving times with friends and family, and pure comfort and joy. 

Cinnamon: The most common spice, with a warm, sweet, and woody flavor that is central to many holiday recipes.

Nutmeg: Frequently used in drinks like eggnog and in baked goods, offering a sweet, warm, and slightly spicy taste.

Ginger: Provides a tangy, warm, and spicy kick, perfect for gingerbread cookies and other holiday treats.  (I mistakenly added some to banana bread I recently made.  Oh, it brought the overall flavor up to a whole new, delicious level.)

Cloves: A classic holiday staple with a slightly bitter and peppery flavor, often used in both sweet and savory holiday dishes. (gives a lively kick to baked goods)

Allspice: Combines the flavors of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, adding a warm and sweet profile to dishes like mulled wine and baked goods. (often found in apple pie or pumpkin pie mixes)

Cardamom: Known for its complex, floral, and sweet flavor, it is a popular ingredient in many European and Middle Eastern holiday recipes. (wonderful in apple cider donuts and carrot cake)

Star Anise: Features a smoky, woodsy flavor and a star shape, making it a popular addition to mulled wine and other spiced beverages.

Vanilla: Adds a sweet and rich flavor, essential for many holiday desserts. Make sure to use pure vanilla, not imitation.

Go back into the San Juan Record, or my food blog, archives to November 2, 2016 and you will find recipes for Snickerdoodle cookies, their origin history, and another recipe for Pumpkin Snickerdoodle cookies.  Cinnamon is the main spice used in snickerdoodles, but I don’t believe in settling; not even with my own recipes.

For this “Ber” month of November, I umpped up the recipe to make muffins filled with, not just cinnamon, but nutmeg and cloves.  They are sweet, the cloves giving a hint of a kick to the taste buds, and the sugar-cinnamon topping is slightly crispy while the muffin texture is tender.  Delicious as is, but warm up one, split it in half, place in a bowl and add a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  A taste of heaven without going there.

 

Snickerdoodle Muffins

Ingredients:

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar (or equivalent sugar substitute)

2 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

3/4 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. cream of tartar

3/4 tsp. each ground cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves

1 and 1/4 cups sour cream

2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (+1/4 cup for high altitude)

1/3 cup + 1/8 cup (6 tsps.) sugar (or equivalent sugar substitute) and 1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon, mixed together for topping.

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350F, place paper liners in muffin tins (18 cups).

 

 

Cream the butter and sugar until soft and golden colored, stir in vanilla. Add in eggs one at a time and mix until each is well incorporated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cream of tartar and spices.  Add half flour mixture plus half sour cream to butter mixture, fold in until flour is all incorporated.  Repeat with other half of flour and sour cream. Batter will be moist, but not overly dense.

 

 

 

 

Using a 2-inch-wide ice cream scoop, scoop out batter into each paper cup.  Sprinkle one teaspoon of sugar-cinnamon mixture over top, and down sides, of batter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bake for 22-25 minutes, until tops are golden brown, and toothpick inserted in center comes out cleanly.  Let muffins rest for 10 minutes before moving to platter.  For storage, in plastic bag, muffins will last 5 days.  Or, wrap in aluminum foil, place in freezer bag, and store for up to 3 months in a freezer.

 

Looking down at the muffins, the tops look just like snickerdoodle cookies.

Makes 18 muffins.

For a Quick Bread

Divide batter into two 8-inch loaf pans, bake for 45-50 minutes; or until tops are golden brown, and toothpick in center comes out cleanly.  Resting and storage are same as for muffins.

Mary Cokenour 

Christmas in April.

Easter week has come and gone. Easter is a time when Christian religions celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ after his torture, and death, at the hands of the Romans.  It is also a time when children, with baskets, run around backyards, fields and playgrounds seeking chocolate bunnies and colorful eggs to fill those baskets.  The bunnies and eggs are, in reality, Pagan symbols of fertility that have been incorporated into Easter traditions; and I suspect, nine months from now there will be bundles of joy born to many a couple.  “Why?”, you might ask.

As I gaze out the window, I cannot help but laugh, as Mother Nature has decided to trick us all.  It may well be April, a month in the season of spring, but covering the ground is not springtime flowers, but snow!  That is correct, a few inches of snow have fallen, making our little section of the world look more like a winter wonderland.  One could even imagine that it is Christmas time again, which is a perfect lead in to the novel I have just finished.

