Pumpkin White Chocolate Cookies

My Dad was a generous host who treated Halloween like a well-orchestrated dinner party. The candy he handed out had to meet a certain standard much like the imported cheese and crackers that he carefully assembled for dinner guests. In southern Illinois, mini candy bars were considered top of the line and a few weeks before Halloween, he and my Mom would drive to a wholesale store to buy them in bulk.  

My Dad would pile bags of the bars into a shopping cart to ensure that every witch, ghost, and goblin that rang the doorbell left with a generous handout. My Mom would tell him to cut back by a bag or two knowing that he cushioned the count to accommodate his sweet tooth. But my Dad would insist that they also take part in the celebration.

On Halloween, my Dad would leave his medical practice early to ensure that the yard was presentable. He brought out the blower to clear leaves from the driveway and the front walk. Afterwards, he would put on a well-pressed shirt, pair of slacks, and a sweater vest to guard against the cold each time he popped open the screen door. Before my parents sat down for an early dinner, my Dad would transfer the bars into wide-mouthed wicker baskets, making it easy to dole them out. He also loaded his camera with film to document the parade of costumed guests.

PUMPKIN WHITE CHOCOLATE COOKIES
 

INGREDIENTS

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 light brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoons cardamom

1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon cloves

3/4 cup pumpkin puree

1 large egg

3/4 cup chopped pecans

2 cups white chocolate, finely chopped

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

Beat the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until well blended. 

Add the vanilla extract, cardamom, cinnamon, ground ginger, and cloves and beat until combined.

Add the pumpkin puree and egg. Beat until well combined.

Add half of the dry mixture and beat until the dry ingredients are just combined. Repeat with the remaining dry ingredients.

Gently fold in the pecans and white chocolate.

Drop teaspoons full of cookie dough two inches apart on a parchment lined cookie sheet.

Bake until edges brown, about 10 to 12 minutes.



   

When I was seven, I received a copy of Cricket’s Cookery from my Uncle Matthew. Inside the front cover, he penned the following directive in a curly-cued script that tangoed across the page:

“To Susan, help your Momie in need. Here is a good cookbook for you. Hope you will make some of the recipes.

Love,
Machayan
Christmas 1977”

Cricket's Cookery turned out to be the perfect gift for a child enthralled by her mom's sorcery in the kitchen and eager to enter its fold. At a half inch thick, it was easier to hold than the culinary tomes that anchored our book shelf. Inside it offered recipes for Roly-Poly Pancakes, Mighty Meatballs, Yum-Yum Stew, and other silly sounding dishes. 

The instructions for many of the recipes were meant to be sung out loud, a bonus for someone already apt to break into song. 

The Rainy Day Popcorn, for example, was to be prepared “…to the tune of Old MacDonald Had a Farm.” 

Its instructions begin like this:

“Put oil and corn into the pot.
E-I-E-I-O!
Cover pot and heat till hot.
E-I-E-I-O!
With a Pop! Pop! here and a Pop! Pop! there.
Here a Pop! There a Pop! Everywhere a Pop! Pop!”

For me, the underlying message was cooking could be loads of fun. 

With my mom's help, I baked Oh, My Darling Sugar Cookies, Sugar Crumb Pies, Apple Doodle, and the other desserts, greasing pans and packing brown sugar along the way. I cracked open eggs and fished out shards of shells from whirly waves of butter, again and again.

Over time, I became the family baker and my mom focused on dishes prepared with palm fulls and pinches versus carefully measured ingredients. 

I have rolled out thousands of cookies and baked hundreds of cakes since unwrapping Cricket's Cookery's beneath a tinsel-laden tree. Its cover is bandaged with scotch tape and its back pages are wrinkled from water spills. Even so, it continues to be one of my most cherished culinary companions.

Spiced Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Makes 12

If you're looking for a delicious holiday dessert, try making these moist, perfectly spiced little cakes! This recipe calls for many of the basic techniques I learned while cooking from Cricket's Cookery. Trader Joe’s carries candied pumpkin seeds, which add a lovely bit of crunch. If you can't track them down, use salted pumpkin seeds instead. 

INGREDIENTS

2 eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup sunflower oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 cup butter
4 ounces cream cheese
2 cups powdered sugar
Candied pumpkin seeds

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place the eggs in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle. Blend until eggs are fluffy. 

Add the pumpkin puree, oil, and vanilla. Blend until thoroughly combined.

Place the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and cloves in a medium bowl.

Spoon half of the dry ingredients into the mixing bowl. Blend until just combined. Repeat with the remaining dry ingredients.

Fill 12 cupcake liners 3/4 way full. 

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Cool completely. 

Place 1 teaspoon vanilla, butter, cream cheese, and powdered sugar in a standing mixer and beat until fluffy. 

Frost cupcakes and top with candied pumpkin seeds.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Susan Pachikara (COPYRIGHT 2011)

When the trees on my street shed their leaves, I go digging for pureed pumpkin. I usually find a can or two stacked near the cannellini beans that I have ignored in my cupboard. But the brisk air and jack-o-laterns scowling from stoops help to refocus my attention. Pumpkin pairs perfectly with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger ,and other warm spices. So I perfume the squash with the aromatics at every chance I get.

Susan Pachikara (COPYRIGHT 2011)

This year, I started my pumpkin marathon with Matt Lewis's recipe for Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Cream-Cheese Filling. It calls for oil, which helps to produce pillow soft cakes. I recommend reducing the cloves to 3/4 of a tablespoon. A whole tablespoon leaves an unpleasant bite. Also, if you can, chill the pumpkin puree before adding it to the batter as it keeps the cakes from spreading when baked.

Susan Pachikara (COPYRIGHT 2011)

I browned (and cooled) the butter for the cream-cheese filling, which adds a warm, nutty flavor.

Susan Pachikara (COPYRIGHT 2011)

Be sure to beat the butter thoroughly, and sift the powdered sugar to keep the filling free of lumps (and bumps). Also, blend in the powdered sugar in several batches.

Susan Pachikara (COPYRIGHT 2011)