Soft Frosted Pumpkin Spice Cookies

FB Source: Mike Santos

Ingredients:

Cookies:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

Frosting:

1/2 cup softened butter
1/2 cup softened cream cheese
2-3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup of butter and white sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly.
3. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven.
4. Make frosting: cream butter and cream cheese together. Slowly add powdered sugar and mix with an electric mixer until thick and creamy. Add vanilla and cinnamon.
5. When cookies are cooled- spread frosting on top with an offset spatula.

Yields: 3 Dozen

Banana Bread In a Jar

Source: FB Friends Recipes

Ingredients:

2/3 cup shortening
2 2/3 cups white sugar
4 eggs
2 cups mashed bananas
2/3 cup water
3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves (I used half a teaspoon because I didn't want mine too ‘clovey’.)
2/3 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

You will also need:
12 250 ml canning jars - sterilized
funnel

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease insides of a dozen 250ml canning jars. (I wiped mine down with vegetable oil.)
2. In a large bowl, cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Mash bananas--Beat in eggs, bananas, and water.
3. Sift together flour, baking powder, soda, salt, cinnamon, and cloves.
4. Add to banana mixture and mix well.
5. Add nuts and stir them in with spoon.
6. Insert canning funnel into mouth of jar and pour mixture into greased jars, filling half full. Do NOT put lids on jars for baking. Be careful to keep the rims clean, wiping off any batter that gets on the rims.
7. Place jars directly on rack in oven. Bake for 45 minutes. Don’t worry if a few rise over the top of the jar a bit. You can press it down with the lid after it has finished baking.
8. While jars are still warm, add lids. Screw on tightly.
9. Listen for the ping once you have added the lids; this means that the jar is sealed. If you miss the “ping”, wait until they are completely cool and press on the top of the lid. If it doesn't move at all, it’s sealed.

(adapted from allrecipes.com)

Author's note: If you put a canning lid on them when they first come out of the oven, they seal, and they will stay good for about two months. Make for a great Christmas gift. You can do it with any moist bread or cake....pumpkin bread, carrot cake, and applesauce cake!

(Makes one dozen 250 ml jars)

Pumpkin Crunch Dessert

Carlene MeyersHillbilly Recipes.

Ingredients:
Pumpkin Base:

4 eggs
3 cups (not cans) of canned pumpkin-just plain pumpkin, not the spiced canned pumpkin
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp gound cloves
3 1/3 cups evaporated milk

Other Ingredients:

1 box of white cake mix
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
Whipped topping to serve with

Directions:

1. Mix Pumpkin Base ingredients in order given.
2. Spray 9x13" pan with Pam and pour pumpkin mixture in.
3. Sprinkle cake mix evenly over the top. Drizzle melted butter on top.
   Note: It will spill easily, so be careful when you pick up the dish to put in the oven-I learned this the hard way. 
4. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 50 minutes. Sprinkle walnuts over the top, then bake 10 more minutes, 1 hour total.

Don't forget to serve with whipped topping!!!

Note: when I buy the ingredients for this recipe, 1 large can of pumpkin is enough, and I buy 2 large cans and 1 small can of the evaporated milk.

I don't have a pic of my own, but the pic here is what it looks like. Great at Thankgiving. I'm not a fan of pumpkin pie, but I love this. This is a recipe from my stepmother. 

Snickerdoodle Pumpkin Walnut Bread

Rose Blackledge-Krimminger

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour (or all-purpose flour)
2 cups light brown sugar, packed
1/3 cups granulated sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp cloves
1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree, or just under two cups
1 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts

Streusel Topping:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp butter, I doubled the butter to make it extra-good

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place a rack in the center of the oven. Grease and flour two loaf pans and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flours, sugars, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices.
3. In a medium bowl, carefully whisk together pumpkin puree, oil, honey and water. add walnuts
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and use a spatula to fold all of the ingredients together. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl well, incorporating all the dry ingredients.
5. Divide the dough between the two greased pans and sprinkle with the streusel topping. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven. Let rest in the pans for 15 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack. Delicious served warm with a smear of butter!

Makes 2 loaves

Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie

Not Just a Mom DIY

Ingredients:
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 pinch ground cloves
1 pinch ground nutmeg
1/2 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Blend in eggs one at a time. Remove 1 cup of batter and spread into bottom of crust; set aside.
3. Add pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg to the remaining batter and stir gently until well blended. Carefully spread over the batter in the crust.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until center is almost set.
5. Allow to cool, then refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. Cover with whipped topping before serving.

