Tis the Season

I love baking at this time of year and have chanced upon a couple of the most delicious recipes. Try them out!

Pumpkin pie is really the only type of pie that I like, and I really like it. Unfortunately, there was no pumpkin pie at our Thanksgiving, so I had to whip this up a couple of days later to satisfy my craving. It was divine and truly easy.
Pumpkin Pie surprise

Ingredients

• 1 package(15 ounces) ready-to-roll piecrust or homemade piecrust for double-crust pie
• Cream cheese layer:
• 1 package(8 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• Pumpkin layer:
• 1 cup pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
• 3/4 cup evaporated milk
• 1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1-1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon water

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400 F. Fit 1 pie crust into a 9-inch pie plate and crimp edges. Refrigerate until ready to fill. Unroll second crust. Using a 1-inch star cookie cutter, cut out 50 stars; place on baking sheet and refrigerate until ready to use.

2. Cream cheese layer: In a medium-size bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and egg until smooth. Spread evenly into bottom of pie crust.

3. Pumpkin layer: In a large bowl, beat pumpkin puree, milk, brown sugar, eggs, pie spice and salt until smooth. Using a ladle, gently spoon pumpkin mixture over cream cheese mixture.

4. Brush edge of pie with egg-water wash. Overlap pastry stars around edge. Brush stars lightly with egg-water mix. Bake at 400 F for 15 minutes. Cover edges with foil, reduce heat to 350 F and bake for an additional 45 minutes.

5. Cool pie completely on rack. Refrigerate until completely chilled. Before slicing, leave out for 30 minutes.Chocolate Mint Sandwich Cookies
I love mint and chocolate combined. These were a easier than I thought they were going to be and they turned out not only tasting great, but they looked just like the picture in the magazine!

Ingredients:
4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups softened butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
Peppermint cream filling (see below)
(the recipe also called for 2 tsp espresso powder, but we don't consume that, so I omitted it and they still tasted great... do what you'd like)

1. In a large bowl stir flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a very large mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar and beat until combined. Beat in eggs until combined. Beat in as much of the flour mixture as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in remaining flour mixture. Divide dough in half. If necessary, cover and chill for 1 to 2 hours or until dough is easy to handle. (I did refrigerate mine for an hour or so, but probably didn't need to.)
3. Preheat oven to 350. On a lightly floured surface, roll half of the dough at a time until 1/4 inch thick. (dough is really crumbly) Using a 2 1/2 inch round cookie cutter, cut out dough (or use a glass with an opening 2 1/2 inches). Place 1 inch apart on parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes (I did 8 minutes and wouldn't do a second longer) or until the edges are firm. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool. Fill cookies with Pepperming cream filling. Chill for at least 1 hour before serving. Makes 24 sandwich cookies (and it really did make 2 dozen finished sandwiches)

Peppermint Cream Filling:
In a large bowl beat 1 cup softened butter on medium/high speed until fluffy. Add 2 tsp vanilla and 2 teaspoons peppermint extract. Bet in 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar. Beat in 2 tablespoons milk. Beat in another 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar until smooth. Tint with green food coloring. Beat in additional milk as needed to make a spreading consistency.