Grilled Mexican Corn

There is an AMAZING side dish of Mexican corn that they serve at Manny's steakhouse!  I have
always wanted to recreate it and decided to seek out some recipes to make it happen!  This recipe makes the perfect side dish to any BBQ meal.  The lime, chili powder and grilled corn make the flavors pop and are a good representation of true Mexican corn. 

Servings: 6
Serving Size: 1/6 of the dish
Points Plus: 4pp
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Grill/Cook Time: 20 minutes 

Ingredients:
6 ears of fresh sweet corn
1/8 cup creme fraiche
2 limes, juiced and zested
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1/4 cup cotija cheese, crumbled (Mexican queso fresco)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
Prep the corn by removing the silk, but keeping the husks on (this is critcal for grilling corn!).  Heat the grill to a high heat.  Grill the corn by constantly turning to get grill char on all sides (about 10 minutes).  Remove the corn cobs and let cool slighty.  Cut off the kernals using a knife.  Heat a skillet on the stove and add the corn kernals, creme fraiche, lime juice, zest from 1 lime, chili powder and salt & pepper.  Add half the cotija cheese and fresh cilantro to the skillet as well; stir to combine.  Cook on the stovetop for about 10 minutes, stiring occaisionaly until the corn takes on a creamy mixture and is heated throughout.  To serve, top the corn with the remaining cheese and cilantro.

XOXO Megan

Peach Breakfast Parfait

Peach week continues with an simple breafast parfait!  All you need is vanilla yogurt, granola and some fresh peaches and you will have breakfast ready in a snap!

Servings: 2
Serving Size: 1 parfait
Points Plus: 4pp
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: n/a

Ingredients:
12 oz. Dannon Light & Fit vanilla yogurt, low-fat
4 oz. Back to Nature Classic granola
1 peach, sliced

Directions:
Wash and slice the peach into thin slices. Begin layering the parfait in a low-ball glass (I found these worked really well so you can make lots of parfait layers!) with 3 oz. vanilla yogurt.  Top with 1 oz. granola and then 3-4 peach slices.  Finish the parfait with another 3 oz. of vanilla yogurt and 1 oz. granola and a few additional peach slices.  Enjoy!

Tip:
Experiment with the serving dishes you have on hand to get a true layered parfait look.  I think ice cream or custard dishes would work really well too and are fancy!

XOXO Megan

Strawberry Basil Sparkling Lemonade

Who doesn't love a light and refreshing summer cocktail? This is a delicious blend of strawberry, basil and lemon flavors. It's hard to resist and only have one!

Servings: 2
Serving Size: 8 oz. cocktail
Points Plus: 4pp
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:
1 cup strawberries, halved
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
8 oz. Simply Lemonade
4 oz. champagne
2 whole strawberries (for garnish)

Directions:
In a food processor, pulse the halved strawberries and basil leaves until finely chopped and combined.  Place ice in two low-ball glasses. Pour 4 oz. lemonade into each glass and top with 2 oz. champagne. Finally, top the drink with  1 1/2 Tbsp. strawberry and basil mixture. Stir to mix well. Garnish the edge of each glass with a sliced strawberry.

Tip:
If you are hosting a party you could easily bulk out this recipe to make a whole pitcher of strawberry basil sparkling lemonade to serve for your guests! Prep the garnished strawberries ahead of time and chill your glasses on a tray in the fridge or freezer to save time.

XOXO Megan

Mini Yogurt Pies

As the days get warmer I am craving a nice cold dessert (I always crave desserts of any kind by the way). This summer dessert is super simple, impressive and the perfect after dinner treat for a hot day.

Servings: 6
Serving Size: 1 mini pie
Points Plus: 4pp
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Freeze Time: Overnight
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients
12 Keebler mini graham cracker crusts
8oz fat free cool whip
2 small containers of fat free yogurt (I used Yoplait Light Raspberry)
Fruit to garnish

Directions
Open your pie tins and set on counter. In a large bowl, mix cool whip and yogurt.  Whisk until combined. Place 1/4 cup yogurt filling into each pie tin. Top each with a berry or piece of fruit. Place in your freezer overnight until set.

Remove from freezer bout 15 minutes before serving.

Tip
Instead of making these cute mini pies you could pour the yogurt mixture into a normal size graham cracker pie crust.  Cut into 8 slices for 5pp each.