Stacie says: The picture shows a prepared crust, not the graham cracker crust called for in the recipe. I'm sure that a prepared crust would work just fine. But I don't have any information on how long you would bake the crust prior to adding the filling and baking the entire pie. 

Cream Cheese Filled Pumpkin Cookies

John Hammer

Makes 12-14

Ingredients:
Cookies

3 cups AP Flour
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground cloves
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
15 oz. can of pumpkin
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Filling
8 oz. package of cream cheese, softened
1 stick of unsalted butter, room temperature
16 oz. package of powdered sugar
1 tsp of vanilla extract
a pinch of cinnamon (to taste)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Beat together brown sugar, granulated sugar, oil and pumpkin. Add eggs one at time, mixing well after each addition, followed by the vanilla. In a separate bowl, shift together the dry ingredients. Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. 
3. Using a pastry bag with a round tip, or a big zip top plastic bag with one corner snipped, squeeze out concentric circles of batter, starting from the middle and working outward until the circles are about 2 inches in diameter. Bake for 11 minutes and cool on a rack.
4. While cookies are cooling, beat together cream cheese and butter. Add powdered sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. 
5. Frost flat side of half the cookies and top with another piece.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

John Hammer

Makes 12-14

Ingredients:
Cookies

3 cups AP Flour
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground cloves
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
15 oz. can of pumpkin
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Filling
8 oz. package of cream cheese, softened
1 stick of unsalted butter, room temperature
16 oz. package of powdered sugar
1 tsp of vanilla extract
a pinch of cinnamon (to taste)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Beat together brown sugar, granulated sugar, oil and pumpkin. Add eggs one at time, mixing well after each addition, followed by the vanilla. In a separate bowl, shift together the dry ingredients. Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. 
3. Using a pastry bag with a round tip, or a big zip top plastic bag with one corner snipped, squeeze out concentric circles of batter, starting from the middle and working outward until the circles are about 2 inches in diameter. Bake for 11 minutes and cool on a rack.
4. While cookies are cooling, beat together cream cheese and butter. Add powdered sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. 
5. Frost flat side of half the cookies and top with another piece.

Gluten-Free Sugar-Free Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Tiffany Clarkson

NO FLOUR, NO OIL, NO WHITE SUGAR
Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:
2 Ripe Bananas, Mashed
1/3 C. Natural Peanut Butter
2/3 C. Unsweetened Applesauce
1 Tsp. Vanilla
1/2 Tsp. Cinnamon
Dash of Ground Cloves
Dash of Ground Nutmeg
1 1/2 C. Quick or Old Fashioned Oats
1/4 C. Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
1/4 C. Reduced Fat Unsweetened Shredded Coconut (Optional)
The “optionals” are endless, I've used raisins, craisins & unsalted Peanuts. Mix and Match or single!!!

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
3. Mix together the bananas, peanut butter, applesauce, vanilla, and spices.
4. Add in the oats, chocolate chips,(coconut & nuts if using); stir until well combined.
5. Spoon a rounded Tbsp. of the cookie mixture onto the lined baking sheet, leaving an inch or two between each and flatten slightly.
6. Bake for 20min and allow to cool slightly. If you like a crunchier cookie, bake closer to 30min.

TIPS…
~Check ingredients on your oats to make these Gluten Free, as believe it or not…not all oats are gluten free.
~sugar~free Chocolate Chips if you can find them. I've heard Hershey has some, but I've never looked for them….I know they are out there though!!!

List of Hershey's Gluten Free sites
https://www.google.co.nz/search?sourceid=navclient&aq&oq=hersheys+gluten&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4SKPT_enNZ410NZ410&q=hershey%27s+gluten+free+&gs_l=hp..0.0i10l5.0.0.0.7463...........0.5tHH9quzRAc

Homemade Mosquito & Pest Repellant

Alexis Jonathan Salyers

Homemade Mosquito Repellant
(And free from chemicals that poison the body)

Ingredients:
1/2 litre of rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol
100 gram of whole cloves
100 ml of baby oil or similar (almond, sesame, chamomile, lavender, fennel etc)

Preparation:
Leave cloves to marinate in alcohol four days
Stir every morning and evening
After 4 days add the oil
It's now ready to use.

How to use:
Gently rub a few drops into the skin of the arms and legs.
Observe the mosquitoes fleeing the room.
Repels fleas on pets too.