FUDGY PUMPKIN-CRANBERRY COOKIES WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

One last package of frozen butternut squash in my freezer begged to be used before new squash moved in. This recipe, from Food Network Kitchens, looked promising, except that the cookies were reported to be cakey. I’m somewhat prejudiced toward cakey cookies. I wanted something fudgy, not cakey. Not knowing if my goal was achievable, I decided to give it a try. By draining the squash, adding dried cranberries and nuts and subbing whole wheat flour for all purpose, enough liquid was soaked up to make this cookie soft and dense like a brownie; hence the title “fudgy.” Adding lemon zest and changing the spices a bit gave these cookies a unique spicy-tart-sweet flavor that played well with the squash. Since I halved the original recipe, my yield was only 19 cookies that disappeared all too quickly. I will make these again, because they are delicious and a perfect treat for fall.

Fudgy Pumpkin-Cranberry Cookies with Cream Cheese Glaze Adapted from Food Network Kitchens Rating: 9 out of 10 Printable Recipe

INGREDIENTS: 1/2 cup brown sugar (I used 1/4 cup sugar + 1-1/2 tsp. Stevia + 1 tsp. molasses) 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened (I used I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter) 1 Tbsp. dark corn syrup 1 large egg, room temperature 3/4 cup pumpkin or butternut squash cooked, mashed and well drained 1/2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest 1 tsp. lemon juice 1-1/2 tsp. cinnamon* 1/4 tsp. powdered ginger* 1/8 tsp. nutmeg* big pinch ground cloves* 1/4 cup dried cranberries 1-1/4 cup white whole wheat flour (or all-purpose, if preferred) 1 tsp. baking powder 1/4 tsp. sea salt 1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts or pecans (*You can substitute a scant 2 tsps. pumpkin pie spice for the 4 spices. ) In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, on low speed, combine sugar, molasses(if using), butter and corn syrup. Stir in egg, pumpkin, seasonings and dried cranberries and mix on low speed till well incorporated. Let mixture sit for 15-30 minutes. Stir in flour, baking powder, salt and nuts, and mix till well combined. Drop rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. (I like to line my cookie sheets with parchment paper, which can be wiped clean and reused several times.) Bake about 10 minutes, or till a toothpick inserted in center returns almost clean. Cool on wire rack. When cool, ice with cream cheese glaze and sprinkle tops with chopped cranberries and crushed nuts. Cream Cheese Glaze with Cranberry-Nut Sprinkle INGREDIENTS: 2 oz. cream cheese or Neufchatel cheese, very soft (I used Neufchatel) 1-1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar 1/2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest 1 Tbsp. finely chopped dried sweetened cranberries 1 Tbsp. toasted walnuts or pecans, finely chopped In small bowl, whisk or stir with spoon the cheese. Add sugar and zest. If thinning is necessary, add lemon juice, 1/2 tsp. at a time, till frosting is desired consistency. Apply to cooled cookies and sprinkle with cranberries and nuts.

SPICED SWEET POTATO SANDWICH COOKIES

I call this recipe a "residual" recipe. It's a leftover from the Get Fresh with Sweet Potatoes recipe contest. It's pretty good, but I believe I entered a similar recipe that was better. The contest ended 4/15 and the winners will be announced in June. North Carolina is the largest producer of sweet potatoes in the US. Sweet potatoes are a super food and have lots of antioxidants. No one has to force me to eat them, because I've always loved sweet potatoes. Guy will only eat them one way: candied, with lots of syrup. What a shame -- he's missing out on some great sweet potato dishes. Am I rambling? Blame it on the lousy weather. The sun hasn't been out for a full week, and I think I'm turning into a werewolf. Try this cookie for something different.

Spiced Sweet Potato Sandwich Cookies (1/4 batch)

1/2 cup cooked, drained, mashed sweet potatoes (about 1 medium)
1/2 large egg (1-1/2 Tbsp.)
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 cup self-rising flour


Preheat oven to 375F. Line 2 large (12" x 17") baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, combine sweet potatoes, eggs, oil, sugar and flavorings, beating on medium speed of electric mixer about 2 minutes, or till thoroughly combined. Add flour and mix on low speed, just till combined. Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of batter about 2" apart onto one baking sheet. Each sheet shouldl hold about 6 cookie rounds. Bake 9-11 minutes, or till toothpick inserted near center of cookie returns almost clean. Let cookies cool on baking sheet for about 1 minute; then transfer to wire rack to finish cooling. Repeat with second baking sheet, for a total of 12 3" cookies. (You can put both sheets in the oven, reversing them halfway through the cooking time, but I get better results when I do one sheet at a time.) When cookies are thoroughly cooled, spread about 2 Tbsp. of your favorite filling on the flat side of 6 cookies. Top with the other 6 cookies. Yield: 6 sandwiches. (This recipe was quartered. Multiply ingredients by 2 for a half batch; by 4 for a full batch. Full batch makes 24 sandwiches. Yikes, you had better be feeding a crowd!) Filling suggestions: Honey-Nut soft cream cheese; cream cheese frosting; peanut butter; pudding mixed with whipped topping; chocolate frosting.

PECAN PUMPKIN BUTTER OATMEAL COOKIES

There were two warning signs for this recipe that I didn't heed: first, the recipe is not from the Williams Sonoma Kitchen; second, the directions said to flatten the dough if desired when putting it on the cookie sheet. These cookies don't spread and don't raise. There's a lot of oats in the recipe and with the pumpkin butter, these are very dense cookies. To make matters worse, I made them "healthy," substituting applesauce for part of the butter and adding 1/2 cup toasted pecans. My neighbor is taking them to the soup kitchen on Thursday where they hopefully will be appreciated. This is not my kind of cookie. But if it sounds like something you might like, here's the recipe:

Pecan Pumpkin Butter Oatmeal Cookies
INGREDIENTS: 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. molasses
1 Tbsp. Stevia Plus (or add another 1/2 cup of sugar, making 1 cup total)
2 eggs
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup Muirhead Pecan Pumpkin Butter (or homemade--see my post)
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3 cups quick oats, uncooked
1/2 cup crystallized ginger chopped fine
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans
3/4 cup raisins soaked in hot amaretto liqueur for 1 hour, then drained

DIRECTIONS: Have all ingredients at room temperature before starting. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare baking sheets with parchment paper. Drain raisins, discarding liquid or reserving for other use. In large mixing bowl, beat together butter and sugars until creamy. Add eggs, vanilla, applesauce and pumpkin butter. Beat well. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt and add to wet mixture with oats, raisins, nuts and ginger, stirring just till combined. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet and flatten dough if desired. Bake 12-15 minutes or til golden brown. Cool several minutes on cookie sheet and move to wire rack to finish cooling. Makes about 4-1/2 dozen cookies. (For original recipe, go to this link: http://www.muirheadfoods.com/.

On a lighter note, I found a great buy at our local Harris Teeter food store -- crystallized ginger for $2.99. It was a very nice sized box, too.