XOXO - Katie

Chicken, Bacon, Tomato Salad

Using up leftovers is a good way to get more out of your weekly grocery trip!  (and save $$ so you aren't always having to buy new ingredients for each meal!).  Remember last week's Un-fried Fried Chicken that was perfect for a picnic?  Well here's a recipe for an easy salad for one that helps you use up your leftover chicken!

Servings: 1
Serving Size: 1 entree salad
Points Plus: 4pp
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: n/a

Ingredients:
Mixed greens
1 Un-fried Fried Chicken tender, sliced
1 Roma tomato, diced
1 slice bacon

Directions:
Wash and plate out mixed greens for one entree salad.  Wash and dice the tomato.  Microwave or cook on the stove 1 slice of bacon.  Once the bacon is cooked (and cooled!), chop into small pieces.  Slice 1 leftover Un-fried Fried Chicken tender into slices and place on top of the greens.  Sprinkle the bacon and tomato on top of the salad.  Top with your favorite salad dressing (points plus for dressing not included above) - I chose to drizzle with a little bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

XOXO Megan

Blackberry, Granola, Yogurt Parfaits

I don't know about you, but I am always looking for new breakfast ideas!  I seem to get stuck in a rut and end up eating the same thing for breakfast during the week.  Usually this ends up being a granola bar, which can get pretty boring.  I came up with this really simple idea for a fruit and yogrut parfait!  I served this last weekend when my mom was in town for a quick and easy breakfast on Sunday morning.

Servings: 2
Serving Size: 1 parfait
Points Plus: 4pp
Level of Difficulty: SUPER easy!
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: n/a

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups Chobani Simply 100 Greek yogurt, vanilla flavored
1/2 cup Back to Nature Classic granola
Fresh blackberries

Directions:
Wash the blackberries and gently pat dry with a paper towel.  Portion out the yogurt into two bowls.  Each serving should be 3/4 cup.  Top the yogurt with 1/4 cup of granola and finish with a handful of blackberry.  Enjoy!

Tip:
The options you can substitue into this basic partfait are basically unlimited!  Not a fan of blackberries? Choose blueberries or strawberries instead.  You can really mix things up with a different yogurt flavor!

XOXO Megan

Cauliflower Chowder

I have said it before but I will say it again! It is SO easy to make healthy home made soup.  In many cases, when we are talking veggie soup, your steps are no more than adding a veggie to stock and letting it simmer, adding some spices and DONE!  Ok, ok, maybe there are a few more steps but really it is easy, and very tasty.  This soup is rich and creamy, and next time I will for sure be making a double batch.  You can add any toppings you want (it would be fun to add toppings you would add to baked potato soup) and the leftovers are even better the next day!

Servings: 4
Serving Size: 2 cups
Points Plus: 4pp
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15-20 minutes
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients
4 slices of raw bacon
1 t olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup skim milk
1 head cauliflower, roughly chopped
1 bay leaf
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Possible additional toppings: sour cream, scallions, cheddar cheese (adjust pp)

Instructions
Get out a non-stick pan and cook your bacon until crispy. I got my bacon from the butcher, so it was sort of thick, and I feel like it took FOREVER to get crispy.  So just be patient and let it cook up! When the bacon IS crisped up, remove it from the pan and cut into tiny pieces. (a NS pan works better for frying bacon for me than my Dutch oven)

In your Dutch oven heat 1 t of olive oil. Add garlic, onion, celery and carrots and let cook until veggies are soft, about 3-4 minutes.  Wisk in your flour and incorporate into veggies.  Let heat, about 1 minute.  Stir in your broth and milk and bring the soup to a boil.  Add in your cauliflower and bay leaf and let simmer for about 15 minutes, until cauliflower is cooked through.

When soup is done check it for flavor and add salt + pepper depending on your taste.  I added about 1/8 t of kosher salt and a ton of pepper.  Because the stock I use is salty that was plenty of extra flavoring for me!

Tip
Ummm, how come I have never used pre-shredded carrots in soup before?  Buying the little bag of pre-shredded is perfect for soups and salads!

Recipe adapted from Damn Delicious.

