Witness and Pumpkin Cookies with Browned Butter Icing

Welcome back to Cookie Bookie week. Be sure to scroll down and check out any cookies or bookies you might have missed.
Just yesterday, I praised the spooky classics, but today I want to tell you about a paperback novel based on an Academy Award winning screenplay that gave me some of the biggest shivers of my lifetime. Six years ago my husband and I were living in Fairport, New York. We had our little Sailor, who was almost two years old, and our six week old baby West. One Saturday evening the wind began to howl and screech and the temperature dropped dramatically. As the shadows fell, a layer of ice began to form on the roads, trees, and power lines. Soon enough, we were without power and heat. It would have made for a cozy evening at home, except that the Quiet Man had a church meeting to attend from 9-11 at night. Death, disease, and a frightened wife would never come become Quiet Man and his integrity. He drove down the icy, black street, leaving me alone with my two babies in a cold, dark house. The wind was wailing at this point and branches on trees were beginning to snap. So, I did what any sensible person would do: I got a couple of flashlights, bundled up my babies in double sets of pajamas, and found a paperback novel to read. I got into bed with one baby on either side of me, and proceeded to read Witness, by William Kelly and Earl W. Wallace. My spine began to tingle almost immediately. Recently widowed Amish woman Rachel Lapp is returning home from a visit to her sister's house in Baltimore. At the railway station, her young son, Samuel is the soul witness to a violent crime. Salty detective John Book is assigned to witness protection, and moves in with Rachel and Samuel in the heart of Amish country. It's a good thing that John Book is there, because very soon Rachael and Samuel will be in very great danger. And you can sense it coming. (I won't give anymore away, but I'll be that many of you have seen the movie, right?) I stayed up the entire night, long past when the Quiet Man slipped home, swallowing the book before the sun came up to reveal a beautiful white wonderland outside, completely encased in shimmering ice. Ooh, I'm getting the shivers just writing about it. I love getting the shivers when I know that I am safe.

And onwards and upwards to today's cookie: Pumpkin Cookies are elevated to ambrosia by a rich and creamy Browned Butter Icing. It's a bit like having your very own little pumpkin cake. As beautiful as they are delicious, they're just perfect for a chilly October night with the lights turned low and a spooky novel to give you the shivers. See you tomorrow with more Cookie Bookie.

Martha's Stewarts Pumpkin Cookies with Browned Butter Frosting

Estimated Cost: $3.00 for 20

6 tablespoons butter, softened

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 egg

3/4 cup solid pack pumpkin

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons evaporated milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 and 1/4 cup plus two tablespoons flour

For the icing:

5 tablespoons butter

2 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup evaporated milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat the oven to 375. Beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, pumpkin, milk and vanilla and mix until well blended. Stir in powder, soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Add flour and stir until just combined. Line two cookie sheets with waxed paper. Using a 1/4 cup measure, pour a little batter onto cookie sheet and nudge it into a circle with the back of a spoon. (Martha recommends piping the dough). You should get about 20 cookies.
Bake both cookie sheets, rotating halfway through, for about 12 minutes, or until cookies spring back. Cool completely. Make browned butter frosting. Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook until butter is golden brown, about three minutes. Add powdered sugar. Stir in evaporated milk and vanilla. Mixture will thicken as it sits, so add more milk as needed. Frost cookies with warm icing. Sprinkle with additional cinnamon, if desired.

Come Back Tomorrow for More Cookie Bookie

Poe's "The Raven" and Maple Pecan Shortbread

Ooh, I loved reading everyone's comments from yesterday. I've got a giant list of spooky books for future reads. Many of my readers claimed to be too faint of heart for scary literature. I myself am a world class chicken, deathly afraid of spiders, monsters, and bad guys. I don't watch any of the slash em' up thrillers that play in today's movie theaters. I will watch some Hitchcock, and the rare PG scary movie. Now, that being said, I love a suspenseful and spooky read; not a murderous blood and guts dime store novel, but a classic book with macabre undertones. I love having the shivers when I know that I'm safe. And my love extends to frightening poetry as well as novels. Which brings me to today's Cookie Bookie read: "The Raven" by Edgar Allen Poe.
This summer, I read a biography on Poe. He was quite an odd duck, just as you might have suspected. He was passionate, morose, and fickle. Once he composed a beautiful love poem for his young wife (a cousin he married when she was all of 13 years old), and over the course of his lifetime, presented it to several different women that he admired. Of course, he was saavy enough to change the name, the lady-killer. But when Poe was writing "The Raven," he knew he was on to something. The poem was years in the writing and editing, but through it all he sensed that his magnum opus would cast a public light on his eerie genius. The poem recounts the midnight visit of a talking raven to a downcast lover, mourning the loss of his beloved Lenore. The lover, provoked by the raven's constant reminder of "Nevermore," sinks to madness by the poem's end. This is Poe at his finest, in superior command of the language, and embracing all of the mysterious themes that earned his reputation for being one of the most disturbing and talented poets of the Romantic era.
Here's the first stanza for you to nibble on.