Ghostly Claus, of the Ghostly series, #4, by E.M. Leya, features main characters Lance and Angus, and a slew of quirky ghosts.  It is December, Christmas almost upon them, when a devastating event occurs; someone has murdered (insert shocked gasps), Santa Claus!  The ghost of the man, who was portraying Mr. Claus for years, and actually obsessed anything related to Santa Claus all year long, shows up at the morgue demanding justice for his death. 

If you remember, in the November 24, 2024 issue of the San Juan Record, I introduced you all to this series by E.M. Leya, a Utah resident, and Lemonade Chicken which appears in the first novel.  Lemonade Chicken is once again mentioned, as Lance’s brother, visiting while on leave from his tour of duty in Afghanistan, loves this meal.  Celeste, the ghost of the tv chef, who taught Lance how to make the chicken dish, also teaches him how to make Cinnamon Drop Cookies.

Like myself, many of you probably create many cookie types for the winter holidays, but this type of cookie was new to me.  Drop cookies?  Not a term I was familiar with.  What are drop cookies?  ``Drop cookies'' refer to cookies that are made by dropping the dough onto baking sheets, as opposed to rolling it out and cutting it into shapes. Since drop cookies skip the time-consuming steps of rolling and cutting, they are typically much quicker and easier than regular ``cut'' cookies.  Oooooh, drop cookies are scooped cookies, I get it now.

The cinnamon drop cookies are similar to spice cookies, but the only spice used is, of course, cinnamon.  The dough, when first made, has a very stiff and sticky texture, much like gingerbread.  After chilling though, it becomes softer and more pliable for easier scooping.  An ice cream scoop makes the dough into balls, so no manipulating by the hands; and they spread out during the baking process.  In the center of each cookie, a small cinnamon candy can be added, they are optional of course, or another type of candy (cinnamon chips or miniature M&Ms) can be used instead.  The candies are typically more available for the holidays of Christmas or Valentine’s, but can be purchased in the candy section under the name, “Red Hots”, manufactured by the Ferrara Candy Company.  Oh, oh, and now you will know I have quite a wicked mind, but place two cookies side by side, and I swear, they look like a pair of “titties”. (insert raucous laugh track)

When making these cookies, please remember to sift all the dry ingredients together; otherwise, the baking powder could gather, into lumps, inside the dough, and cause bitter spots in some of the cookies.  Talking from experience here.

Cinnamon has many health benefits such as lowering cholesterol and triglyceride levels; lowering blood sugar and blood pressure numbers; improve cognitive function and overall digestive health.  These cookies, even with using two tablespoons of cinnamon, are not overly spicy in flavor; and who knows, you might want to add more!

Oh, remember that ridiculous “cinnamon eating challenge” a few years ago?  Yes, do NOT do this as ingesting raw cinnamon by mouth can cause one to gag, cough, choke, and have a burning sensation in the mouth, nose, and throat. If inhaled while choking or gagging on it, it can cause inflammation in the lungs, a thickening of lung tissue, and scarring.  Just because bored folks try idiotic challenges on Youtube or TikTok, does not mean you have to follow all the lemmings off the cliff edge too.

So, hoping your Easter was magical, even with the snow, and try out some cinnamon drop cookies for a tasty treat.  Heh, maybe warm some up, with ice cream on the side, oh my!

 

Cinnamon Drop Cookies

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened

2 cups white sugar (or equivalent of sugar substitute)

2 large eggs

2 tsp.  pure vanilla extract

4 tsp. baking powder

2 Tbsp. ground cinnamon

4 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (plus ¼ cup for higher altitudes)

cinnamon candies 

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350F, place parchment paper on baking sheets.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar with a mixer until frothy looking.  Add eggs and vanilla to butter mixture; mix until smooth.

In a large bowl, sift together baking powder, cinnamon and flour.  Add half to the butter mixture, mix together; add second half of dry ingredients and mix until all incorporated together.

 

Chill cookie dough for 15 minutes.  Using a one tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop dough into one-inch sized balls; place on parchment lined baking sheets 2-inches apart.  In the center of each ball, lightly press in a cinnamon candy

   

Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until the bottoms lightly brown; let cook slightly on baking sheets before removing to baking rack.  Cookies can be stored in air tight container, or frozen for up to 3 months.  To reheat, preheat oven to 350F, place on parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 2-4 minutes, until centers are warm and outside becomes slightly crisp again.

Makes 5 and ½ dozen cookies.