XOXO - Katie

Hungry Girl Crock Pot BBQ Chicken

Ok - for real - we ate this recipe so fast that I forgot to take a picture! It was crazy (crazy good haha).  In a quest to love my crock pot I gave this easy recipe a whirl.   What is easier than dumping a few simple ingredients into a crock and turning it on? You might think to yourself, why not just put the chicken into my crock with store bought BBQ sauce, that would be easier? Well people, home made is always better and I could for sure taste the difference in this sauce vs. a store bought! This chicken is delish on a bun, on a salad or just on a plate!

Servings: 6
Servings Size: 1/2 cup
Points Plus: 4pp
Prep Time: 3 minutes
Cook Time: 3-4 hours on high or 7-8 hours on low
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Photo from www.hungrygirl.com

Ingredient List:
3 chicken breasts
1 cup canned marinara sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
2 tsp. garlic powder

Directions:
Put all ingredients except chicken in the crock and give it a stir. Add the chicken and coat with sauce. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 7-8 hours.  When the chicken is done cooking remove it from the crock and shred it using two forks.  Return it to the crock, stir, and serve!

Tip:
This chicken freezes extremely well. It is a long story, but trust me I know ;)

XOXO - Katie

Hawaiian Luau Party Skewers

This is a simple appetizer that comes together in a flash!  You will love this combo of ingredients... sweet pineapple paired with salty ham and a hint of dill from the Havarti cheese all together makes for a delicious little bite.

Servings: 10

Serving Size: 2 skewers

Points Plus: 4pp

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: n/a

Ingredient List:

5 slices of deli ham, cut

10 oz. dill Havarti cheese

Fresh pineapplie, cut into 1-inch wedges

Toothpicks

Directions:

Dice the cheese into 1/2 oz. pieces.  Slice the deli ham into 4 pieces and fold each piece into a square so it stacks easily on the skewer.  Assemble each skewer by starting with a pineapple wedege, then a ham slice folded into a square, then topping off with a piece of Havarti.  Arrange on a serving platter and you're all set with an easy appetizer for your party guests!

Tip:

A Hawaiian luau is such a fun themed party to throw!  If you are looking for more recipes to serve at this type of party check out a past favorite from foodlove for delicious (and slightly indulgent) Island Rum Cake! 

XOXO Megan

Tuscan Chicken Soup

Today is the last day of the SOUPER BOWL!  We hope you choose one recipes we posted this week to make for the real live Super Bowl on Sunday. There is nothing better than having a pot of soup simmering on the stove all day long (or in the crock). Click appetizer’s on the right sidebar for a few of foodlove’s favorites, to help really get the party started!

This is one of my favorite restaurant copies – Tuscan Chicken Soup.  Originally from D’Amico & Son’s in MN, this is one of their signature soups.  It is full of veggies and flavors, when I tried it for the first time I knew I had to try and recreate it.  But before I got all creative in the kitchen, I just Googled the recipe, and lo and behold there it was online!  The original person who posted this recipe claims to be the granddaughter of the women who originally started serving it at the restaurant.  I gave it a try and it is really close – and delish.  Half & half is optional in this recipe but I totally recommend it, as it gives your bowl a creamy boost in flavor (and half & half is low in pp in my opinion, when used in moderation.

Servings: 8

Serving Size: 1 cup

Points Plus: 4pp

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: About 45 minutes

Ingredients

1 T. olive oil

1 chicken breast, cut into small pieces

1 medium yellow onion, diced

4 medium carrots, diced

4 stalks of celery, diced

1 zucchini, diced

1 yellow squash, diced

3 cloves fresh garlic, chopped finely

1 t. dried oregano

1t. dried basil

28 oz can crushed tomatoes

4 cups low sodium chicken stock

Kosher salt + ground pepper to taste

1 cups small pasta, small shells, that ‘O’ shaped pasta, pearl couscous…as examples

16 T half & half

Instructions

Get out your large Dutch oven again (we hope after this week you invest in a large, cast iron Dutch oven, because they really do make life easier).  Warm your olive oil and then add the diced carrots to your pan.  Let cook about 4 minutes, and then add onion, celery, zucchini, squash and diced chicken.  Sauté the mixture about 4 more minutes.  Then add garlic and sauté about one minute more. Add chicken stock, tomatoes, basil and oregano. And bring to a boil.  Let soup simmer for 20-30 minutes, and then add pasta. Let soup simmer until pasta is cooked according to package directions.  Next, season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve this soup up, and add 2 T. half & half per bowl.  Enjoy with a glass of bottomless wine, just like you are at D’Amico & Sons!

