Snickerdoodle Pinwheel Cookies

Who doesn't love a good snickerdoodle cookie? Its always up there on the list of people's favorites. I happen to be a very big fan of snickerdoodles. The sheer simpleness of sugar and cinnamon together brings a smile to my lips (and an inch to my hips) everytime.

These are a slightly different type of snickerdoodle. They are more crumbly than their drop cookie counterparts, but still pack that cinnamon punch! I loved the look of these, they are a bit more elegant in appearance than the usual snickerdoodle and would look lovely on a cookie platter for the holidays!

Snickerdoodle Pinwheel Cookies
From Fake Ginger 

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened 
3 ounces cream cheese, softened 
1 cup sugar 
1 egg 
1 teaspoon vanilla 
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour 
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/3 cup sugar 
1 tablespoon cinnamon 
1 tablespoon butter

Cream butter, cream cheese, and sugar in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add in egg and vanilla; beat until combined. Sift in flour and baking powder. Mix just until combined, being careful not to overmix. Dump dough onto counter and knead 2 or 3 times just to incorporate any leftover flour. Divide into 2 discs and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for about an hour.

To make cinnamon mixture, combine sugar and cinnamon. Melt butter; set aside.

Working with one disc of dough at a time, roll out into a 12 x 8 inch rectangle on a floured surface. Brush dough with half of the melted butter. Sprinkle with half of the cinnamon mixture. Starting from one of the short sides, roll into a tight log. Wrap in plastic wrap. Repeat with other disc. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375F.

Use a sharp knife to cut dough into 1/4-inch rounds; place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are just slightly golden. Cool on wire rack.

Pumpkin Ginger Bundt

In case you were worried, I have finally stepped away from the peanut butter/cranberry spread/pumpkin butter canning extravanganza and made another bundt cake.

But, of course, it was pumpkin. Next time I go to the grocery store, I've promised myself I'm going to stock up on canned pumpkin and maybe I can enjoy some pumpkin baked goods next summer. Although I doubt they'll last that long!

This was a great bundt. It was pretty dense, so a little went a long way! But I just loved the pumpkin flavor!



Pumpkin Ginger Bundt
The Food Librarian from Fine Cooking

1/2 lb. (1 cup) unsalted butter, completely softened at room temperature; more for the pan
9 1/2 oz, (2 1/2 cups) cake flour; more for the pan
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. table salt
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 cups packed light brown sugar
1 cup unsweetened pumpkin purée
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp. minced fresh ginger
Powdered sugar for dusting 

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat the oven to 350ºF. Butter and flour a 10-inch tube pan or 12-cup bundt pan, preferably nonstick. Tap out any excess flour.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, and cloves; set aside. Separate the eggs, putting the yolks in a small bowl and the whites in a large mixing bowl.

Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, cream the butter on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the vanilla and the brown sugar, about 1/2 cup at a time. When all the brown sugar has been added, stop the mixer, scrape down the sides, and cream the mixture on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Use a fork to lightly beat the egg yolks; then, with the mixer on low speed, add them slowly to the butter-sugar mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, increase the speed to medium, and beat for 1 minute. On low speed, add the pumpkin purée, oil, and fresh ginger. Beat until smooth.

Using a rubber spatula, stir in one-third of the flour mixture, and continue stirring just until the flour disappears (don't beat or overmix). Repeat, adding the remaining flour mixture in two more passes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and set it aside.

Add a pinch of salt to the egg whites and beat with an electric mixer just until they hold soft peaks. Gently but thoroughly fold them into the batter. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it evenly with a rubber spatula. Bake until the cake springs back when touched with a fingertip and a pick inserted into the center of the cake comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs clinging to it, 45 to 50 minutes. Set the pan on a rack to cool for 10 minutes. Carefully run a paring knife around the inside edge of the pan. Invert the cake onto the cooling rack and gently remove the pan. Let cool completely.

Lightly dust with powdered sugar if desired before serving.

Cranberry Sauce and Spread

So obviously my new breakfast consumption goal has me making as many spreads as I can to mix things up. And what better way to do that than in a holiday light! 

Yay for cranberries! Full of antioxidants and tart deliciousness.

This is also a great spread for toast, waffles and pancakes, oatmeal, yogurt and cereal. And probably many more things I am not yet aware of. I loved the addition of orange in this, which is apparently common for cranberry sauces, but I hadn't yet experienced the pairing. I let this go for awhile on the stovetop because I wanted mine reduced more, but you can cook it for less time to get more of a whole cranberry experience.



Cranberry Sauce and Spread

1 cup orange juice
1 quart fresh cranberries
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon fresh, grated ginger
1-2 tablespoons honey 

Combine the orange juice, cranberries, cinnamon and ginger in a saucepan and set over low, medium heat. Allow mixture to come to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes to 1 hour depending on your desired consistency.

Vanilla Cinnamon Peanut Butter

I have acquired quite the obsession with nut butters lately. I recently started making myself eat breakfast (I know, most important meal of the day, but its hard for me, so zip it!), and with this change I have been introduced into a wonderful world where nut butters fit in perfectly! 

Toast for breakfast? Add a dollup of peanut butter!

Oatmeal for breakfast? Add some almond butter!

Yogurt and granola for breakfast? A spoonful of Nutella!

It all just works out so perfectly. And, of course, I had to try making my own. The best part is that you can add whatever you want to it! I started with peanut butter, since it is supposedly the easiest one to start with. I added vanilla and cinnamon to give it a little punch and simply loved it! I have since made cashew butter as well. You do need to be patient with making nut butters, as they go through several stages while being processed. You must wait until it becomes creamy, and it does take longer than you think it will! So many possibilities to add! I can't wait to try many more combinations!



Vanilla Cinnamon Peanut Butter

16 oz. unsalted peanuts
1 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Place all ingredients in food processor and blend for 10-15 minutes. Remove to a bell jar and keep in the refrigerator.

Corn Muffins

Happy Thanksgiving week! I'm looking forward to a week of cooking and baking, and I don't mean just Thanksgiving food! 

These are a great corn muffin base. Nothing fancy, but these come out very tender, slightly crunchy and definitely a good addition to soup or salads. Or just for an afternoon snack! There really is no cap on what you could add to these, either. I've been making them for several weeks to go with my lunches and I started by just adding corn, then tried corn, sausage and cranberries. I loved both ways!



Corn Muffins
Adapted from All-Recipes 

1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup oat bran
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/8 cup canola oil
3/4 cup milk (I use skim)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a muffin tin (for 6 muffins).

In a large bowl, mix together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, oat bran and salt.  Add egg, oil and milk; stir gently to combine. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. 

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into muffin comes out clean. 

*I have made these with an addition of 1 cup of frozen corn and with 1/2 cup frozen corn, 1/2 cup chopped cranberries and 1/2 cup browned chicken sausage.