Oatmeal cookies with peanut butter frosting

For the cookies:

1 1/2 cups quick oats


1/2 cup flour


1/2 cup sugar


1/2 cup brown sugar


1/2 teaspoon baking powder


1/2 teaspoon baking soda


1/2 teaspoon salt


1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract


1/2 cup honey roasted peanut butter (you can find it freshly ground at Whole Foods. all it is is honey roasted peanuts ground into peanut butter, which gives it a slightly sweet, roasted honey flavor)

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened


1 egg

For the filling:



1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar


1 cup smooth peanut butter*

Preheat an oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl, mix the oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, mix butter, both sugars, egg, peanut butter, and vanilla. Pour oat mixture into peanut butter mixture, stirring until just mixed. Place rounded teaspoonfuls of batter on an ungreased baking sheet, leaving 2 centimeters between each one. Using your finger, pat dough down so they form small flattened circles. Bake for 8 minutes. Let cool completely on cookie sheet.



While the cookies are baking, whisk together the confectioner’s sugar and peanut butter until light and airy, about 5 minutes.



On a work surface, place half of the cookies upside down. Whisk the filling to lighten it. Dollop 1 tablespoon of filling into the center of each upside down cookie.  Place second cookie on top of filling and press together until filling just comes to the edges.

*do not use natural p.b. for this part- the frosting will come out thick and heavy

Pumpkin Cookies with Browned Butter Icing

Yield: About 4 1/2 - 6 dozen 

(depending on how large you make them)

Ingredients

• 2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup salted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups packed light-brown sugar
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin puree
• 1 recipe Browned Butter Icing, recipe follows
Browned Butter Icing
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 10 Tbsp salted butter, diced into 1 inch pieces
• 1/3 cup half and half

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt, set aside. In the bowl an electric stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment and set on medium speed, whip together butter, light-brown sugar and granulated sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3 - 4 minutes. Add in eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition until combine. Mix in sour cream and vanilla extract, then mix in pumpkin puree. With mixer set on low speed, slowly add dry ingredients and mix until combine (be sure to scrape down bowl throughout entire mixing process).
• Transfer 1 1/2 cups of the cookie dough to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip and pipe 1 1/2-inch rounds onto a Silpat or parchment paper lined cookie sheets, spacing cookies at least 1 inch apart*. Bake in preheated oven about 12 minutes until tops spring back when touched. Allow to cool several minutes on baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack. Cool completely then prepare icing and spread icing over cookies. Store in an airtight container in a single layer in refrigerator and rest at room temperature before serving.
• *Alternately you can drop dough by the tablespoonfuls onto the lined baking sheets (they just won't look as nicely circular). You can make them larger than listed in the recipe (which is what I did after the first batch because the 1 1/2-inch rounds yields pretty small cookies). If you do decide to pipe them bigger just allow a little more space between each cookie.
Browned Butter Icing
• Measure 4 cups of powdered sugar into a mixing bowl, set aside. Brown butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, swirling pan occasionally (butter will melt, after a few minutes it will splatter, then it will foam, then golden brown flecks will begin to appear in the center of the foamy bubbles. This is when you remove it from heat - I wait for for the flecks to expand to about a 1 1/2 to 2-inch circle over the foam then immediately remove). Carefully pour browned butter over powdered sugar in mixing bowl, use a rubber spatula to scrape any excess butter and browned bits from pan. Add half and half and stir mixture until smooth. Spread over cookies, adding additional half and half, about 1 - 2 tsp at a time, to icing mixture to thin as it will thicken as it sits.

Halloween Whoopie Pies

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (spooned and leveled)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup packed light-brown sugar

1 large egg

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup confectioners' sugar

Orange nonpareils or sanding sugar, for decoration

DIRECTIONS

STEP 1
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

STEP 2
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat 1/2 cup butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg; beat until smooth. With mixer on low, alternately add flour mixture and applesauce, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix just until smooth (do not over mix).

STEP 3
Drop dough by heaping tablespoons, 2 inches apart, onto two baking sheets. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cookie comes out clean, 10 to 14 minutes. With a thin metal spatula, immediately transfer cookies to a wire rack; let cool completely.

STEP 4
Meanwhile, make filling: In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat vanilla and remaining 1/2 cup butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add confectioners sugar, beating until smooth.

STEP 5
Spread bottom of half the cookies with 1 tablespoon filling each; sandwich with remaining cookies, pressing gently so filling oozes out slightly. Sprinkle exposed filling with nonpareils. Let rest 15 minutes to set.

Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Kisses

Ingredients:
1 cup Karo syrup (light)
1 cup sugar
2 cups peanut butter
4 cups Rice Krispies
48 Hershey's Chocolate Kisses

Directions:
In a heavy large sauce pan, bring to a boil Karo and sugar; take off the burner.

Add peanut butter and quickly stir until smooth and creamy.

Add Rice Krispies and stir until completed incorporated with the peanut butter mixture.

Quickly spoon mixture onto waxed paper and immediately press a Hershey's chocolate kiss in the center.

Let cool completely not to disturb the Hershey's chocolate kiss before storing in an air tight container.