Fall Favorites: Apple Butter, Baked Potato, Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

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    Fall is in the air, and nothing gets me in the fall spirit like cooking, especially since we live in California and don’t experience the seasons here like I did when I grew up. So, to help mark the changing seasons for my children, I have a few tried and true recipes that help us “fall” into the mood of the ‘ber months.

    Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

    Fall Favorites
    Fall Favorites, Apple Butter, Baked Potato, Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

    TOTAL TIME: Prep: 30 min. Bake: 10 min./batch + cooling

    YIELD: 4 dozen.

    Ingredients

    1 cup butter, softened

    2/3 cup packed brown sugar

    1/3 cup sugar

    1 large egg

    1 teaspoon vanilla extract

    1 cup canned pumpkin

    2 cups all-purpose flour

    1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

    1 teaspoon baking soda

    1/2 teaspoon salt

    1/4 teaspoon baking powder

    1 cup chopped walnuts

    FROSTING:

    1/4 cup butter, softened

    4 ounces cream cheese, softened

    2 cups confectioners’ sugar

    1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract’

    Directions
    1. Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy in a large bowl. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add pumpkin; mix well. Combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and baking powder; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in walnuts.
    2. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.
    3. In a small bowl, beat the frosting ingredients until light and fluffy. Frost cookies. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

    BBQ Chicken Baked Potatoes

    Fall Favorites, Apple Butter, Baked Potato, Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting
    Fall Favorites, Apple Butter, Baked Potato, Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

    TOTAL TIME: Prep: 15 min. Cook: 6 hours

    YIELD: 10 servings.

    Ingredients

    4-1/2 pounds bone-in chicken breast halves, skin removed

    2 tablespoons garlic powder

    1 large red onion, sliced into thick rings

    1 bottle (18 ounces) honey barbecue sauce

    1 cup Italian salad dressing

    1/2 cup packed brown sugar

    1/2 cup cider vinegar

    1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

    2 tablespoons liquid smoke, optional

    10 medium potatoes, baked

    Optional: Crumbled blue cheese and chopped green onions

    Directions

    1. Place chicken in a greased 5- or 6-qt. slow cooker; sprinkle with garlic powder and top with onion. Combine the barbecue sauce, salad dressing, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and, if desired, liquid smoke; pour over chicken.
    2. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until chicken is tender.
    3. When cool enough to handle, remove chicken from bones, discard bones and onion. Skim fat from cooking juices.
    4. Shred meat with 2 forks and return to slow cooker: heat through. Serve with potatoes, 3/4 cup in each. Top with blue cheese and green onions if desired.

    Apple Butter

    Fall Favorites, Apple Butter, Baked Potato, Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting
    Fall Favorites, Apple Butter, Baked Potato, Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

    TOTAL TIME: Prep: 20 min. Cook: 11 hours

    YIELD: 4 pints.

    Ingredients

    5-1/2 pounds apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped

    4 cups sugar

    2 to 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

    1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

    1/4 teaspoon salt

    Directions

    1. Place apples in a 3-qt. slow cooker. Combine sugar, cinnamon, cloves and salt; pour over apples and mix well. Cover and cook on high for 1 hour.
    2. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook until thickened and dark brown, 9-11 hours, stirring occasionally (stir more frequently as it thickens to prevent sticking).
    3. Uncover and cook on low, 1 hour longer. If desired, stir with a wire whisk until smooth. Spoon into freezer containers, leaving 1/2-in. headspace. Cover and refrigerate or freeze.
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    Tracy is the Director of Programming and Partnerships for Darkness to Light, a child sexual abuse prevention organization. She grew up in northeast Ohio, and has lived in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Arizona, and Northern Virginia and has worked in the arts, in education, in non-profits and in ed tech. Her husband's job brought them to the Bay Area and there's no looking back! Tracy is mom to two trans teens who are just beginning their journey. Self-care includes pedicures, reading, cooking, crafting, and just being with her family. She also serves as Chair of the Board for the Attachment and Trauma Network, a national non-profit.

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