Mary Cokenour

 

 

     

Pecans, The All-American Nut.

The first time I ever got to visit Disney World, in Florida, was in 1979.  It was spring break and the sorority I was in decided we would vacation in Fort Lauderdale.  Going to Florida was a first for me as well, as my family did not do any vacationing at all. At that time, there was only The Magic Kingdom to visit; Epcot had just started construction.  Let me just say that being a college student, and the craziness of spring break, did not mesh well with me.  So, it was not until I was married, and became a mom, that a return to Florida was called for.

Vacation time saved up, two weeks would allow for seeing all we could cram in, and be able to drive to and from Florida along Interstate 95.  We crossed over massive bridges, stopped at off the highway, hole-in-the wall restaurants, and collected souvenirs for each state we passed through.  It was like a whirl wind turn of the east coast, so exciting, and, most of all, fun!  As we got further south, we began to see signs touting “Come see the 20-foot alligator”, and yes, we stopped to see.  Oh, there never was an alligator, that was just a ruse to get tourists to stop in.  However, it was not all wasted time as many of these places sold, by the bag, bushel and barrel, pecans.  Shelled, unshelled, roasted, seasoned, raw, whole, chopped, smashed; did not matter, it was pecan heaven.

Can you figure out where I am going with this now?  I bet the majority of you are saying, “pecan pie”, and you would be wrong.  Yes, pecan pie is a southern USA recipe, which supposedly originated in the late 1800s from Patti's Restaurant in Grand Rivers, Kentucky.  Of course, there are other southern states which make claim to being the first to invent the recipe.  However, it was the Native Americans who were cooking and mashing up the nuts, not just for their edible quality, but for medicinal reasons as well.

The pecan is a species of hickory tree that is native to the southern United States, and northern Mexico. Pecan originates from “pacane,” an Algonquian word that means “need stone to crack”.  While the pecan does have a hard, protective shell, they can be cracked easily using one of four methods.  Allowing the nuts to dry out, for two weeks, helps with the cracking process.  First method is placing two nuts in your palm, and then squeezing them together until you hear a “crack” sound.  Definitely a good technique for those wanting to build up strength in the hands.  Second and third methods are similar, use a store-bought nutcracker, or a hammer straight out of the toolbox.  With the hammer method, wrap the pecans in a towel before whacking at them, or they will fly everywhere. Fourth method is to boil them in water for about 15 minutes to soften the shells.  Let them cool, and the shells should peel right off; similar to the boiled peanuts that are popular in the southern states.

 

So, why no recipe for pecan pie from me?  Actually, it is not a favorite in our home; the overwhelming gooiness of the pie is not appealing.  Oh, one exception is if I bake up a chocolate pecan pie, as the chocolate gives a firmer texture to the filling.  No, instead, I will be giving a recipe for Brown Sugar Pecan Muffins.  These, larger than mini, but smaller than average, muffins pack a gambit of flavor – brown sugar, cinnamon, and, of course, pecans.  One of my taste testers described them as “magical”.  

 

 

   

 

 

Oh, and if looking for a tasty dessert idea, warm up a muffin, break it apart a bit, and serve a scoop of ice cream next to it.  The warmth will let the ice cream get melty, and the two together…perfection!

 

 

 

 

 

….and here is the recipe for these “magical” muffins.

 

 

Brown Sugar Pecan Muffins

 

Ingredients:

1 and ¼ cups light brown sugar

3 eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted (add 3 Tbsp. for high altitude)

3 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 cup salted butter, melted

1 and ½ cups chopped pecans

Preparation:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners.

 

Combine all ingredients, except pecans, by hand, or medium speed on mixer; fold in one cup chopped pecans.

 

Fill each paper liner 2/3s full; sprinkle with half cup chopped pecans on top. 

 

 

 

 

Bake for 25-28 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

 

Makes 16.

 

The 4^th of July will be here before we know it.  For your celebration, bake up a batch, or two, of these muffins to celebrate the all-American nut.  Or bake up some now, there will definitely be no regrets.

Mary Cokenour

 

 

A Sweeter New Year

Happy New Year Everyone!  It is 2020 and jokes about our vision are bandied about.  At the time I am writing this article, it is still 2019.  Unease has not only hit our vast corner of Utah, but the entire United States is facing chaos.  Impeachment looms on the horizon, maybe, for our current President, Donald Trump.  Politicians in Washington, DC, are against term limits, so it seems the ones making a mockery of our rights; well we are kind of stuck with them for now.  In our county, taxes are going up, economic development is being kept at bay, and everyone notices the underlying racial tension.