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
`'Tis some visitor,' I muttered, `tapping at my chamber door -
Only this, and nothing more.'

Every year I vow to memorize "The Raven." I'm lucky if I know the first stanza, but every October, I keep trying.
To read the poem in its entirety, click here.

And now, since we are so civilized as to be reading poetry, I thought I could share a sweet that is equally as elegant. Today's cookie is a buttery maple shortbread studded with bits of pecans. It's just perfect for dunking in a cup of apple tea, by the fire, with a blanket over your knees and a book of poetry on your lap. Get cozy and get reading!
Maple Pecan Shortbread
Estimated Cost: $2.50 for a dozen
1/2 cup softened unsalted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon maple extract or almond extract
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chopped pecans, plus whole pecans for top
beaten egg for brushing tops
Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Stir in maple extract. Add flour and salt to form soft dough. Stir in pecans. Roll out dough on a sheet of waxed paper. Cut cookies into 2 inch circles and place on cookie sheet. Brush tops of cookie lightly with egg and place pecans in the center. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.
Come back tomorrow for more Cookie Bookie

Sherlock Holmes and Allspice Cookies

Welcome to the second day of Cookie Bookie Week. There's a lot going on today-Cookie Bookie and my Tuesday weekly baking club. So let's proceed in order, shall we?

Today's book is The Hound of the Baskervilles, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Did I ever mention how much I adore Sherlock Holmes? I bought the Quiet Man the complete set of Sherlock Holmes for Christmas last year. I also begged my little West to dress as Sherlock Holmes for Halloween; Indiana Jones won out, but West says maybe next year. I'm dying to sew this costume. Maybe I should dress up as Sherl-y Holmes.But the charges do love Sherlock Holmes, thanks to the old radio program cassettes that we regularly check out from our local library. I thought since they were already enamored with the brilliant old gum-shoe, that I ought to read them The Hound of the Baskervilles out loud at bedtime. The first night, I started in with Holmes and Watson considering the reported case of a phantom creature, prowling the grounds of an estate and causing general mayhem and particular murder. These are not good bedtime topics for young charges; even young charges who like Sherlock Holmes will become reticent. Especially if the wind wails outside the window and clatters the blinds. It is my experience that one night of The Hound of the Baskervilles is all that little children will be able to manage. I had to go on alone. It was better that way, because the book becomes truly spooky, suspenseful, even thrilling. But don't take my word for it; find out for yourself.

And now for our cookie, or rather first things first. Today is Tuesdays with Dorie, my weekly baking club. Not to miss out on my assignment, I baked some superlative allspice crumb muffins. They were scrumptious. Please click here for the recipe. But today is NOT muffin-bookie week. That sounds almost obscene. Today is cookie bookie, and I've created an allspice-snap, cousin to the more popular ginger-snap. I have to wonder why I have been ignoring allspice all of these years. It's only been a part-of-the-gang kind of spice, not something I was willing to use on its own. But after I tried the muffins above, I knew I had to give allspice a starring role in a cookie. So ta-da. Here it is. So get reading and baking.

Allspice Snaps

Estimated Cost: $1.50 for 16

Adapted from Didi Emmons

6 tablespoons softened butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar (plus more later)

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1 egg yolk

1/2 teaspoon allspice (plus more later)

pinch of salt

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup all purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Stir in egg yolk. Add allspice, salt, soda, and flour. Form cookie dough into one inch bowls. In a small bowl combine 1/4 cup sugar and 1/8 teaspoon allspice. Roll cookies in sugar mixture. Place on cookie sheet and flatten slightly with hand. Bake at 350 degrees6-8 minutes, or until puffed in the center and crinkled on the edges.

Come back tomorrow for More Cookie Bookie

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde plus Split Personality Cookies

It's Cookie Bookie Week! Come back every day for spooktacular October reading recommendations plus a few of my favorite fall cookie recipes.

Let's start today with The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by one of my favorite authors, Robert Louis Stevenson. It is not my intention to give away the plot of any of the books that I recommend, but I'm guessing you already know that Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are two distinctive personalities inhabiting one body. Mild-mannered Dr. Jekyll, in the interest of progressive science, creates a break-through potion in his London laboratory. Who can test the safety and effectiveness of this new formula? Dr. Jekyll drinks it down. In so doing, he transforms himself into the evil, vicious, violent, rabble-rousing Dr. Hyde. But here's the kicker: Dr. Hyde is just an outward symbol of the evil that lurks in all of us. We think ourselves good, kind, and benevolent, but with a little slip, we could transform ourselves into the inquitious, corrupt and hideous. At least in literature. (And maybe a wee bit in real life too.) Take care dear readers, because if you invite Mr. Hyde for a ride in the car, he will very soon want to be the driver. For Dr. Jekyll, there was no turning back. Lend an hour this October to read this charming novella and be prepared to transport yourself to the inky lamp-lit streets of 18th century London. And now for the cookie (and please ignore my Mr. Hyde-ish cookie sheet)....

