Pumpkin Snickerdoodles - Little Pillows of Heavenly Yumminess!

Soft on the inside, and crispy spicy sweet on the outside, these cookies are a delightful Autumn treat. I found the recipe by accident, online. I did make a couple of slight changes because I wanted to and like a bit different spice combination. I would love to take credit for these, but it goes to The Recipe Girl, okay, except for my changes. Mine turned out a little fluffier than hers did, but hey, these look like the old fashioned fluffy Snickerdoodles I'm used to so I love them. She says her yield is 3 dozen, but I got 6. I hope you give them a try!

PUMPKIN SNICKERDOODLES 
 Yield 6 dozen

COOKIES:
1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup pure unsweetened pumpkin puree
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon or nutmeg

ROLLING SUGAR:
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon allspice

1. In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add pumpkin puree and beat well. Mix in egg and vanilla, scraping down sides of the bowl to incorporate all of the ingredients.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and ground cinnamon. Stir flour mixture into liquid mixture a little at a time just until incorporated.
3. Cover dough with plastic and chill at least an hour, or until dough becomes slightly firm.
4. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F.  Mix rolling sugar ingredients in a small bowl.
5. When ready roll about a tablespoon of dough into a ball and roll the balls in the spice sugar and make sure they're coated really well. Place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. If desired, flatten slightly with two fingers.
6. Bake at 350°F. for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Tasty Tuesday - Apple Galette for Two

 There's almost nothing better than a rustic French apple tart or Galette to help usher in the Fall season. I cut the recipe in half because there are only two of us at home now, but if you double it this will serve 10 to 12 people. I started with 1 cup of flour into which I whisked in 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. I then added 5 tablespoons of cold butter cut up, and pinched it into the flour until all large lumps were gone. No photos I know, I had an OOPs! moment there. :-) Then I  took 2 tablespoons of plain yogurt and one of sour cream and stirred those in. I made a ball of dough and flattened it on a sheet of waxed paper and wrapped and put it in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes while I made the filling. First though, I took two layers of tin foil and marked off a 10 inch circle using my springform pan. For a full size Galette you will need at least a 12 to 13 inch circle. Make sure the shiny side is facing down on the foil. Then I brushed on an eight inch circle of butter. The edges of the dough will be folded up over the fruit filling so you don't want it to stick to the foil.

 The filling consists of 2 generous cups of thin apple slices, 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 3-4 tablespoons of brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon apple pie spice and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, 1 heaping tablespoon flour. Gather for later, apple jelly or apricot preserves, ( I used this) and 3 tablespoons graham cracker or plain bread crumbs.

 Combine fruit, sugar, seasonings, nuts and flour and stir well. Now take out your disk of dough and roll it out into a 10 inch circle on your buttered foil with a floured rolling pin.

 Now you are ready to put this together. Whisk a tablespoon of water into an egg, and brush over dough. Now take 1/3 cup jelly or preserves and spread over that. Then sprinkle your crumbs over that and pour filling on top of that, mounding it to stay within an 8 inch area.

 Gently lift the crust edges to fold over the outside of the apple filling. Pinch cracks together and brush crust with egg wash. Sprinkle with a dusting of sugar over the whole thing. Slide the Galette, foil and all, onto a cookie sheet and bake on a lower rack in a preheated oven at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another 25 to 30 minutes, until the apples are done and the crust is golden brown.

 Brush a bit of fruit jelly or preserves over fruit to give it a nice shine.

Whalaa! Apple Galette for Two!  Serve with warm vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Soooo yummy Kent wants this for breakfast tomorrow. Enjoy!

Apple Galette for Two
CRUST
1 cup flour
5 T. cold butter
2 T. sugar
1/2 t. salt
FILLING
2 c. thinly sliced apples
1/4 c. chopped walnuts
3 T. brown sugar
1/4 t. each apple pie spice and nutmeg
1 T. lemon juice

1 egg whisked with 1 T. water
1/2 cup apple jelly or apricot preserves
 3 T. graham cracker or plain bread crumbs