Tip

We have made this in our household twice.  The first time, I followed the recipe and the second time I sort of added whatever was in the fridge.  Needless to say, the second time the proportions were off, so I recommend following this recipe with the recommended amounts of veggies. 

XOXO - Katie

Crock Pot Bolognese Sauce

You might recognize this photo!  Remember on Monday when I posted about my amazing egg noodles? Well, here is the sauce I served with them. We made both for a dinner party and I am trying to get better at not over committing myself with too many menu items that leave no time to talk with guests. This crock pot sauce was perfect, and really tasty! The recipe is originally from Skinnytaste but I made a few modifications. Get this baby in the crock early, and it is one less thing you need to worry about for dinner. We are also having it tonight as leftovers!

Servings: 20
Serving Size: 1/2 cup
Points Plus: 4pp
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 5-6 hours
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

4 oz bacon, chopped

1 tbsp butter (or olive oil)

1 large white onion, minced

2 celery stalks (about 3/4 cup), minced

2 carrots (about 3/4 cup), minced

2 lb 95% lean ground beef

1/4 cup white wine

2 - 28 oz cans crushed tomatoes 

3 bay leaves

salt and fresh pepper (I used kosher)

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/2 cup half & half cream

Instructions

Saute the bacon in a large dutch oven for about 4 minutes. Add the butter, onion, celery and carrots and cook about 4 more minutes. Add the beef until cooked through. Add the white wine (or chicken stock) and allow to reduce until most of the moisture is gone. Transfer meat mixture into your crock and add the crushed tomatoes, bay leaves and about 1 t. each of salt and pepper. Put on high and cook for about 5 hours. After five hours add the cream and then taste.  I feel like I had to add a lot more salt to this to make the flavors really pop, but I don't know exactly how much. So salt it until it tastes great to you! (remember, I LOVE salt). Finally, add the fresh parsley and serve over your favorite noodles! 

Tip

This sauce is great frozen!  You could also use it as a pizza sauce or lasagna sauce if you are adventurous! 

XOXO Katie

Crock Pot Apple Cider

Merry Christmas! The holidays are a super busy time of year, as we all know!  So I thought today I would post perhaps the simplest recipe of all time, which is also perfect for the holidays AND entertaining.  This cider only calls for three ingredients, and takes under a minutes to make!  Totally perf!  I hope ya'alls had a wonderful holiday! PS: Sorry for the sideways photo :)

Servings: A lot

Serving Size: 1 cup

Points Plus: 4pp

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Prep Time: 1 minute

Cook Time: As long as you want!

Rating: 5 - Excellent!

Ingredients

1 large jug of apple cider

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/4 t. nutmeg

Instructions

Put all ingredients into your crock pot and turn on.  That's all!

Tip

You could totally serve this with cinnamon sticks and sliced apples to add some additional festive flair!

XOXO - Katie

Cranberry Bliss Bars

Happy Christmas Eve! We have been doing a ton of food prep in the last 24 hours at our home, in anticipation of hosting Christmas Eve tonight.  It is really quite remarkable how many different things will come out of our kitchen tonight, I am so excited! I have also had some interested food related epiphanies in the last 24 hours.

1. Um, whoever invented the Pampered Chef garlic peeler is a Genius with a capital 'G'.  This kitchen tool has changed my life.

2. Chorizo tastes bad in soup.

3. Check the price of a lamp rack prior to ordering it from the butcher (more on that tomorrow).

4. And finally, there is a reason Starbucks calls today's recipe BLISS bars.  These bars are Incredible (with a capital 'I'). Skinytaste revamped them to make them WW friendly, and I seriously can't believe how good they are.  They would be a perfect addition to your Christmas Day brunch. 5 STARS!!!!!!

Tip

When I turned the pan upside down to make the bars come out, they didn't!  So, I just frosted them in the pan and then used a spatula to remove them.  Worked pretty darn well if you ask me!

Merry Christmas everyone!  See you tomorrow!

XOXO - Katie

Pesto and Roasted Red Pepper Bundles

This is a quick and easy Christmas appetizer that is so festive with pops of red and green! Throw these little bundles in the oven to serve for your family and friends to tide them over until you serve Christmas dinner.

