(If you missed yesterday’s post, I put up just a few photos from Wine Country, Missouri )
Happy Halloween!
( photo source ) I’ve never been in love with Halloween. Dressing up in costume is an awful lot of work and I prefer to stand behind the scenes more so than in front, so I’d rather blend in with jeans than a witch hat. That said, I appreciate the holiday and the fact that it sparks the beginning of the fall holiday run.
I did have a couple of decent costumes in college:
Halloween 2002, Superwoman
Halloween 2003, UM football player
I mean, my costume pails in comparison to a crayon but, ya know.
So, to celebrate Halloween 2011, instead of buying a costume I bought $10 worth of candy (Halloween candy is expensive!) and will turn on the porch light for our neighborhood kiddos (well, the first 90, since that’s how many pieces of candy are in my $10 bag).
Oh, and I baked these cookies!
These are the quintessential fall cookies – oats, dried fruit, chocolate chips, and pumpkin. I actually made half the cookies with chocolate chips, and half with dried fruit, using this Whole Foods recipe . The recipe was actually paired with a photo contest and while I don’t know the verdict of the contest, I do know the verdict of these cookies. You will too, after your first bite.
Pumpkin, Fruit, & Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
(adapted from Whole Foods Market )
(yields 12 cookies)
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment. Combine the dry ingredients in a medium bowl: oats, flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add the pumpkin, egg and vanilla and beat until well combined. Stir in the flour mixture until just combined. If splitting dough in half, separate now. Fold in the dried fruit and chocolate chips.
Using a large spoon or tablespoon, drop cookie dough into heaping piles onto the cookie sheet, flattening with your fingers as they don’t spread during baking. Bake 20-24 minutes (mine took about 22) and transfer to wire rack to cool.
Regardless of whether you dress up in costume or pass out candy (trust me, we considered hiding out in the basement with the porch light off!) make these cookies. For me, pumpkin only lasts a couple months each year before it moves to the back of the pantry for next year, so I’m making the most of it. Let the kids have the Reese’s and Milk Duds, I’ll take the salted pumpkin chocolate chip oatmeal cookies.
Question: Do you like dressing up in costume? What are your typical Halloween plans?
(If you missed yesterday’s post, I put up just a few photos from Wine Country, Missouri )
Happy Halloween!
( photo source ) I’ve never been in love with Halloween. Dressing up in costume is an awful lot of work and I prefer to stand behind the scenes more so than in front, so I’d rather blend in with jeans than a witch hat. That said, I appreciate the holiday and the fact that it sparks the beginning of the fall holiday run.
I did have a couple of decent costumes in college:
Halloween 2002, Superwoman
Halloween 2003, UM football player
I mean, my costume pails in comparison to a crayon but, ya know.
So, to celebrate Halloween 2011, instead of buying a costume I bought $10 worth of candy (Halloween candy is expensive!) and will turn on the porch light for our neighborhood kiddos (well, the first 90, since that’s how many pieces of candy are in my $10 bag).
Oh, and I baked these cookies!
These are the quintessential fall cookies – oats, dried fruit, chocolate chips, and pumpkin. I actually made half the cookies with chocolate chips, and half with dried fruit, using this Whole Foods recipe . The recipe was actually paired with a photo contest and while I don’t know the verdict of the contest, I do know the verdict of these cookies. You will too, after your first bite.
Pumpkin, Fruit, & Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
(adapted from Whole Foods Market )
(yields 12 cookies)
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment. Combine the dry ingredients in a medium bowl: oats, flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add the pumpkin, egg and vanilla and beat until well combined. Stir in the flour mixture until just combined. If splitting dough in half, separate now. Fold in the dried fruit and chocolate chips.
Using a large spoon or tablespoon, drop cookie dough into heaping piles onto the cookie sheet, flattening with your fingers as they don’t spread during baking. Bake 20-24 minutes (mine took about 22) and transfer to wire rack to cool.
Regardless of whether you dress up in costume or pass out candy (trust me, we considered hiding out in the basement with the porch light off!) make these cookies. For me, pumpkin only lasts a couple months each year before it moves to the back of the pantry for next year, so I’m making the most of it. Let the kids have the Reese’s and Milk Duds, I’ll take the salted pumpkin chocolate chip oatmeal cookies.
Question: Do you like dressing up in costume? What are your typical Halloween plans?