Since Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde coinhabit one body, I've rolled two polar cookie personalities into one treat: The Split Personality Cookie. With one side evil chocolate and the other innocent buttery vanilla, it's guaruntee to appeal to both sides of our moral spectrums. It's simpler than it looks; you take a straightforward batch of cookies, split it in half and mix a little cocoa powder into one side and a little extra flour into the other. The result is both angelic and devilish. And you're going to love it.

Split Personality Cookies

Estimated Cost: $5.00

Makes Four Dozen

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 eggs

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups flour, plus 1/2 cup flour, divided use

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 (14 ounce) package M and Ms (divide use)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugars in large bowl. Add vanilla and eggs and mix well. Add soda, powder, and salt. Mix in 2 cups flour. Divide dough into two somewhat equal portions and place in separate bowls(just eyeball it). Stir cocoa powder into one bowl; add remaining 1/2 cup flour into other bowl. Dough should only be slightly sticky, like play-dough, so add more flour by the tablespoon full if needed. Stir in 1 cup of M and MsTake 1/2 inch dough balls of each type and roll them into one cookie dough ball. Repeat process with all cookies. Bake cookies on cookie sheets for about 9-11 minutes. (I like them slightly underbaked.) Poke additional M and Ms into cookies immediately.

And just to show you how it's done, take two balls of dough.... roll them into one..and bake away. You can also bake a couple batches of each separate dough.

Coming Tomorrow:

More Cookie Bookie

Hurry! Make Your Own Instant Oatmeal

It's Saturday morning and I've just finished my weekly grocery shopping. I was capital D-delighted to find that Albertson's had their Quaker oats on sale. It's just $1.50 for a 42 ounce canister. When this happens, I'm like a greedy spider, wrapping my oat-y prey in my silken webs. Evil laughing and wringing of hands ensues...mwah hah hah....
I bought 10 canisters, dear readers, and I'm encouraging all of you who live anywhere near Albertson's to do the same. Besides making cookies, bars, cakes, and meatloaf, I use oats in a more obvious way: Homemade Instant Oatmeal. Making it yourself allows you to choose from an infinite number of flavor options, control the amount of sugar, and most especially save some moolah, during these times that try the soul and the pocketbook. So here's what you do, and please try to find young charges to help you, if possible:

Put some instant oats in the blender and pulverize them into flour.

Put two tablespoons pulverized oats into a snack-size zip top baggie

with 1/4 cup instant oats (unpulverized)

1 tablespoon sugar (brown or granulated)

a pinch of salt

a pinch of cinnamon

and some dried fruits, if you like That's it, folks. You're all done with breakfast. Say good-bye to busy mornings.

Here's the recipe for one baggie:

1/4 cup quick cooking oats

2 tablespoons pulverized quick cooking oats

1 tablespoon sugar (brown or granulated)

pinch of salt and cinnamon

1 tablespoon dried fruit, if desired
Optional: 1 teaspoon powdered milk for added nutrition
To cook, boil 3/4 cup water in microwaveable bowl. Stir in oatmeal. That's it.....but there's more.

Now, a few months ago, I got some products from a food storage company called Shelf Reliance and our instant oatmeal has gone through the roof. I use their instant powdered milk in the oatmeal, just to boost the nutrition and add a little calcium. I've also had a great time with their dried apples, raspberries, blueberries, and most especially their dried pineapple. Toss it into your oatmeal with a sprinkle of coconut for a tropical twist. Check out their line of products; they're great for make your own oatmeal and for so much more.

Use their products to make these instant oatmeal variations:

Add to above master recipe (subbing out spices and fruits)

Fall Apple Oatmeal: A pinch of allspice and dried apple chips.

Hawaiian Sunrise: Dried pineapple, a pinch of ginger

Oatmeal Cookie: Raisins and cinnamon

Nantucket Beach Breakfast: Dried Cranberries and Orange zest

Strawberry Shortcake: powdered vanilla and dried strawberries

Blueberry Hill: Dried banana slices and blueberries with pinch of nutmeg

Mixed Berry: strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries with a pinch of ginger

Stay Tuned:

Next Week is Cookie Bookie Week, starting Monday

Chicken Satay with Red Curry Peanut Sauce with Sweet and Sour Cucumbers

Stay tuned! It's Cookie Bookie all next week.....