Servings: 8

Size: 1 bundle

Points Plus: 4pp

Level of Difficultly: Easy

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10-12 minutes

Rating: 4 stars - Very Good

Ingredient List:

1 8 oz. Pillsbury Crescent Dinner Rolls, reduced-fat

1/4 cup basil pesto

1/3 cup roasted red peppers, drained and chopped

1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, reduced-fat

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Unroll the crescent rolls from their packaging.  Spread a 1/2 Tbsp. pesto and 2 tsp. chopped roasted red peppers on the large end of each crescent roll.  Sprinkle each with a bit of mozzarella cheese.  Roll each bundle from the large end to the skinniest end, carefully tucking in the edges to contain the pesto, red peppers and cheese.  Place your bundles on a baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until they turn golden brown.  Serve immediately!

Tip:

Although I have already lightened up this recipe with reduced-fat rolls and cheese, you can cut even more pp by slicing each crescent roll dough in half to create mini bundles!  If you choose to make the smaller version of this recipe, each bundle is only 2pp.

XOXO Megan

FUDGE

FUDGE!  Did you ever know it was so easy to make??  Well, it is – HURRAY! (or not hurray for those of us trying to stay on track with our eating this holiday season) This fudge is the BOMB!  It is so simply, and can be cut into little squares for great portion (control)? It is rich so you don’t need a lot to satisfy your holiday craving.  This recipe was given to me by a dear friend – one who I send all my ridiculous food questions to. And she is always kind enough to answer my ridiculous food questions, and since she gives me amazing recipes such as this one, I always listen to her suggestions J.  She confessed that she found this recipe here. I added a bit of kosher salt (sea salt of flakes would work too) on top of this and I think it really was a tasty addition.  Also – I used a candy thermometer for this – but the timing came out almost exact.  After the sugar mixture is boiling, let it boil for 4 minutes and it is done. 

Servings: 48

Serving Size: 1 small piece*

Points Plus: 4pp

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Level of Difficulty: Medium

Rating: 5 – Excellent!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ingredients

3 cups sugar

3/4 cup butter or margarine

1 small can (5 oz.) evaporated milk (about 2/3 cup) (Do not use sweetened condensed milk.)

3 pkg.  (4 oz. each) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, chopped

1 jar  (7 oz.) JET-PUFFED Marshmallow Crème

1 tsp.  vanilla

Sea or Kosher Salt (optional)

Instructions

Line a 9-inch square pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides. Bring sugar, butter and evaporated milk to full rolling boil in 3-qt. saucepan on medium heat, stirring constantly. Mixture will grow so be sure you use a large enough pan. Cook about 4 min. or until candy thermometer reaches 234°F, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

Add chocolate and marshmallow creme; stir until melted. Add vanilla and mix well.

Pour into prepared pan; spread to cover bottom of pan. Cool completely. Use foil handles to lift fudge from pan before cutting into squares.

Tip

You could top this fudge with a ton of different things. I love the sea salt + chocolate combo but you could use nuts, crushed candy canes or coconut. Adjust pp accordingly if adding additional toppings.

*If anyone would like me to figure out the PP on a larger piece – 1/36 of the pan, please let me know!

XOXO Katie

Spiced Cherry Cheese Ball

This might be my favorite holiday appetizer of all time!!!  Every time I make it people are SO impressed too – it definitely gets awesome reviews!  Check it out and impress your next party guests with this holiday favorite.

I know what you are thinking… a CHEESE BALL is a healthy appetizer??  Well, Katie and I both believe that you can’t completely ignore holiday foods, especially your favorites.  If you do they will continue to call your name from across the room at your holiday party… ‘Eat me… eat me...”!  Instead, we believe it’s important to give in a little, but with moderation!  I’ve slimmed down this original recipe found here with 1/3 less fat cream cheese and reduced-fat cheddar.  Also, serve with veggies for a lower pp option!

