Drunken Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

These are not your grandma's snickerdoodles!  Our cocktail twist on an old fashioned favorite: Drunken Pumpkin Snickerdoodles.  You've seen my "Old Fashioned" Snickerdoodles from a few years ago.  This time around, I used the same vintage cocktail flavors and brought them more modern and swingin' with the addition of that fall baking favorite, Pumpkin.  

Jacqueline shared some snickerdoodles with me last week and I loved how her addition of applesauce made them soft and not thin and crumbly like in some snickerdoodle recipes.  The apple was so subtle, but just a nice nuance.  I have wanted to make a pumpkin version of my "old fashioned" snickerdoodles, so the time was right with the cooler temperatures and the age-old hankerin' for the smell of cinnamon and pumpkin in the kitchen.  

These are light and fluffy and almost cakey.  If you like your snickerdoodles more chewy, you can reduce the number of eggs.  There are lots pumpkin snickerdoodle recipes on the Internet that have no eggs and the result is very chewy.  Also, as these have less cream of tartar than more traditional snickerdoodles, they won't have that distinctive taste...Something for which I was down graded on my entry to last year's state fair.  The judges just didn't get my play on words, either, noting the name "Old Fashioned" meaning my twist on cocktail meets cookie.

A combination that's sure to please both young and young at heart...The addition of the pumpkin makes them almost feel 'healthy,' while the addition of the white chocolate chips makes them a bit more elegant. 

Who doesn't enjoy a good oldie but goody, right?

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Carrot Cake Cutie Pies with Spiced Rum

I sometimes have a tough time naming my BIWB creations...This one is no exception.  This recipe if based on a carrot cake whoopie pie recipe in Whoopie Pies.  But then, I changed it.  Added the booze and tweaked the dry ingredients a bit. 

My original recipe adaptation goal being to by-pass the base recipe's instructions to refrigerate the batter for an hour.  Truthfully, I didn't have an hour on my furlough day...

The resultant "cutie pie" is more like a carrot cake cookie than a "traditional" whoopie pie.  These are much more "perky"...Chocked full of flavor with all the spices...Is it a cookie sandwich, a sandwich cookie, a whoopie pie or a carrot cake-what?

Which led me to another discovery during the photo shoot and subsequent sharing of my carrot cake creations...  

I'm sure, if you follow enough food blogs, you know that "props" are all the rage.  We've been counseled to add more props in our photos.  We've been told my photos suck.  At this point, I think I do my best and really focus on the recipe and end results.  If my photos are still too yellow, please excuse me.  Do I sound a bit defensive? 

Sorry, I digress...Back to props...I had purchased some baker's twine years and years ago (pre-blog) and who knew it would be used so much as a prop?  It's typically used to tie-up a stack of cookies or a loaf of bread.  I wanted to use it but couldn't wait for the next cookie post.  So, I tied up my cutie pies!

The results were like little Cutie Pies in Bondage.  The hula girl on the rum bottle doesn't hurt the image either...Definitely a conversation starter...And, a new subtitle...However, and much to my disappointment, I just don't think our media partners would have approved...

Maybe next time...And, yes, 2012 was my year of 50 Shades.

In the future, look for more BIWB in Bondage!  ;-)

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Pomegranate Cosmo Cupcakes



Little pomegranate-bejeweled,
tangy and sweet treats...Smooth.

  If the truth be known, this is my signature cocktail.  No joke, I've made over a hundred of these for friends at Casa de Haertle.  I seriously honed my cocktail shakin' skills on this cocktail combination.  I won't go back to cranberry...Pomegranates are the only way to go, with this cupcake or the cocktail.  And, getting an extra dose of antioxidants in your diet isn't a bad thing either!