When she's here for a visit, my kind little sister (whose nickname is Helper Heidi) insists upon making dinner for my family on the nights I teach at the college. I try to resist, but it's futile with Helper Heidi. Never mind the fact that she just had her fourth child and has her own hands full; if someone has a need, she becomes a super hero, able to leap small buildings in a single bound. If you're not careful, she'll offer to babysit your children, feed you dinner, clean your house, and do your taxes so that you can take a nap. Do you have a helper Heidi in your life? I'd offer to lend you mine, but she's kinda busy for the next couple of decades.

Last time Heidi was visiting, she made the most fantastic chicken curry on one of my school nights (post coming soon). Did I mention she buys her own groceries when she makes dinner for your family, too? She insists upon it, even with threatened with hard kicks on the backside. For her chicken curry, she bought a little bottle of red curry paste, a wee puny bottle that cost almost $4.00. I've always passed it up, too cheap to indulge. But since she left the jar in my fridge, I'm afraid I've become quite enamored with the stuff. As soon as it's gone, I'm running back to the market for more. Even if they raise the price, I'll remain a loyal customer.

I need it for everything now, especially this: Chicken Satay with Red Curry Peanut Sauce and Sweet and Sour Cucumbers. This one is slightly adapted from Family Fun magazine's "Homemade Takeout" section a few months ago. Tender little pieces of chicken, soaked in a slightly spicy coconut marinade, are grilled and served with a curry-licious peanut sauce and zesty cucumbers. Even though satay is traditionally served as an appetizer, I added some jasmine rice to make it a meal. It's absolutely fantastic. Boy am I glad that Helper Heidi left that curry paste in my fridge. But I should be careful what I write. When she finds out how much I like it, she'll probably try to buy me a whole case. And gift wrap it, too.

Money Saving Tips: You can swap out the curry paste for red curry powder, which is also delicious. Be sure to load up on chicken on sale and stock that freezer. You can also swap out whole milk for the coconut milk; it's not quite as tasty but it'll work in a pinch.

Chicken Satay with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Estimated Cost: $7.00 for four servings
1 pound boneless chicken breast
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon red curry paste (or substitute powder)
Wooden skewers, soaked in water for 1 hour
Step 1 For easier slicing, place the meat in the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the coconut milk, brown sugar, soy sauce, cumin, and curry paste in a large bowl and stir well to dissolve the sugar. Step 2 Slice the meat into thin strips about 3/4-inch thick and 3 inches long. Add the meat to the coconut milk marinade and refrigerate covered for at least 2 hours. Step 3 Preheat the broiler or a grill. Thread 1 or 2 pieces of meat onto each skewer. Grill or broil the meat for 4 to 6 minutes per side, or until it's cooked through. (I removed the meat from the skewers and placed it on toothpicks.

Spicy Peanut Sauce
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon red curry paste (or sub 1/2 tablespoon powder), or more to taste
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/4 cup peanut butterIn a wsmall saucepan, combine milk, sugar, curry paste, soy sauce, ginger and garlic. Bring to a simmer and cook for two minutes. Reduce the heat to low and stir in peanut butter. Cook for three more minutes. If peanut butter makes sauce too thick, add more milk or water by the tablespoonfull.

Sweet and Sour Cucumbers

Estimated Cost: $2.00
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 medium cucumbers cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced
generous pinch of red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Step 1 In a small, nonreactive saucepan, bring the vinegar, sugar, and salt to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 2 more minutes, stirring to dissolve the sugar and salt. Step 2 Remove the pan from the heat and let the dressing cool to room temperature. Step 3 Place the cucumbers and chilies in a bowl and mix them with the dressing. Sprinkle the cilantro on top just before serving. Makes 2 2/3 cups.

Up Next

Spicy Green Beans with Pork

Split Level Puddings

Welcome, dear readers, to Tuesdays with Dorie. Today's treat is a split level pudding (recipe here). At first it looks boring, sleepy, and cafeteria-esque. But then you take a bite and there's a surprise underneath. It's a chocolate ganache surprise. Wouldn't it be nice if life always had a little chocolate surprise hiding underneath the mundane? Maybe they should put miniature candy bars in the envelopes with your bills, or pass out M and Ms during traffic jams, or sneak truffles into your gym bag. A little bit of chocolate keeps the doctor away and makes the medicine go down and keeps us together, unless I've somehow mixed up my adages. No matter.

In other news, next week is.... our second annual Cookie Bookie Week here on Prudence Pennywise. Which means that every day next week I'll be recommending a spooky book and delicious cookie for your October enjoyment. Be sure to tune in. Until then...

See you Thursday with yummy chicken satay and red curry peanut sauce.