HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

when i started this blog back on july 24th, i asked my sister morgan if she would add my link to her ridiculously popular blog...

'matt,' she said, 'i only have links to craft blogs.'

i guess blood doesn't run thicker than hot glue. but no matter! fall is here and that can only mean one thing: i start making my quickly-becoming-famous pumpkin cookies. i usually make a half dozen batches during the fall and winter months. there's really no better autumnal cookie than this one. cinnamon, pumpkin, nutmeg, chocolate, craberry. so many wonderful flavors! it's thanksgiving in a cookie. so i figured, hey, next batch i make i'll post the recipe, take some pictures, and then maybe my humble little blog will be deemed 'crafty' enough to appear on her glorious blog. so, sis, help a brother out, yeah?

matt's pumpkin cookies
[yields about 56 cookies, depending on size]

1 cup butter, softened [that's two cubes, if you're wondering]
2 cup white sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cup solid pack pumpkin puree
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 package dried cranberries
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg [i usually add a little bit more because i love it]
2 tablespoons orange zest
1 cup chopped walnuts [optional]
1 package butterscotch chips
1 package white chocolate chips
1 package chocolate almond bark [or any other type of melting chocolate]

preheat the oven to 375. cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. add the eggs, vanilla, and pumpkin and mix. it will look a little bit grainy. that's ok. in a separate bowl, sift the dry ingredients together and then gradually mix the wet and dry ingredients together. the finished dough is very gooey. it's supposed to be. i always just use my hands to pull out the dough and drop it on the cookie sheet. if you want to use a tablespoon or anything else, it might be a good idea to have a cup of water nearby you can dip the tablespoon in to keep the dough from sticking. but it's kind of fun to use your hands. when you drop the dough on the cookie sheet [i recommend using a silpat -- it makes life significantly easier], don't shape it, form it, or push it down. just drop it and let it be. bake for 11 minutes.

once the cookies have completely cooled, melt your almond bark or dipping chocolate. i usually put it in a bowl and microwave it for about 45 seconds, take it out, stir it, pop it back in for another 45 seconds. if it's still not all the way melted, just repeat this process until it's melted. i like dip the cookies half way in chocolate. my mom likes to drizzle the chocolate over the top [i think she also likes to use semi-sweet chocolate. use whatever you like best]. once they're dipped, wipe off any excess chocolate on the bottom of the cookie with the lip of the bowl your chocolate's in and place the finished product on a wax paper or aluminum foil. once the chocolate and cooled and hardened, be sure to cover them. they'll stay soft and chewy for days and days and days! seriously, they're soft. it's like eating a pumpkin flavored cloud.

last night i took a bunch to my sister's salon in salt lake city [aerolab salon on 217 e. 300 s -- tell her matt sent you] and they were a hit. they always are. how can you deny the explosion of flavors in your mouth?! you simply cannot. and being a lohrke, it's never enough to just put 'em on a plate. oh, no. cellophane bags and ribbon are curled ribbon are required [i think this kind of stuff is hardwired into my d.n.a.]. i lack my mom's and my sisters' presentation skills [and an office cubicle isn't exactly the best backdrop, but hey], but you can still do something like this:

they make easy, cute, crowd-pleasing gifts! [i tried really hard to do that little trick where the background is blurry. i don't know how morgan does it, but that's my pale imitation.]

i want to come up with a better name than 'matt's pumpkin cookies,' but i've got nothing. if you have a better name, let me know. i will even bake you a batch. scout's honor. well, considering i never made it past 'life,' maybe you shouldn't put too much trust in that. but i will bake a batch of these bad boys to the person who comes up with the best name. i'll even ship stateside.

here's some music to go with the theme:

→ lamb: sweet
→ kevin tihista's red terror: yummy
→ tv on the radio: i was a lover [from the 'return to cookie mountain' l.p.']
→ halloween alaska: you're it