Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

September 23rd officially marks the first day of autumn.  I don't know about you, but I already feel a nip in the air, am noticing the leaves slightly changing colors, and feel our winter coat days are just around the corner!  Soon, we can say "It's Fall Y'all!"  :)

Nothing makes me think of fall more than pumpkins.  I ran across this recipe the other day and decided today was a perfect day to try it out....Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies.  The smell of pumpkin, cinnamon and nutmeg baking in your kitchen will surely get you ready for one of our most beautiful seasons! 

Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Prep Time: 20 minutes     Yields: About 4 dozen
Cook Time: 14 minutes

Ingredients:
      2 & 1/2  cups all-purpose flour
      1 & 1/2 cups quick oats
      1 tsp. baking soda
      3/4 tsp. salt
      1 & 3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
      1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
      1/4 tsp. ground ginger
      1 cup unsalted butter, softened
      1 & 1/3 cups light brown sugar, packed
      2/3 cup granulated sugar
      1 large egg
      1 tsp. vanilla extract
      1 & 1/4 cups canned pumpkin puree
      1 & 3/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

 

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger until it is all well mixed.  Set bowl aside.

 

 

In another mixing bowl, with a hand mixer, mix together the softened butter (my ingredient picture above only shows one stick of butter; however, you will use two sticks), brown sugar and granulated sugar until creamy.  Scrape down the sides of mixing bowl to ensure everything is blended. 

 

 

Next, you will add the egg, vanilla extract, and pumpkin puree.  Blend mixture again.  Now you should have a beautiful orange mixture and your kitchen is smelling like fall is in the air!

 

 

Then, with your mixture on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients and mix until thoroughly combined.  

 

You are almost done making the cookie dough and, in my opinion, have saved the best step for last...time to mix in those wonderful chocolate chips!  I used the miniature ones.  I feel like I can use more of them since they are so small, right?

A beautiful picture, if I may say so myself....a scoopful of yumminess!

 

Let the cookie dough rest for 5-10 minutes.  Then, scoop out 1 tablespoon and drop onto cooking mat (i.e. Silpat) or parchment paper lined baking pan.  This step is optional, but I sprinkled just a few more chocolate chips on top of each cookie to enhance the appearance of the cookie or...let's be honest, 1 and 3/4 cups of chocolate chips isn't quite enough.  Ya know?  :)  Allow about 2 inches between cookies.  

 

Bake for 12-14 mintues.  Then, allow the cookies to cool before transferring to wire rack to cool even more.  These cookies are soft and chewy!  Not your typical hard, crunchy ones.  Just look at them...these call for a big glass of milk!

 

Bon appetit...let's eat!,

 
 





 

 



 

Recipe Source: Cooking Classy

Memaws Sausage Pinwheels

"She is worth far more than rubies." Proverbs 31:10

Meet my grandmother, Ora Lee Hinton McFall, or as we called her, Memaw.  She was a mother to eight children and had twenty one grandchildren.  This picture was at their 50th wedding anniversary.

Being the second youngest grandchild, I may not have the most memories.  But the ones I have are dear and will forever be in my heart.  Here are some simple, yet important things I remember about her...

My Memaw was a lady.  I never saw her in a pair of pants.  She didn't own any, as far as I knew.  Her hair, which was always long until her last years, was always fixed...always this beautiful color...always in place...in a bun.  She never had a drivers license.  My Pepaw drove her everywhere.  When you saw one, you saw the other.  I always thought that was so neat! 

My Memaw was what people call a "good, Southern woman."  She could sew anything and did quilting.  She was a gardener who always had a huge garden.  She was a member of Flatwoods Freewill Baptist Church and loved the Lord. 

My Memaw was special...a kind hearted woman.  She was giving, loving, always smiling and could easily make you laugh.  Memaw wanted you to feel at home and if you had the pleasure of being in her home, you were gonna be fed!  I don't ever remember a time at her house when she did not offer me something to eat!  Her kitchen table was long and rectangular.  She always had a spread on it....morning, noon or night.  When did she ever sleep? :)  She knew my favorite things were a jar of green olives and what I called, "hunk cheese" (aka block cheddar cheese).  She always had them on the table for me. 

Memaw was a cook!  A great cook!  I always think of her cooking sausage pinwheels when I think of her.  I thought they were the coolest things ever!  She made them look so pretty.  I'm sure she didn't create the recipe but I like to think she did.  They were simple but filled with love.  Nobody's will ever taste like hers...and, for that, I'm grateful!

Memaws Sausage Pinwheels

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

        1 lb. sausage

        1 can of Pillsbury Grands biscuits (I used Flaky Layers Butter Tastin'), at room temperature

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Then, simply brown your sausage in a skillet until it is cooked through.

Next, drain your sausage meat.  I think this is an important step.  No one likes greasy sausage or soggy pinwheels.  You may even need to pat the meat dry with a paper towel.  

You will now need some wax paper, a rolling pin and some flour.  Lay down a piece of wax paper and flour it and the rolling pin. 

Now, here is the shortcut my Memaw did.  I'm sure she made them out of homemade biscuit dough occasionally, but as often as she made them, she switched over to already prepared dough.  So, pop open that can of biscuits...(who else holds the can at arms length as if it were a stick of dynamite?) and lay them down side by side.  This is where I made a mistake.  I did not sit out my biscuit can to reach room temperature.  Working with cold dough is like stretching out a rubber band and hoping it will stay! 

Switching things up a bit, I decided to gather my biscuits and form a ball.  From here, I rolled the dough into a thin, rectangular shape.  (Forgive me.  I do not have a photo for that step or the following step but you get the picture...or, do you?) :)

After your dough is a nice, flat rectangle, lay it on a baking sheet.  Spread the browned sausage meat over the dough covering all areas.  There are other variations of these pinwheels such as adding cheese, minced onions, green peppers, cream cheese, etc.  Now is the time when you would need to sprinkle on those additions. 



  

Then, you will start on one of the long sides and roll toward the opposite direction, creating a large log shape.  Wrap your sausage pinwheel log with plastic wrap and put in refrigerator.  I kept mine overnight in the fridge, but if you are cooking them the same day, just put in freezer for about 15 minutes or the fridge for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

The dough will hold and cut better once chilled.  Cut into 1/2 inch slices with a sharp knife, using sawing motions.  You don't want to bear down with a lot of weight.  This will smash the beautiful pinwheel effect you have created!  Place each pinwheel on the ungreased baking sheet.

Bake in a 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.  Your house should smell like a sausage and biscuit.  Or, in this case, my Memaws house!  Enjoy!

 

      Bon appetit...let's eat!,