Took one of those silly Facebook tests, one on focus for 2020.  The three words that I noticed immediately were: Happiness, Energy and Powerful.  Wow…wow!  At a time when happiness is a minor commodity, grabbing, and holding, onto it makes perfect sense.  Energy, depression saps energy, and who is not depressed over our current state of affairs!?!  Again, grab, and hold, onto your inner energy; make yourself shine with it!  Powerful, how can anyone feel empowered when every Tom, Dick and Harry seems to want to own, and run, your life!?  Stand up straight and tall, and say, “No way!  I refuse to give my power to anyone.  I refuse to have anyone dominate me with their power.”  Seems easier to say than do, but not if you believe in yourself, and you surround yourself with others of a positive attitude.  Personal empowerment can be achieved by acknowledging a fear, then conquering it.  Fear, indeed, is the mind killer.  Once again, Happy New Year Everyone!

To start off the New Year, I will entertain you with a recipe that I have, myself, feared.  Cinnamon rolls are an exquisite example of comfort food.  The yeast smell from the dough assails the nostrils.  Cold winter nights outside, but cuddly warm inside wrapped in flannel blankets while a fire snap, crackles and pops in the fireplace.  Kneading the dough moves the arm and hand muscles, yet soothes them at the same time.  The soothing is due to a satisfaction of accomplishment; the yeast lived, proofed, and rose the dough.  Rolling it out, brushing sweetened, melted butter and then a savory scented layer of brown sugar and cinnamon.  Roll out the barrels…oops, Octoberfest just popped into my mind.  Rolling the dough, cutting slices that are place into buttered pans, a little more rising and then the baking begins.  Within minutes, the scent of yeasty, sweet bread is mixing with the sweet brown sugar and savory cinnamon.  The scent wafts throughout the entire home, even the noses of the pets are twitching, and they sigh in their sleep.

Picture it, the Happiness of warm memories.  The Energy which accomplishment brings overall to mind and body.  The Powerful knowledge that a fear has been conquered.  Yes, I did fear making cinnamon rolls from scratch.  I thought it would be frustrating and difficult, and I feared the failure.  Now I know better, and am so much happier for it.

I do not know what this New Year, of 2020 Vision, will bring to myself, friends, and family, to anyone really.  While I would love to see a coming together of all, for the good of all, well, human nature is unpredictable.  Personally, I believe that letting a small handful of individuals, make all the major decisions for a community, is not a working concept any longer.  It is time that all groups concerned, put on their big boy/big girl panties, and begin doing what is best for the majority.  Perhaps others will finally understand this message too, and greater, more positive changes, will develop.

Until then, make some cinnamon rolls and share them; sit down together and have calm conversations.  It is amazing, how something so small, can bring people together.

Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients:

Dough:

2 packages active dry yeast

1 cup warm water (105-115F)

2/3 cup sugar plus 1 tsp

1 cup warm milk

2/3 cup butter, softened

2 tsp salt

2 eggs, slightly beaten

7 cups flour

Filling:

1 cup melted butter, divided in half

2 cups brown sugar, divided in half

3 ½ Tbsp. cinnamon

Glaze:

2/3 cup melted butter

4 cups powdered sugar

2 tsp vanilla

6 Tbsp. hot water

Cream Cheese Frosting:

2 packages (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened

1 cup butter, softened

3 tsp vanilla

6 cups confectioner's sugar

2 Tbsp. warm milk

Preparation:

For the Dough:

In a small bowl, mix together yeast, warm water and one teaspoon sugar; set aside. Yeast will be ready when bubbles begin forming.

In a large bowl, beat together thoroughly 2/3 cup sugar, milk, butter, salt and eggs; mix yeast mixture. Add 4 cups of flour, beat until smooth; add in remaining flour one cup at a time, until dough is slightly stiff, but still sticky. Turn out onto a well-floured board; knead 5-10 minutes. Place in well-buttered glass or plastic bowl, cover with a clean linen towel and let rise in warm place until doubled in size, about 1 to 1-1/2 hours. When doubled, punch down dough and let rest 5 minutes; roll out on floured board into a 15x20" rectangle.

For the Filling:

Spread dough with 1/2 cup melted butter. Mix together 1-1/2 cups brown sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over buttered dough. Roll up jellyroll style, pinching edge together to seal. Cut into 16-18 slices.