Servings:  24

Size:  2 Tbsp. + 5 Ritz crackers

Points Plus: 4pp 

Level of Difficulty:  Easy

Prep Time: 10 minutes (+ 2 hours of time in the fridge)

Cook Time: n/a

Rating: 4 stars – Very Good

  

Ingredient List:

1 8 oz. package cream cheese, 1/3 less fat

1 8 oz. package shredded white cheddar cheese, reduced-fat

½ cup dried cherries, chopped

¼ tsp. pumpkin pie spice

½ cup pecans, finely chopped

Directions:

In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese and shredded cheese until thoroughly combined.  Add in the cherries and pumpkin pie spice. Shape into a ball and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Throw into the fridge and let sit for 2+ hours.  Just before serving, remove the cheese ball from the fridge and roll in pecans.  You might need to gently press the pecans in to make sure they stick.  Serve with crackers.

Tip:

One easy way to cut back on pp value with this app is to serve your cheese ball with veggies instead of crackers!!  This cuts down the serving to be only 2 pp for the cheese spread and 0 pp for the veggies! Cucumber slices and carrot sticks (or carrot chips) would work well since they would provide a firm enough base to spread the cheese onto.

XOXO Megan

Raspberry Almond Bars

These bars are super easy to make and taste delcious!  The raspberry preserves helps you save time instead of making a raspberry sauce from scratch.  You could easily substitute in another fruit preserve instead if you prefer something else - strawberry, blueberry, blackberry etc!

Servings: 16

Size:  1 bar

Points Plus: 4pp

Level of Difficulty:  Easy

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Bake Time:  25-30 minutes

Rating: 5 stars – Excellent

Ingredient List:

1 cup flour

¾ cup oats

½ cup sugar

½ cup butter

½ tsp. almond extract

½ cup red raspberry preserves

1/3 cup almonds, sliced

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°. Lightly grease an 8x8 or 9x9 baking pan.  In a large bowl, mix together the flour, oats and sugar.  Add in the butter and cut with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Stir in the almond extract and mix well.  Reserve about 1 cup of the oat mixture.  Press the remaining mixture into the bottom of the pan, pressing down firmly to bind the crumbs together.  Spread the raspberry preserves over the top to about ½ inch from the edges of the pan.  Mix the sliced almonds with the reserved oat mixture and sprinkle on top of the preserves; press down gently.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.

Tip:

Not everyone owns a pastry blender!  That’s okay, this recipe can still be made without one.  Use a fork instead to cut the butter into the oat/flour/sugar mixture.  You have to keep working at it, but eventually the mixture will turn into crumbs!

XOXO Megan

Frosted Pumpkin Cookies

I have had this recipe saved to my Pinterest dessert board for quite awhile.  It comes from the Parent Pretty blog – check out the original recipe here.  I made a few modifications, most notably, I cut the recipe in half.  I wasn’t ready to have 5 dozen cookies staring me in the face and testing my self-control!  2 and 1/2 dozen seemed like a much more reasonable amount for me to make.

Servings: 2 ½ dozen (or 30) cookies

Size:  1 cookie

Points Plus: 4pp

Level of Difficulty:  Easy

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time:  10-12 minutes per cookie sheet

Rating: 4 stars –  Very good

Ingredient List:

Cookies:

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. ground cinnamon

½ tsp. ground nutmeg

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

½ 15 oz. can pumpkin

2 cups flour

Frosting:

¼ cup butter

¼ cup packed brown sugar

2 or 3 tsp. milk

½ tsp. vanilla

2 to 3 cups powdered sugar (depending on frosting thickness/consistency)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°.  Using a mixer, beat the butter for 30 seconds.  Add in sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg and beat until well combined.  Add the egg and vanilla, mix well.  Next, beat in the pumpkin.  Finally, add in the flour in multiple steps, not all at once.  On an ungreased cookie sheet, drop heaping teaspoons of cookie dough a few inches between each cookie.  Bake for 10-12 minutes.  Cool on a wire cooling rack.

To make the frosting, heat the butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan on the stove.  Make sure the mixture is well combined and smooth.  Transfer the butter/sugar into a bowl, whisk in the 2 tsp. milk and vanilla.  Beat in powdered sugar, add more until frosting is to your desired level of thickness vs. more of a glaze.   You may need to add additional milk to acheive the frosting thickness you prefer as well.  Once the cookies have completely cooled, spread frosting on top.

Tip:

I can't stress enough the importance of waiting until your cookies have cooled before you add the frosting to the tops.  I was impatient and my cookies although started out looking great (see picture above), but I quickly watched my frosting droop and melt off the top and setlle into small pools at the edges of each cookie. :(

XOXO Megan