Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Source: my aunt, Nikie

Ingredients:
2 cups flour (I upped this to almost 3 cups when I made them most recently - it might have been a bit too much, because they're pretty cakey, but I think more flour helps them not spread too much, so if you want to add more than 2, you can definitely do that)
1 1/3 cups quick or old-fashioned oats (I like to use half and half)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt (I upped this to 3/4 teaspoon because I felt like it needed a bit more)
1 cup butter (I sometimes use half shortening, which also makes the spreading minimized)
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup solid pack pumpkin
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (I usually just use one)
3/4 cup nuts, optional (we like walnuts and pecans)

Directions:
Combine flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg in a medium bowl.  Beat butter and sugars until creamy.  Beat in pumpkin, egg and vanilla until well mixed.  Gradually beat in flour mixture.  Stir in nuts and chocolate chips.  Optional: chill dough for 30 minutes before baking (this helps the cookies "stand up" better (but a bit of extra flour does, too, I've found).  Bake at 350 degrees for 14-16 minutes or until cookies are firm and lightly browned.

They're fluffy and soft and full of the good stuff!

Notes: I love the traditional, fluffy pumpkin chocolate chip cookies when it's fall (and anytime . . . like March, maybe?).  But I also love to switch things up a bit, and this recipe is perfect for that.  There is a little more texture with the oats and nuts to make things interesting.  But there's still the yummy pumpkin and chocolate combo that is so delicious.  Even if "pumpkin season" is long past, give these a try!

Don't let that face fool you - he gobbled it right up!

And she wasn't too busy reading to enjoy her
cookie, too.

Pumpkin Cheesecake with White Chocolate Mousse

Source: my good friend Mel (ha - in my dreams we're friends, anyway)

Our Blanchard Family Thanksgiving Dessert Spread
The Cheesecake is the one in the middle.

Ingredients:
for the crust:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 14 rectangle crackers)
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
8 Tablespoons butter, melted

for the cheesecake:
3 (8 ounces each) packages cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups sour cream
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pinch of cloves
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree (or about 2 cups if using homemade)

for the white chocolate mousse topping:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch ground nutmeg
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 ounces white chocolate, melted

Directions:
For the crust, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir in the melted butter and mix until combined and it looks like wet sand.

Press the crumbs into the bottom and just a bit up the sides of a 10-inch springform pan (I used a 9-incher since that's what I have, but it worked fine; it was just really full and in the end took quite a bit longer to cook the cheesecake - see later for details). Place the springform pan on a foil-lined larger baking pan and bake for about 8 minutes until the crust is just lightly golden and smells fragrant. Remove from the oven and let cool. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F.

For the cheesecake batter, in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or in a bowl with a handheld electric mixer), whip together the cream cheese and sour cream until just combined. Add the cornstarch, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves and mix until incorporated. Mix in the vanilla and pumpkin until just combined.

Spread the batter evenly over the crust and bake (keeping the pan still on the foil-lined baking sheet; helps prevent any leaking butter/batter from dirtying your oven) for 45-60 minutes (because mine was in a 9-inch pan, it took almost an hour and ten minutes and even then it still seemed too jiggly too me so I just turned off the oven and let it sit inside for a while as the oven cooled) until the edges are set and the center slightly jiggles. Let the cheesecake cool completely.

For the white chocolate topping, in a medium bowl, beat the cream and vanilla with an electric mixer (handheld or stand mixer) until soft peaks form. Add the powdered sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and mix until combined and the peaks are slightly stiffer. In a separate bowl, beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Add the white chocolate and mix until smooth and creamy. Fold in the whipped cream, taking care not to deflate the whipped cream, and mix gently with a rubber spatula, lifting and turning the cream, until the mousse is combined and creamy. (Mine never mixed smoothly - when I was done it looked more like whipped cream with a tiny clumps of cream cheese speckled throughout.  So it looked weird, but it tasted great.)

Spread the white chocolate topping on top of the cooled cheesecake. (It was really nice to have the mousse to cover my sunken top on my cheesecake - I tend to mix my cheesecakes too much, so they get too much air and then sink when they come out of the oven.  If you do the same thing, then you don't have to fret because you can just fill in the hole with the mousse!)  Refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours or up to a day.  (I made mine the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.  When it cooled, I covered it in a layer of plastic wrap and then a layer of aluminum foil and then popped it in the freezer.  It traveled to Utah a few days later in the cooler and then lived in the fridge until it was time to eat dessert on Sunday afternoon.) Garnish with a light dusting of freshly grated nutmeg, if desired.

Notes:
If you want a showstopping dessert, especially in the fall when it's pumpkin season, look no further than this awesome cheesecake.  Luckily, it looks way impressive and tastes way impressive, but it does not require major feats of culinary excellence to create it.  Sign me up!  Sure, it takes a little time and a lot of cream cheese, but really it's worth every minute!  One of the greatest things about cheesecake is that it can/should be made a day or two (or more if you want to freeze it) ahead of time, leaving you free to make the rest of your meal on the big day.  Bonus.

Pumpkin Sugar Cookies

Source: The Amazing Mel

Ingredients:
for the cookies:
1/2 cup (2 ounces) powdered sugar
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) butter, softened
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled (I used vegetable oil instead)
1 large egg yolk (I just used the whole egg)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
2 1/2 cups (12 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup granulated sugar (for pressing)

for the icing:
2 cups (8 ounces) powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch ground nutmeg
2-3 tablespoons milk or cream

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat liners.

In a large bowl (or in the bowl of an electric stand mixer), cream together the powdered sugar, granulated sugar and butter with a handheld electric mixer until combined. Slowly drizzle in the coconut oil and mix.  (I thought this was super weird, but it really turned out great.)

Add the egg yolk, vanilla and pumpkin and mix until combined.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves. Add the dry ingredients to the wet batter and mix well.

Scoop 2 tablespoons (this seemed HUGE! when it was a ball, but the cookies weren't too big - I just didn't get nearly as many as she said she did - Mel said it yields 2-3 dozen cookies but I got closer to 1 1/2 dozen) of dough at a time and roll into balls (if the dough seems sticky, refrigerate for 20-30 minutes or lightly grease your hands - I was able to roll them right after mixing). Place the balls on the cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart.

Using a drinking glass with a flat bottom, dip the glass in the 1/2 cup sugar (lightly grease the bottom of the cup the first time to help the sugar stick) and press each cookie to about 1/4-inch thick, dipping the glass in the sugar between each cookie.

Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes.

For the icing, whisk together the powdered sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Slowly add the milk (or cream) and whisk vigorously until smooth. Use more or less cream depending on the consistency you want (the thinner it is, the easier it will set so the cookies can be stacked).

When the cookies are completely cooled, swirl a little icing on top of each cookie.

Notes:
I saw these pop up on Mel's site recently and immediately pinned them (as I am wont to do with any Mel recipe).  My sister Heather told me she made them for Conference and they were a hit with the Elwoods, so I knew I couldn't delay making them myself.  I wanted to make them for one of our October road trips and I ended up making them for our Colorado Springs adventure.  They made a most delicious dessert for Gregg and me, munching them on the big hotel bed while Cal snoozed in her pack 'n' play in the corner.  (Nope, we didn't share.)