Brush bottom and sides of a 13x9 inch baking pan and a 9 inch square or round pan (6 slices per pan) with remaining melted butter; sprinkle with remaining brown sugar. Place cinnamon roll slices close together in pans. Let rise in warm place until dough is doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350F; 25-30 minutes, or until rolls are golden brown. Allow rolls to cool slightly before glazing or frosting.

For the Glaze:

In medium bowl, mix melted butter, powdered sugar and vanilla; add hot water one tablespoon at a time until glaze reaches desired thickness.  Add more water if necessary.

For the Frosting:

In a large bowl, beat together all ingredients on medium speed until smooth and creamy.

Makes 16-18 rolls.

Mary Cokenour 

Original Recipe That Starbucks Copycatted.

Back in 1985, a coffee cake recipe came out in a woman's magazine "Woman's Day", "Good Housekeeping", "Better Homes and Gardens"; I don't know which one.  A friend, at that time, had made the recipe, the cake was delicious, so she passed the recipe on to me.  Somewhere in my many, many handwritten recipes books is the recipe, but I was too lazy to wade through all the paper.  So, I went online to see if anyone had posted the recipe somewhere; I found many versions, but not the one I truly wanted. 

Then I noticed "Copycat of Starbucks Coffee Cake", clicked on the link and there was the recipe I'd always used; but with two minor changes.  See, when it comes to recipes, you can make someone else's recipe your own by simply changing two ingredients; so Starbucks used sugar instead of brown sugar, and added a sprinkling of powdered sugar.  Or so I think they did, since this is a copycat recipe, so the blogger basically thinks this is how it's made.  The blog is "Your Homebased Mom", and here is the link to her recipe: http://www.yourhomebasedmom.com/copycat-recipe-starbucks-coffee-cake/.

I made the appropriate changes, typed the recipe up on the computer, and now I have it in a more convenient place.  I made four cakes and the one mistake I made is to forget I live in a high altitude location (7100 feet above sea level), so forgot to add extra flour, and reduce the oil, to the cake mix.  The cake batter bubbled over the topping and was tacky on top of three of the four cakes; but they were still delicious.  Well at least I hope they were; I gave those away, but I haven't heard any complaints, or they're just being nice.

Anyway, here is the original recipe from 1985, so now you can copy me instead of Starbucks.  Of course to get the four cakes, I doubled up on the recipe; and used 8" x 8" aluminum pans; instead of two 9" x 13" ones; easier to give away that way.  By the way, at that time, moist cake mixes were just coming onto the market, so this recipe called for those original "non-premoistened" mixes.  Women began adding extra ingredients such as buttermilk, yogurt or sour cream to get the cake to be moister and richer.  No need for that now!

Coffee Cake Made From Cake Mix

Ingredients:

1 box yellow, moist cake mix (plus ingredients on back of box)

2 sticks cold, salted butter, softened
2¼ cups flour
1½ Tbsp. cinnamon
1¾ cups brown sugar
1½ Tbsp. vanilla

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350, spray 9 x 13 pan with non-stick spray.

Prepare cake mix in large bowl according to directions on box; pour batter into pan.  Bake at 350 for 15 minutes; batter will still be liquid.

While cake is baking, prepare crumb topping; in large bowl combine butter, flour, cinnamon, brown sugar and vanilla until all crumbly (use pastry cutter or hands).

 

Add remaining ingredients to softened butter.

Use hands to work ingredients together.

Cinnamon streusel topping.

 

15 minutes, batter is giggly, so be careful removing from oven.

Immediately after cake is removed from oven, break crumb topping into marble size pieces with fingers, sprinkling over top.  Put back in oven and bake an additional 15-20 minutes;  topping will begin to look less wet, toothpick inserted into cake will come out clean.   Let cool before cutting into squares.

Add the crumble topping.

This one came out perfect, the other three weren't so pretty.

 

(Note: for high altitude baking, add 1/3 cup flour, reduce oil from 1/3 cup to ¼ cup in cake batter preparation) 

 

Makes 12 Servings.

Mary Cokenour

September 1985 (original date I began using this recipe)

 

Sugar and Spice Makes Cookies So Nice.

Snickerdoodle, a whimsical name for a cookie laden with sugar and cinnamon.  Depending on the recipe, this light cookie can be crunchy with a crackled top, or soft like a thin cake.  Now the question is, why the name Snickerdoodle?  “The Joy of Cooking” (in print since 1936) claims it is of German descent; corruption of the word Schneckennudel meaning "snail noodles". Then there are the Dutch with their word “snekrad” which also means “snail”.  The only thing I see similar to a snail is the round, sticky dough balls rolled in the sugar/cinnamon coating. 

