Grammy's Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Ingredients

3 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 tlbs cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp cloves

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 can (15 oz) pure pumpkin puree

1 1/2 tsp ginger

2 sticks butter

2 lg eggs

2 cups brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Directions:
In small bowl whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, soda cinnamon, cloves and ginger. Cream butter and brown sugar till creamy 3-4 minutes add Pumpkin , eggs and vanilla til well blended on low speed add dry ingredients. Place heaping tablespoons on cookie sheet 2" apart and bake at 350 for 10-12 min.

Filling
1 stick of butter(do not use margarine)
1 pound of confectionary sugar
3-4 tablespoons of marshmallow
3 oz cream cheese
1/3 cup milk

Cream the butter and cheese till fluffy add sugar and marshmallow with milk. You may not need all the milk.

Raspberry Sorbet

Ingredients:
6 Cups Raspberries (or two bags of frozen berries)
1/4 C plus 2T Water
1 1/4 C Simple Syrup

Blend raspberries and water in food processor until smooth.
Pour through fine mesh strainer, extracting as much liquid as possible.
Discard solids, pour liquid into an airtight container and refrigerate at least 8 hours.
Combine raspberry juice and simple syrup in ice cream maker and stir for 7-12 minutes or until desired consistency.
Transfer to airtight container, freeze for at least 2 hours.

Simple Syrup Recipe:
2 C Sugar
2C Water

Combine sugar and water in saucepan.
Bring to boil over medium-high heat.
Cook and stir until sugar dissolves completely - about 10 minutes.
Transfer to ice bath and stir until well chilled.
Refrigerate until ready to use.

Giada's Apricot Oat Bars

Ingredients

• Vegetable oil cooking spray
• Filling
• 1 (13-ounce) jar apricot jam or preserves (about 1 1/4 cups)
• 8 dried apricots, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces (about 1/3 cup)
• Crust
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 packed cup light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 3/4 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1 cup (4 ounces) coarsely chopped walnuts
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 egg, at room temperature, beaten
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 by 13 by 2-inch metal baking dish with vegetable oil cooking spray. Line the bottom and sides of the pan with parchment paper. Spray the parchment paper with vegetable oil cooking spray and set aside.

Filling: In a small bowl, mix together the jam and the apricots. Set aside.

Crust: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Stir in the oats and walnuts. Add the butter, egg and vanilla and stir until incorporated.

Using a fork or clean fingers, lightly press half of the crust mixture onto the bottom of the prepared pan. Using a spatula, spread the filling over the crust leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edge of the pan. Cover the filling with the remaining crust mixture and gently press to flatten. Bake until light golden, about 30 to 35 minutes. Cool for 1 hour. Cut into bars and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Ginger Molasses Cookies

Makes 30

Ingredients:
12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
¼ cup molasses
1 egg
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon salt
Granulated sugar, for coating cookies

Directions:
In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Cool for 10 minutes or until no longer hot. In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, molasses, and egg. Beat with an electric mixer for about 20 seconds or until well blended.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Using a rubber spatula (or beaters on low speed), stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture until fully blended. Refrigerate the dough for at least 3 hours to firm.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Put granulated sugar in a bowl. Pinch off rounded teaspoon-sized pieces of the dough and roll each into a 1¼-to-1½-inch ball; place them, a few at a time, in the bowl of granulated sugar and toss to coat. Place the balls on the prepared sheet about 3 inches apart.

Bake for 13 to 14 minutes or until the cookies are crackly on top and just barely firm to the touch. Carefully slide the parchment paper (with the cookies on it) off the cookie sheet and onto a wire rack. After about 5 minutes, transfer the cookies to another rack to cool completely. Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Recipe care of: Bakery + Cafe, Boston

More recipes from this Boston Globe Collection

Candy Corn Bark

Ingredients:

14 whole Oreos, broken up. I used the Halloween ones with the orange filling but regular will work fine
1 1/2 C pretzels, broken into pieces. I used the small stick pretzels
1 lb. white chocolate, almond bark or melts found in the bulk food section
1 C candy corn
brown and orange colored sprinkles

Instructions

Cover a large cookie sheet with wax paper. Spread broken cookies, pretzels and about 3/4 C of the candy corn onto the waxed paper. Place white chocolate in a container and microwave for 1 1/2 minutes. Stir and then microwave for another 30 seconds until melted and smooth. White chocolate melts faster and burns easier than chocolate.

