The Season of the Pumpkin is Upon Us

Contrary to the typical calendar year, I begin in Autumn.🍁🍂 It is the season with leaves that whisper secrets I have yet to find of the year ahead.  Pumpkins of weird shapes, strange colours from old orange to green gage, to the faint glowing white represent this time of year - a symbol of beginning again.  And so I find myself drawn to pumpkin patches, pumpkin stands and pumpkin food in celebration. What pairs better with pumpkin than spices turning this odd fruit into something familiar.  And whether used together or separate I cannot seem to get enough of either!

The Autumn air with electric energy smokes by and what seemed out of question comes into question with a fairytalesque beckoning.  Begin breaking away from what you think you should be doing for the whimsy of what you want. This is the season of the pumpkin. It's oddities are the perfect pair for a new beginning that is starting right now. 

Pumpkin Pie Spice Oatmeal Cookies

makes 6-9 large cookies

1 2/3 c (150g) gluten free oats

2/3 c (50 g) oat flour

2/3 c (70g) almond flour

1 tsp baking powder

7 TB maple syrup

4 TB coconut oil, melted

1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

pinch of salt

*2/3 c (80g) raisins optional

Preheat the oven to 400 F/ 200 C/ 180 CFan. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium sized mixing bowl add the oats, oat flour, almond flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice and pinch of salt. Stir to combine making sure to remove any stubborn lumps.  

Next add to the bowl the maple syrup, coconut oil and the vanilla extract. Stir again to combine thoroughly. *Raisins in oatmeal cookies can be a source of contention, but I love them!! If using raisins, now is the time to stir them in (with joy).

With a cookie scoop or a large spoon, scoop out the cookie dough into mounds onto the baking lined baking tray. Bake for 10 mins or until lightly golden brown around the edges. Let the cookies cool for five minutes before removing from the baking tray.

Locations:

The Crimson House

J & L Pickin' Patch 

Midnight Moments

In moments like these I've drank too much tea and the night becomes one endless stream of starlight and moonbeams.

Simple Shortbread

What's inside this darling package? 

Little shortbread moons with shimmery sugar sprinkles. They are classic, sweet and crisp. Perching sweetly on a tea cup or a little platter they are ideal company for afternoon or evening tea. But I have to admit I ate most of my cookies for breakfast! 

The recipe itself is simple, but the rest can be only as complex as you want it to be. I cut out my short bread with a cookie cutter then used a paring knife to make a notch et violà! 

Shortbread Cookies

makes 20-25 cookies

1/4 cup unrefined sugar + 1 tablespoon for sprinkling (62 grams + 12 grams)

1/2 cup of butter, room temperature (120 grams)

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract (2.5 ml)

pinch of salt

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour (150 grams)

Cream the butter and the 1/4 cup (62 grams) sugar together. Next add the vanilla. With a wooden spoon mix in the flour and salt by pouring half in, giving a few stirs, then the remaining bit. Mix until it starts to come together then shape into a ball. On a plastic wrap flatten the ball with the palm of your hand. Wrap and refrigerate for one hour.  Sprinkle a wee amount of flour on a clean counter and sprinkle a rolling pin with flour as well. Roll out to 3/4 cm thick, cut with a cookie cutter (you may need to slip a knife underneath to lift them up and clean up the edges). Prepare a tray with baking paper and bake at 350F/180C for 8-10 mins. Sprinkle immediately with the sugar set aside. Cool slightly on the tray then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

*I made a gluten free version for my friend. The perching moons can be done, but are much more fragile! Instead of all-purpose flour I used 1 1/4 cup of a gluten free blend (rice, potato, tapioca, maize buckwheat) and added 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum. 

P.S. I'm now on Bloglovin

Gatsby and Deco Cookies

I have been dreaming of making these Deco Cookies styled by the Jewels of New York ever since I saw them floating through the world of Pinterest. Here I have used a basic cut-out cookie recipe, but styled it like the Jewels have.  See their works of art here.  I really admire the team at Jewels NY because they not only make the kind of food you want to feast on, but also style it in a way that is elegant - focusing on all the right details.  

All dolled up I hopped on the tube with a plate of these cookies to have with my friend Yvonne before we went to see The Great Gatsby at the Gate Picturehouse of Notting Hill. The theatre made the movie complete with us sitting in velvet chairs in spacious rows with a little mahogany table in between for our popcorn as our eyes were dazzled. ♥

I find that cut-out cookie recipes usually come in huuuge amounts - here's a small batch to make a nice plateful of cookies.  Because I have no geometric cookie cutters I made a template of shapes I wanted and cut around them with a knife.

Decorating Cookies

5 TB of unsalted butter, softened (70 g)

5 TB golden caster sugar (90 g)

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour (150 g) + extra for sprinkling

1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

1/4 teaspoon of salt

Begin by creaming the butter and sugar together in a large bowl.  Add the egg and vanilla until all the wisps are mixed. Stir in the dry ingredients all at once. It may not look at first like there is enough liquid to bind everything together, but keep stirring and it will begin to join. Take care to not overmix. Form the dough into one solid ball and refrigerate for at least one hour. 

Preheat the oven to 350F/180C and prepare a cookie sheet with a layer of baking paper. Sprinkle your counter top generously with flour and roll your dough out overtop it. Cut or carve out your cookie shapes and place on the  sheet with enough room to grow. For small shapes bake for 5 minutes, for large bake 8-10.  Leave on the tray for a minute before removing to cool completely on a wire rack. 

Frosting

1 cup icing sugar (100 g)

2 tablespoons of milk (30 ml)

1 tablespoon of corn syrup/golden syrup (15 ml)

natural food colouring

Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl until the mixture is smooth.  Separate the frosting into pretty little bowls and add a drop or two of food colouring. Do not ice until the cookies are completely cool. Sprinkle lovely things like flowers, bobbles, and poppy seeds while the icing is wet. Paint with gold dust when icing has completely set or else it will crack. 

♥ 

Jammy Houses

Jammy Houses

2 1/2 cups of plain flour (315 g)

pinch of salt

1/2 cup caster sugar (100 g)

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 egg

1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature cut into cubes (230 g)

3/4 cup total of jam such as apricot and strawberry (225 g)

1 house template/cookie cutter

350F/180C/160CFan

1. Mix flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. 2. Make a well in the centre and add vanilla and egg, then dot the outside edges with butter cubes.  3. With clean hands mix together until dough forms. Roll into a ball and refrigerate for at least one hour. 4. On a clean counter, sprinkle some flour and roll out dough to approximately 1 cm thick.  If dough is too sticky sprinkle with more flour until it is easy to work with.  5. Here a cookie cutter is a blessing, but if you don't have one make a house template from baking paper and lay on the dough cutting around the edges with a knife.  6. Lay cut out cookies on a tray with baking paper, and spread a layer of jam over each cookie.  7. Bake for 12-15 minutes and let cool for 5 minutes on a tray or wire rack before sprinkling with sugar (if using).  

Homemade Sprinkles

1/4 cup of sugar (25 g)

food colouring

1. If using two different coloured jams like me divide the sugar into two bowls. For pink sprinkles add 1-2 drops of red food colouring.  2. For orange add 1 drop of red food colouring and two drops of yellow.  3. Mix each bowl separately with a spoon, pressing down on any clumps with the back of a spoon until well blended. 4. Leave to dry.