Personally I lean towards the third theory of origin, 19^th century New England, and the habit of giving whimsical names.  Geography lesson time!  New England is a geographical region which comprises six states of the northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.  It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and south which leads to Utah.  If you are looking at a United States map right now, you’ve done a double take on what I have just written, and I’ve totally lost you.  Let’s follow my disjointed logic; Brigham Young  and Joseph Smith were born and raised Vermont; however, they developed their Mormon following in New York which eventually traveled to the Midwestern states, and finally to Utah.  So it shouldn’t be a wonder for the love of Snickerdoodles by Utahns.

Here is the recipe from The Joy of Cooking.

Snickerdoodles

Ingredients:

Flour -- 2 cups

Cream of tartar -- 2 teaspoons
Baking soda -- 1 teaspoon
Salt -- 1/4 teaspoon
Unsalted butter, cut into chunks, room temperature -- 1/2 pound, or 2 sticks
Sugar -- 1 1/2 cups plus 1/4 cup
Eggs -- 2
Cinnamon -- 4 teaspoons

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl.

2. Add the butter and 1 1/2 cups of sugar to the bowl of an electric mixer and cream together on medium speed until the butter is light and fluffy and the sugar is well incorporated. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the egg, beating until it is incorporated.

3. Remove the bowl from the mixer and mix in the dry ingredients with a spatula until well blended. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least one hour.

4. Mix together the 1/4 cup of sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl. Form walnut-sized balls out of the cookie dough and roll the balls in the cinnamon-sugar. Place the balls on a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, spaced about 2 inches apart.

5. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes, turning the pan once for even baking. Cool 5 to 10 minutes on the pan, and then remove to a rack and cool completely.

About 2 dozen cookies.

A month or so ago, I was shopping at Walmart and came upon “Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies” in the bakery department.  Now while we love pumpkin cookies, the incorporation of Snickerdoodles was tempting to taste test.  Primarily they were regular pumpkin cookies with an extra sugary topping, and a slight crispness around the edges.  While not impressed, it did give me the inspiration to create my own version.  My wonderful “guinea pigs” from the Monticello City Office, San Juan Record and Monticello Welcome Center were pretty much in agreement; soft cookie with a slight pumpkin taste, more of the Snickerdoodle coming out in my version.

Especially at this time of the year when pumpkins are being carved into Halloween décor; “the guts” being converted into roasted pumpkin seeds; the meat going into pies and breads, now you have another type of pumpkin cookie to make!  Serve them up next to the Thanksgiving desserts; place a few on Santa’s plate for that extra good girl/boy gift in your stocking.  Then again, a few on your own little plate, a steaming hot mug of cocoa, a good book to lose yourself in, now that’s cozy comfort time!

 

Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies

 Ingredients:

3 and ¼ cups all-purpose flour

3 and ½ tsp cornstarch
1 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar (golden for light coloring; dark for darker coloring of cookies)
1 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled.
1 large egg yolk
1 (15 oz.) canned pure pumpkin  
1 and ½ tsp vanilla extract

For rolling:

¼ cup granulated sugar

1 and ½ tsp ground cinnamon

 

Preparation:

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cornstarch, cream of tartar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg; set aside. 



 

In a large bowl, cream together butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar, but only to combine, not to the pale and fluffy stage.   Mix in egg yolk, pumpkin and vanilla extract thoroughly.  

Still Use My Tupperward Egg Separator.

Set mixer on low; slowly add in dry ingredients until combined; scrape down sides to incorporate all ingredients.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap, chill in refrigerator for 1 hour; dough will be slightly sticky, but manageable for rolling.

  
 
 
 
 
 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

 











In a small bowl, whisk together sugar and cinnamon. Scoop dough out 1 tablespoon at a time, roll into a ball; roll dough ball in cinnamon sugar mixture to coat evenly.  

Space cookies 2-inches apart; bake for 15 -17 minutes (they should look just slightly under-baked as they'll cook slightly once removed from oven). Cool on cookie sheets 5 minutes, transfer to wire racks to cool completely; outside of cookies will become crispier while inside will remain soft and cake-like.

 Makes 4 dozen cookies.

  Mary Cokenour