Drizzle the melted chocolate over the cookie mixture, spreading with spatula if needed to coat evenly. Sprinkle remaining candy corn and colored sprinkles over the chocolate while it is still wet. Do not let it harden. Place cookie tray into refrigerator until set and firm. Remove and gently break bark into small pieces. Store in air tight container.

Recipe care of Recipe Girl.

Orange Creamsicle Cake

Ingredients
To one box orange cake mix:
Substitute milk for water and add 2 tsp orange extract.

Bake in two 9 in round layer pans.
Slice each layer in half after cooled.

Frosting:
16 oz container cool whip defrosted
1/4 tsp orange extract
16 oz sour cream
2 cups confectioners sugar

Directions:
Mix together. Frost between layers then all over cake. I put frosted layers in fridge for an hour before frosting the top and sides to help set it up. You can also refrigerate the frosting before putting it on the cake in hot weather. Keep refrigerated until serving.

Recipe from Cheri Dauphinee- another huge hit at parties!

Kachnic Krazy Bars

Ingredients:
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup caramel, butterscotch or heath bar chips, or a mix of any
11/2 cups crushed graham crackers
1/2 to 3/4 stick melted butter
1 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Directions:
In an 8 x 10 pan, press down a graham cracker/butter mix as a crust;
Pour in chips to cover crust;
Pour coconut over to cover;
Drip on the can of condensed milk.

Bake in 350 oven for approximately 35 minutes or until coconut is golden brown;

Recipe from Lisa Kachnic ---- Notes- Do not watch football and burn like I did. Can also add nuts or just about anything.

Kim's Homemade Brownies

Ingredients:
4 squares BAKER'S Unsweetened Chocolate
3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter or margarine
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup flour
1 cup coarsely chopped PLANTERS Pecans

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Line 13x9-inch baking pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pan. Grease foil.

MICROWAVE chocolate and butter in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2 min. or until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in sugar. Blend in eggs and vanilla. Add flour and pecans; mix well. Spread into prepared pan.

BAKE 30 to 35 min. or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out with fudgy crumbs. (Do not overbake.) Cool in pan on wire rack. Remove brownies from pan, using foil handles. Cut into squares. Store in tightly covered container at room temperature.

Variations
Prepare as directed, using one of the following options:
Super Chunk Brownies: Stir 1 pkg. (8 squares) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate, coarsely chopped, and 1/2 cup raisins into prepared batter before pouring into prepared pan and baking as directed.

Cake-Like Brownies: Stir in 1/2 cup milk along with the eggs and vanilla, and increase the flour to 1-1/2 cups.

Extra-Thick Brownies: Spread prepared batter into 9-inch square baking pan. Bake 50 min. Cool, then cut into 16 squares. Makes 16 servings, one brownie each.

Extra-Fudgy Brownies: Use 4 eggs.

Kim says: I use the cake like recipe and add 2 teaspoons of instant coffee to the chocolate. I also add choc chips and walnuts 1 cup each.

Recipe from Baker's care of Kim Chelf

Divinity Fudge

Nana's Handwriting

Grammy's Bread Pudding

2 Cups milk
1/4 tsp salt
4 tlbs butter
1 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs
1/2 cups sugar
3 cups cubed bread or 6 slices of bread
1/2 cup raisans

Put Butter and milk in pan and bring to almost a boil take off stove
then in measure cup mix the eggs and the cinnamon sugar and salt then pour in the milk mixture

Put bread and raisans in a 2 1/2 quart cassarole pour mixture over top
put cassarole in a pan of water in the oven

Bake 35 for 45 minutes