Pintertest Kitchen:Glazed {Maple} Brown Sugar Pumpkin Cookies

Let's talk.
What are your favorite flavors?
I pretty much am the quintessential white girl who will eat any and all things pumpkin.
Well, except the PSL at Starbucks. I used to love it when it first came out, I feel like the recipe has changed.

Anyway, that's neither here nor there.

What is here are these ingredients:

Whoa, how did that glass of wine get in there...

Alright much better.
Combined, these ingredients make some divine pumpkin cookies.

And let me tell you, I'm pretty picky about pumpkin cookies. I find that most of the time they have a weird cake like texture. With a sticky filmy coating.  Dislike.

These cookies have that same cake like texture, however no filmy business, and instead, are topped with a brown sugar glaze, which make the sticky factor irrelevant.

Speaking of brown sugar, do you have a favorite sugar? Granulated? Confectioners? Sanding?
Mine is brown. Hands down.

And this recipe calls for it in the cookie as well as the glaze.  I knew this would be good.

I also love any excuse to use my cookie scoop.
I consider her my magic wand in the kitchen.

The cookies came out of the oven beautifully, and cooled nicely while the next batch baked.

By the time the last batch was in the oven, I had the glaze simmering.
And here is where the best part comes in - add 1/2-1 tsp of maple extract to the glaze.
TRUST.

I also recommend subbing the vanilla extract in the cookie dough for maple extract.

Pour yourself a tall glass of milk, pile up some of these babies, light your favorite fall candle and enjoy.


Original Recipe by Sarah from Clover Lane:

1 cup butter, room temp

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla maple extract

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

Glaze:

3 TBS butter

1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

1/4 cup milk

1 1/2-2 cups confectioners sugar

1/2-1 tsp maple extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and the sugar together still fluffy.

Blend in pumpkin, egg and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking soda and powder, cinnamon and salt.

Mix flour mixture into the butter/sugar mixture.

Drop tablespoonfulls 3 inches apart on lightly greased cookie sheets.

Bake the cookie for 10-12 minutes until golden around the edges.

Remove warm cookies and transfer to racks.

Let cool completely for at least one half hour, then frost with glaze.

For glaze:

In a medium sauce pan, heat butter and brown sugar over medium heat until bubbly.

Cook, stirring constantly, for one minute or until slightly thickened.

Beat in the milk.

Blend in confectioner's sugar until the glaze is smooth and spreadable.

Keep the sauce pan over the stove on the lowest possible heat to keep from hardening.

I give this recipe 5 gold stars (one for each cookie I ate) and am linking up with Jessica's Pintertest Kitchen!

It's an exciting month to link up, she's got a giveaway going on - check it out! TRUST.

Weekendlies: Puppies & Pumpkins

1. Sugar pumpkins in my tea.
2. Gingerbread >Mint Mojito. At least in terms of iced coffee.
3. She needs to get out more.
4.  Seasonal stump.
5.  Leafy paradise.
6. A still moment.
7. Sup, Sunday.
8. Lap dogs.
9. Puppy infestation.

Linking up with Carissa!

A Day By The Ocean Blue

My good friend Margaret has returned from the Emerald Isle and it just so happened to coincide with my celebration of Mr Columbus getting very, very lost. So we decided to catch up over a Coastal Adventure. Which usually is our go-to catch up adventure when she returns to the bay.

I loaded my green machine sweet bike into the back of my Rav4 (you may call it nerdy but I call it the absolute perfect car for me) and rolled over to Marge's where we loaded her ruby red Schwinn into the back as well. And we were coast bound.

We made the traditional stop at the HMB Coffee Company (and later decided we have never NOT stopped there first. We like tradition).  And cruised down Main St just in time for the announcement of the winners of the World Championship Pumpkin Weigh Off! 

I'm inclined to believe the best things really do grow in Napa as that's where this 1985 pounds of pumpkiny goodness hailed from. I wonder if they water him with wine?! 

After trying to get a few pics of the newest local pumpkin celebrity we had to escape the amateur paparazzi. Kanye would have NOT liked this scene. People were all up in this pump's biz. 

We went back to the car and unloaded our sweet rides and did a little warm up. 

