Pumpkin Cookies -- a no egg recipe!

I think this is the first cookie recipe I've ever made without eggs,

A good friend brought some pumpkin cookies to my house last month, and I've been looking forward to making them ever since. I finally got the recipe from her, I've modified it for out house.. and now we've made them, and are eating them all up. (Be careful, these are addictive!)

PUMPKIN COOIKIES
These are cake-like, delightful, relatively healthy treats.

I'm excited to have found a no-egg recipe, so that tasting before cooking is (finally!) allowed. (A habit that my kids all have).

1/4 c butter
1/4 c shortening
1 c pumpkin
1 c sugar

CREAM those four ingredients in a bowl

Follow with dry ingredients:

2 c of flour
3/4 t vanilla
1 1/2 t cinnamon
1 T brown sugar
1 t baking soda

After well mixed, combine in the raisins and nuts:
1 c raisins
1/4 c chopped nuts


This makes a the perfect autumn afternoon snack!

Baking Time

I must admit, today's kiddie cooking adventure started a few weeks ago with a grocery-store trip.


"Mom, other kids at school have mini chocolate chip muffins"

My reply "oh, we can make miniature muffins". (I categorically don't buy sugar treats at the store. The only baked goods I usually buy are bread and the occasional donuts. )

I took another visit to the grocery store to actually buy mini muffin tins (ironically, grandma gave us some at Easter too).

and, a nice Saturday afternoon with younger siblings sleeping to finally make...

Mini Chocolate Chip Muffins

http://www.mrbreakfast.com/superdisplay.asp?recipeid=239

We halved the recipe, and it was just right to make 18 minis (1 dozen pan, 1 1/2 dozen pan).

Yummmmmm....

Sunday Morning Muffins In the Oven

oatmeal banana applesauce muffins

2 med bananas

2 c oats

1 c flour

1 c brown sugar

4 oz apple sauce

2 eggs

1 T baking powder

1/3 c oil

dash ground cloves

dasg allspice

1/8 tsp nutmeg

Bake at 350F for 15 minutes, makes 18 med. muffins

Now I have "just threw it together" yummy muffins ready to bring to church! 3 1/2 kids dressed... and 45 minutes to get myself put together too!

Edible Activities: Pretzels

Today we made PRETZELS

Since we were unable to buy pretzels at the mall the other week, I had promised my children that "some time" we'd make them "from scratch" "like Grandma did when I was a little".

Today turned into that day!

I went online, and chose a recipe

http://strothotte.com/pretzels.php

There were helpers to assemble the dough.. then we watched a PBS Show while we let the dough rise (in a warm oven so it wouldn't take all day), then we had dough-fun of assembling pretzels, pretzel knots etc. (Oh, and of course, all little helper hands enjoyed nibbling on the dough!)

It turned out "o.k.", next time I'll try a different recipe out there. But, it wasn't as complicated as I thought it would be!