Pumpkin Cream Cheese Swirl Cookies

 

Tis the season for pumpkin. Every where I look I'm seeing tempting recipes and ideas for pumpkin. I can't wait to try them out. But for now, this is a DELICIOUS repeat from last year. It won't disappoint. I'm making these today.

However, just note that you'll need a few hours for the dough to freeze before you bake. I don't want you doing what I did last weekend and procrastinating and then realizing you don't have enough time!

 

Also, plan on sharing because these are best eaten the same day they're baked. 

Enjoy!

{PUMPKIN CREAM CHEESE SWIRL COOKIES} 

Click here for a printable version.

1 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened

1/2 c. butter, softened

1/2 c. white sugar

3/4 c. packed brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 c. canned solid packed pumpkin

1 egg

Orange and Green food colors, optional

2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

3 c. flour

1 T. pumpkin pie spice*

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 c. powdered sugar

 3 T. flour

Beat together softened butter, white sugar and packed brown sugar. Stir in vanilla, pumpkin, egg and a couple drops orange food color; stir in chocolate chips. Add 3 cups flour, pumpkin pie spice, salt and baking powder; stir until thoroughly mixed. Remove 2/3 cup cookie dough and set aside. Roll remaining cookie dough out between two sheets of lightly floured wax paper or parchment paper into a 12x15x1/4 inch rectangle. Freeze dough while preparing cream cheese filling.

Knead a couple drops green food color into reserved 2/3-cup cookie dough. Roll dough into approximately 36 small marble size balls, freeze until ready to use.

Beat cream cheese until smooth; add powdered sugar and 3 tablespoons of flour; beat until smooth and creamy. Remove cookie dough from freezer; peel off top parchment paper; spread prepared cream cheese over 2/3 the width of the rectangle (keep cream cheese on one side of dough and spread out to both ends). Using the parchment paper to carefully lift, roll cookie into a log, starting on the long cream cheese side (jelly roll fashion with cream cheese in center). Wrap log in parchment, return to freezer for 2-3 hours, preferable overnight (or until stiff).

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray cookie sheet with non-stick spray or line cookie sheet with parchment paper. Remove cookie dough from freezer, remove parchment wrap, cut into 1/4 to 3/8-inch thick slices; place on prepared baking sheet. Place a green marble size piece of dough at the top of each cookie and slightly flatten to form a stem. Bake about 12-13 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool cookies on rack. Makes approximately 3 dozen cookies.

*NOTE: Pumpkin Pie spice may be replaced with mixture of 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ginger, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves.

Witches Brew Party Activity & Drink

Halloween party time is upon us! Are you ready? I have always loved Halloween and Halloween parties. I think it started with my grandparents who would always get a HUGE pile of sawdust and hide candy and money in it. We got to search for our treasures. I always thought that was the greatest.

But I love all Halloween activities, hay rides, pumpkin carving, carnival games, costumes. All of it. My son is really getting into it this year. And much to my dismay started insisting on picking his own costume. How did he already out-grow my picking a "cutsie" costume for him? Ugh, he's barely three and still in diapers for heavens sake! He's insisted on being a motorcycle driver. And honestly, it doesn't get scarier than that for a mother! 

Anyway...back to the Witches Brew. We did this at the family Halloween Party last year. My sister-in-law Angie is AMAZINGLY creative. She came up with this Witches Brew and it was a BIG hit. 

WARNING: You'll want to do this outside because little witches don't have the best aim when contributing to the brew.

We gave each child a mason jar of an ingredient. The older kids had the drink portions. I think we did grape soda and strawberry soda. And we called it things like "bat juice" and "blood." But I was thinking lemon-lime with green food coloring would be fun with the grape also. 

The other jars had things like plastic vampire fangs, rubber rats, spider rings, plastic frogs. You get the idea. Get creative. 

We had some of the drink already in the "witches brew" with some dry ice so it was smoking and bubbling. Then each child got to add their ingredient. Then as we served the drink, we made sure each child got a special "ingredient" in their cup. Their squeals of delight were priceless.

Let me know if you try it and what you do differently! Enjoy!

{WITCHES BREW}

Punch Bowl or Witches Brew bucket

Mason jars

Dry ice

Grape soda - "Bat Juice"

Strawberry soda- "Blood" (or your choice of sodas)

Vampire fangs

Rubber rats

Spider rings

Plastic frogs

Any other Halloween party favor or toy

Frankenbite Cookies

 

I made these little cuties last year and I've been waiting to post them! They were SO quick and easy it's almost a joke. You have to make these for your Halloween parties this year. This is also a really cute way to let your kids help!

After these cooled they were so tasty because the cookies softened from the chocolate coating. They were really a lot more delicious than I expected. I was just going for the cute factor.  But don't worry if they look a little demented and scary. They're FRANKENSTEIN! They're supposed to look monsterous. That's the best part! You can't mess it up.

You can find melting wafers at craft stores like Michaels.

Enjoy!

{FRANKENBITE COOKIES}

print this

1 pkg. sandwich cookies (Oreo type cookies)

1 pkg. green chocolate melting wafers

1 pkg. brown chocolate melting wafers

Chocolate sprinkles

Purple Nerds candies

Honey Nut Cheerios

In separate bowls, melt the chocolate wafers. You can do this with a double boiler, or by nuking them in the microwave. Be sure the stir after every 30 seconds until they are completely melted.

Hold one cookie at a time and dip into the green melted chocolate 3/4's of the way. Set cookies on waxed paper and finish dipping the rest of the cookies in the green chocolate.

As they sit on the wax paper and BEFORE they set up completely, place the Nerd's eyes and Cheerio mouths into the green face portion of the cookie.

Then go back and dip the remaining 1/4 of each cookie in the brown chocolate wafers. Now, your cookie should be completely covered. While the brown chocolate is still wet, dip in a bowl of chocolate sprinkles for hair. Continue with the rest of the cookies.

Allow the chocolate to set up for a couple hours before moving.

What I'm having for dinner, this cold and rainy evening

I know I've been totally lame with posting lately. But don't give up on me! Life sometimes demands that I pay attention to other areas for a while. So, I'm trying to be "good" and prioritize in a different way lately. But hopefully things will balance out soon, and I can get back to normal ole' me. 

My bishop is a wise man, and likes to remind me that life is like a balancing act where you're spinning plates on sticks...kind of like at the circus (of course my life should be compared to a circus!). You know what I'm talking about, right? Sometimes you can get them all spinning perfectly for a maybe a SECOND. And then one starts to fall, so you focus on that one and get it spinning. Meanwhile, another one may be slowing, so you then focus on that one. And so you go, spinning and spinning, and trying to make sure they're all staying on top. Whew, it makes me tired to just to think about it all. But it's worth it. 

So, let's just say I'm spinning some different plates right now, but this DELICIOUS plate will come back into focus soon. 

Today is a rainy and cold day. The kind my husband likes best. So, this is what I'm making for dinner tonight. Maybe you ought to, too! 

You excited to come home, honey?

Enjoy!

BAKED POTATO SOUP

 

ROUND PEASANT BREAD (my fav)