More like Marge warmed up and I snuck a few shots of it.  And we were off. The best way to get your adrenaline pumping is definitely to cross Highway 1 on a bicycle. I'm adventurous when it comes to crossing streets - if the countdown is more than 3 seconds I like to go for it.

Facing a state highway while on a bike? Challenge accepted. 

We crossed and survived and were well on our way to the coastal trail. The same trail my family went to on Father's Day. 

On one side we have the gorgeous hills that separate us from the foggy-ten-months-out-of-the-year coast and on the other side we have the clear-blue-crisp-only-two-months-a-year Pacific Ocean.

Even the ice plant seemed to be changing it's wardrobe for fall. 

Eventually, 5.5 miles later we reached our destination.  And reward: Pumpkin Ale.

We sat outside under the hot October sun, and caught up on all things US and all things Ireland. 

Over fish & chips - the cuisine of the motherland as well as beer & cheese platter - the cuisine of the homeland:

Good news we biked the 5.5 miles back safely. Crossed the highway again safely. A little exhausted, a bit sunburned, and very sweaty. 

We couldn't end a day in Half Moon Bay in October coming home empty handed. 

So we each snagged the biggest pumpkin we could carry. (I think I pulled a muscle) And learned those wheelbarrows and wagons are there for a reason.

Coastal adventure complete!!!

One jack-o-lantern coming right up!

10 on 10: Catober Edition

Starting...the day with a double word score.

Catching... the sunrise reflecting off some clouds.

Changing...the sheets on my guest bed.

Making...my bed is so much more fun now that I have a new quilt.

Driving...to work under the best sky.

Getting...my breakfast together at work.

Switching...out old lip gloss for new lip balm.

Celebrating...Catober with candy for the office.

Having...an iPhone powwow at my desk while our server is being worked on.

Ending...the day with a chilly walk through the neighborhood.

Happy Catober to You All!!

Linking...up with Rebekah!

More Weekending

 1. The Civil Wars seems to be a good soundtrack to autumn.

2. Neighborly palms.

3. Indian Summer afternoon.

4. San Mateo Wine Walk. Check. 

5. Lockdown. Again. 

6. This makes me excited for January.

7. Sup, it's Sunday. 

8. Winston.

9. Sky party shutting it down.

The Weekendlies: Happy Fall, Y'all

Lately I have kinda skimped on the blog posts. 

Summer has turned to fall. This weekend. Officially. And otherwise. 

Friday night, My sister had a fun little dinner to kick it off. I brought the ever elusive Macaron Prosecco, macarons (both birthday gifts from Ellen), pumpkin ale, and three fallen leaves. 

My sis made beef burginon and Sprinkles cupcakes. I want to go to a fall party every weekend.

She also gifted me with pumpkin spice scone mix and the cutest hedgehog measuring cups. Nothing says fall like spending Saturday mornings baking. 

After the scones, Mylie and I got a walk in as a storm started to brew. We made it home just as heavy raindrops began to plop on our heads. I reheated my coffee and we sat under the cover of the front porch and enjoyed the first rain of the season. 

And there was a girls night to the city to see Ben Rector & Tyrone Wells. At the Fillmore. And of course a little dinner and drinks around the corner before the show.

The Fillmore is quite possibly my favorite San Francisco venue. Mostly because there is so much history there. 

Both my parents grew up locally. I love thinking about the bands they saw there. (Or at the Fillmore West which was more their era).

Their equivalent of my Needtobreathe, Mat Kearney, Ben Rector.

I loved exploring the poster wall imagining which ones they were at.

Which, according to my dad was Santana, Paul Butterfield, It's a Beautiful Day,Quicksilver, Jefferson Airplane and more he can't remember.

This week I have been staying at my parents while they explore New England in the fall. Trying hard not to be jealous. 

But in the mean time, Smiles and I are enjoying some gorgeous sunrises and walks with a view. 

Sunday afternoon involved quite a few snuggles with this little miss. I really like her. I am hoping its mutual. 

Smiles and I rounded off the weekend with another afternoon walk. The views aren't too shabby either.

And now the weekend is over, and fall has officially begun. 

Happy Fall, Y'all.