Jack O’ Lantern Cinnamon Sugar Cookie
This is a fun treat for kids to make for Halloween. It is a giant cinnamon sugar cookie, baked in a pizza pan, and decorated to look like a Jack o Lantern. They are fun to make for a Halloween party, but can also be made by kids at the party. If you get aluminum (disposable) pizza pans, you can have each kid bake and decorate their own cookie to take home. Once the cookie dough is made, it is spread in a pizza pan, then baked. When the cookie is cooled, spread with orange-tinted buttercream and let the kids make a face on it with assorted candies or frosting, tinted different colors.
Jack O Lantern Cinnamon Sugar Cookie
½ c. butter, softened
½ c. packed brown sugar
1/3 c. granulated sugar
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
1 c. flour
2 t. cinnamon
Orange tinted buttercream- recipe follows
Peanuts, M&M’s or candy corn
Beat together butter and sugars until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Stir in flour and cinnamon then press into ungreased 12-13-inch pizza pan. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 15-18 minutes. Remove from oven and cool down before frosting. Use remaining ingredients to make a Jack-o-lantern face on the pumpkin. Makes 12 servings.
Classic Butter Cream
1/3 cup butter
4 1/2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
In a bowl beat butter or margarine until fluffy. Gradually add 2 cups of the confectioners’ sugar, beating well. Slowly beat in the 1/4 milk and vanilla. Slowly beat in remaining sugar. Beat in additional milk, if needed, to make of spreading consistency. Tint with food color, if desired.
Pumpkin Fritters
These tasty fritters would be a fun dessert for Halloween. This is also a great recipe when you have a little cooked pumpkin or winter squash to use up. The recipe only uses a cup of cooked pumpkin or winter squash.
It is a pretty simple recipe. I started with cooked pumpkin puree. I added eggs, flour, baking powder and a few other ingredients, then fried them up in oil, and ended up with a really good fritter. Crispy on the outside, soft and tender on the inside. I drained them on paper towels and then rolled them in cinnamon sugar while still warm. You could also dip them in a powdered sugar glaze. I think I might make a maple glaze for the next batch.
Pumpkin Fritters
1 c. cooked, mashed pumpkin or winter squash
2 eggs
2 T. brown sugar
2 t. baking powder
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 c. flour
oil for frying
cinnamon sugar for rolling- powdered sugar would work, too
In mixing bowl combine all ingredients, except the flour and beat until smooth. Stir in flour. Batter will be thick. Heat oil to 350 degrees.* There should be enough oil in the pan top be at least 1 inch deep- or deeper. To save oil I used a smallish pan and cooked 3-4 fritters at a time. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls into hot oil and cook, turning once until golden brown on both sides. This will take about 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels then roll in cinnamon sugar while warm. Makes 24-30. Best served warm.
* Fun way to know when your oil has hit 350 degrees. Place an un-popped popcorn kernel in the oil. Popcorn pops at 350 degrees.
Homemade Apple Fritters
I love apple season. Besides eating them fresh, I enjoy cooking with apples. One of my favorite apple dishes is apple fritters.
Fritters are similar to doughnuts. Rather than being made from a dough that is rolled and cut, like doughnuts, fritters are made from a batter. The fritter batter is spooned into oil for frying. They are actually very easy to make.
Good fritters are light and airy inside, with a crisp outside. These are very good fritters. These fritters have diced apples and cinnamon in the batter and cook up tender and light. Fritters are good plain, but can be rolled in powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar or drizzled with a powdered sugar glaze.
So enjoy one of my favorite recipes of the season, and make yourself some fritters.
Apple Fritters
2 c. flour
2 T. sugar
2 T. baking powder
1 T. cinnamon
1/2 t. salt
1 c. milk
2 eggs, beaten
2 T. melted butter
1 c. diced apples
oil for frying
Combine dry ingredients and set aside. Mix together milk with the eggs and butter. Stir in dry ingredients until just moistened and add the apples. Heat oil to 375. If using gluten free flour heat oil to 350. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls into the hot oil and fry until golden brown. Don’t do more than 4-5 at a time. It will take about 4 minutes in total but you need to turn them to brown evenly so 2 minute per side. Drain on paper towels. While warm roll in powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar or drizzle with a powdered sugar glaze. Makes about 32.
