It’s been a busy fall, as they always are with back-to-school time, our anniversary, Lily’s birthday, Halloween, and getting ready for winter and the holidays. On top of the usual, we went to the weddings of both my brother and Jake’s sister (not to each other) and planned a trip to Disney World (that’s still a secret from the guest of honor). And poor Jake spends every weekend raking leaves, yet there are still more hanging on the trees waiting to fall. And now it’s already started snowing in Pittsburgh. How is winter starting already?!
In October, Lily had what she calls “the best birthday ever.” She turned 4(!) and celebrated in style with a pool party at the local rec center. We invited her whole class thinking that maybe 5 kids would be available, so weren’t we surprised when almost all of them RSVP’d with a yes. And then they all actually showed up! I’ve never been so thankful that we held the party somewhere other than our house. The kids were adorably happy going down the slide and drifting around the lazy river, and Lily loved having them to play with, so it was a great day for everyone.
Now we are hunkering down and getting ready for two Thanksgivings. One here in Pittsburgh (topped off with a trip to the Pitt v. Syracuse football game) and one in Syracuse with Jake’s side of the family. For my own sake at the second Thanksgiving, I hope Pitt fares well at the first! I’m not responsible for cooking the dinner for either celebration, but I’ve still been trying different recipes so that my oven doesn’t get too lonely. I’ll try to get them all posted in the next couple of weeks!
Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies with Maple Glaze
Cookies:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups rolled oats (not instant)
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin purée (not pie filling)
Glaze:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon milk (not nonfat), plus more as needed
2 tablespoons maple syrup
For the cookies:
Heat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
Whisk the flour, oats, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and nutmeg; set aside.
Place the butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Then scrape down the paddle and the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the egg and vanilla, return to medium speed, and beat until incorporated. Scrape down the sides again.
With the mixer on low speed, add half of the reserved flour mixture and mix until just incorporated. Add half of the pumpkin and mix until just incorporated. Repeat with the remaining flour mixture and pumpkin.
Drop eight 1/4 cup dough rounds on the baking sheet, leaving at least 2 inches between them. Place the remaining dough in the refrigerator.
Bake for 12 minutes. Rotate the pans from top to bottom and front to back and continue baking until the cookies are golden brown on the bottom and around the edges. For me it was about 5-7 more minutes, but the original recipe said it can be up to 12.
Let the cookies cool on the sheets for a few minutes and then transfer them to the wire racks to cool completely. Let the baking sheet cool to room temperature and then repeat with the remaining dough (you can use the same parchment paper).
For the glaze:
Whisk all of the ingredients until evenly combined. Drizzle in more milk if it’s too thick. Dip a fork into the glaze and drizzle it over the cookies. Let the cookies sit at room temperature until the glaze has set, about 20 minutes.
Source: Chow
