My Favorite Month (Part Deaux)

Everything is just so exciting to me during this month.  And I can not help myself when I see a cute pan or cooking thing.  I just have to have it.  (And those 40% off coupons that Michael's keeps giving me do not help!!!)

So, after a long day of shopping and baking and a long night of baby sitting my 7-1.2 month old nephew, I am sitting in bed with a glass of wine, a bowl of Cheetos, and my lap top and wishing this sinus infection would just go away already.  So I decided to start posting some of my "Culinary Adventures" from the past two weeks.

Right now I am just going to focus on the baking.  Later (or tomorrow) I might get around to a new little recipe that I "invented" last weekend.  (Which, I might add, was super delicious!)

Let's start with the Halloween Gingerbread Cookies . . .

I headed off to Michael's this morning with my $40% off coupon and found a cookie pan for $9.99.  (Only $6 with the coupon!)

I also picked up some more Sparkle Gel.  I had black and orange that I bought last week to make the ghost cakes, but I grabbed some green and yellow this week.

So then I had to decide what kind of cookies to make.  I eventually settled on gingerbread cookies.  Who doesn't love warm, soft, chewy gingerbread?

Ingredients

• 4 cups flour, divided into 1-1/2 and 2-1/2 cups
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
• 3/4 cup molasses
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Directions

1. Combine 1-1/2 cups of flour with the brown sugar, molasses, eggs, butter, baking soda, salt and spices.
2. Mix together until blended and smooth.
3. Add the remaining flour and mix until the dough becomes stiff.
4. Press a spoonful of dough into the cavities of the cooking pan.
5. Bake for 6-1/2 minutes at 375 degrees. 
6. Let cool on a wire rack.
7. When completely cooled, enhance designs with icing.

With the cookies out of the way, I decided Ii wanted to make some cupcakes in my new silicon molds/cupcake pans.  I bought one that does Jack-O-Lanterns and one that does Oak Leaves and Pumpkins.

I decided to make just a white cake and color it orange with food color.  And what flavor?  Why orange of course!!!

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup shortening
• 1-1/2 cups flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2-1/2 tea spoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1-1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 tablepoon orange extract
• Red & yellow food coloring

Directions

1. Spray the molds with non-stick cooking spray and place on a flat baking sheet (for stability).
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the shortening, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, approximately half of the milk, egg, vanilla extract, and orange extract.
3. Best until well blended.
4. Pour in remaining milk.
5. Beat until smooth.
6. Add red and yellow food coloring and beat until you achieve your desired shade of orange.
7. Pour batter into molds.
8. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.
9. Cakes are done when a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
10. Place on a wire rack and cool completely.
11. Enhance the designs.

I just really wish that it was safe and appropriate to give homemade treats to kids on Halloween.  If it was, like it was when I was a child, I would make these cookies and cupcake and hand them out to the trick-or-treaters.  Oh well,  Until then, my family will have to suffer with eating all this wonderful food.