Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

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Posted by: Annie

I found myself awake this past weekend at 7:50 a.m. Like, really? My alarm goes off every day for work at 5 a.m. and I dream about the weekend when I get to wake up naturally and sleep past nine. Of course, once I wake up and realize I have lots of errands to run, lessons to write, and cookies to bake, the guilt kicks in. That is how I end up baking pumpkin snickerdoodles in the kitchen at 8 a.m. on a Sunday morning.

Last year I made these gems, which at the time became one of my favorite pumpkin recipes. While pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are still up there, pumpkin snickerdoodles are my new favorite. These cookies scream fall, and fill your house with the best scent EVER.

Pumpkin the cat, meet pumpkin, the cookie:

What you will need:

For the cookies:

3 3/4 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the coating:

1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Dash of allspice

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Whisk together to blend. In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugars on medium speed until well combined. Next, still on medium speed, beat in pumpkin. Then, add the egg and vanilla extract. Lastly, add in the dry ingredients. Beat until combined, but do not over mix. Cover the dough, and refrigerate for one hour, until firm.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line baking sheets with parchment paper. In a small bowl, mix together the sugar and spices for the sugar coating. Scoop dough (approximately 2 1/2 tablespoons) and roll into a ball. Roll the dough ball in the sugar mixture, and place on the lined baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie. Take a drinking glass with a flat bottom and moisten with water. Dip the glass in the sugar mixture, and use it to flatten the dough balls. Re-sugar the glass as needed.

Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes. Remove when the centers of the cookies have set. Let cool on the baking pan for approximately 5 minutes, and then transfer to wire cooling racks to cool completely.

Helpful tools for this recipe:

Cookie Dough Scoop

Parchment Paper Baking Sheet Liners

Heavy Duty Cookie Cooling Racks

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Source: Adapted from Annie's Eats/Recipe Girl/DLYN

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Spicy Bean and Rice Burritos

Posted by: Maggie

I have made this recipe so many times, and have neglected to share it with you for one reason: I cannot take a good photo of it. Beans just aren't pretty, especially when they're all smushed into a tortilla. Don't let this homely burrito fool you though...it's super delicious, and could give Chipotle a run for their money.

One of the best things about this recipe is that it's customizable based on how healthy you want to be. I went to a wedding on Saturday with exceptionally delicious food and cake, and may have had several drinks more than what would be considered reasonable. When you start your day with a Bellini at 9 am, and finally finish it with an Irish coffee at 11 pm, you're going to want something healthy-ish for the following days, and fast. Needless to say, I made some healthy tweaks when I cooked this on Monday.

To somewhat healthify this recipe, I used brown rice instead of white, fat free greek yogurt instead of sour cream, and reduced-fat cheese instead of regular. I did stick with regular flour tortillas though, because whole wheat tortillas make me sad. If anyone knows of a brand that doesn't taste like sandpaper, please enlighten me.

I've said it a million times on here that I'm not crazy about leftovers, but these are definitely an exception.  I have the rest of the burritos all assembled and wrapped in foil in the fridge, ready to heat up for the rest of the week.

P.S. Don't forget that we started a Facebook page! Feel free to "like" us if ya want!

Here's what you'll need:

For the filling:

1 tablespoon canola oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 pepper from a can of chipotles in adobo, minced
1 tablespoon sauce from a can of chipotles in adobo
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Several dashes cayenne pepper
1/3 cup water
1 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups cooked rice (I used brown)
1/4 cup fresh salsa

For serving:

6 burrito-sized tortillas, warmed
8 ounces shredded cheese (I used a reduced-fat Mexican blend, Cheddar or Monterey Jack would also be good!)
Shredded lettuce
4 green onions, chopped
Fat-free Greek yogurt (or sour cream)

Heat canola oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, chili powder, chipotle, adobo sauce, cumin, and cayenne. Cook briefly until fragrant, about 30-60 seconds. Add in drained and rinsed beans, and water. Bring to a simmer, then lower heat to medium-low and cook for 8 minutes, mashing the bean mixture slightly. Remove from heat, and stir in rice and salsa.

Divide mixture evenly among the center of each tortilla. Top with cheese, lettuce, green onions, and greek yogurt. Roll up, and serve!

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Source: Adapted from Cooking Light

Petit Pains au Chocolate

Posted by: Annie

I can't pronounce the name of this dessert. I could awkwardly say "petit pains au chocolate" when I started baking these delicious pastries. But then, I acted like an impatient child and I bit one of these delicious bundles of chocolate in half as soon as it came out of a 400 degree oven, and proceeded to burn every taste bud off my tongue.

So now, I can't really taste anything, let alone say fancy French names. Don't worry though, I will not let my burnt taste buds get in the way of me eating approximately four more pains au chocolate before dinner!

What you will need:

Two sheets puff pastry (1 17.3 ounce package), thawed, and each sheet cut into 12 squares
1 large egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
4 3.5 ounce semisweet chocolate or milk chocolate bars cut into 6, 2 x 3/4 inch pieces
Granulated sugar
Powdered sugar

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Brush each puff pastry square with egg wash. Place a chocolate in a corner, and roll up dough, covering the chocolate. Pinch edges together to seal the chocolate inside. Repeat with the remaining dough and chocolate. Place the prepared pastries on the baking sheet and brush with egg wash. Sprinkle with granulated sugar. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 15 minutes, until golden brown.

Cool on a wire baking rack. Dust lightly with powdered sugar before serving.

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Source: Epicurious