Baking Season is Open!

It's the most wonderful time of the year! When I can officially indulge my desire to try all sorts of new recipes. Haven't found the new official holiday cookie yet. Last year was caramel shortbreads. This year I'm feeling really adventurous. Any suggestions would be most welcome.

Here's our first food foray into the holiday season, Halloween cupcakes! Got a great deal on these little knives I've been eyeing since last year. They are not terribly tasty, but not awful either. A bland, crisp little cookie. Made red cupcakes so tasters can really get the full experience. Next time I might try a deep red velvet cupcake with a touch of cinnamon to give it a little 'bite', or does that sound gross?

Hot Update! Sriracha PB Cookies

After some contemplation in a PP, we have completed our first experimental cookie of the season!

We chose Persnickety Plates recipe for Sriracha Peanut Butter Cookies, and, with a few minor changes, it tastes great, with just a little heat on the back end.

The twins pitched in, and not entirely sure Morgan didn't double dip her tiny teaspoon into the baking soda jar while my back was turned. At that point, we’re so close to putting it all in the mixer, I figure a baby teaspoon half full of baking soda can’t really hurt.We take a few minutes to decide between stuffing them into mini muffin tins or rolling into cookie balls.

The M&M guy looks as worried as my testers!

Meanwhile, Morgan's cheeks are bulging with the M&M's she thinks she’s stealing. The recipe calls for 1 cup of chocolate chips. We put in the whole bag of Pumpkin Spice M&Ms. I think we should have bought another bag and added more.

So does Morgan, because now we are out of the M&M's. She wasn't thrilled when I poured the entire bag into the brown blob in the bowl.

"You put them in there? Why?"

"Because it's thier chocolate destiny," I retort.

This gets her thinking.

"Oooh, it’s pretty," Morgan said. "You put my candies in the cookies! You’re the best, mommy."

Jack agreed, mainly because I snuck him a few candies before all the little M&M's were sacrificed.

Then we had clean up. And they both took off. I dragged them back to the kitchen.

“Mommy, look at the mess you made! Clean it up!”

Great.

The result? More peanut butter than Sriracha or chocolate, but a fun Halloween cookie. Hubby's co-workers were spooked by the ingredients, but they were fearless. They ate every last one and requested the recipe.

Pumpkin Season Begins with Dissapoinment & Surprise Find

Those ads for pumpkin spice M&Ms are taunting me. Must have. Must possibly pair with sriracha and peanut butter for a spicy, fall cookie packed with punch. The ingredients sound slightly scary, so maybe a good Halloween cookie?

Found a great recipe at Persnickety Plates that I can't wait to try.

Searched through bags of all the different 'flavors' of M&Ms  at CVS, Walmart and Walgreens. Can not find. The hubby, understanding there will not be rest until the desired item is found, pointed out the Target ad, which mentioned they are an exclusive Target item.

Cool. Off we go, coupons in hand to make the bags less than $2 each. Get the kids in the car, twins want to hold the coupons, split coupons into two piles, hope coupons survive the 5-minute drive. Make it there with nary a tear or tears. Find clearance section, glad I brought the big coupon organizer. Send hubby and kids to toy section for a huge clearance haul that takes 20 minutes matching coupons to canned foods and bags of coffee marked down to nothing.

Gather up the fam and head to the Halloween candy section. We have a tactical plan to get in and out before the kids get high on the scent of sugar wafting from the shiny mounds of candy bags. Hubby points out the M&M's candy corn flavor. What the hell, get those, too. But candy corn? Really? At some point just call them something else because they can barely be called M&M's anymore.

We get home and unload the bags of clearance items (we’ll be eating a lot of free soup this winter). The last bag doesn't have time to hit the kitchen table before somebody rips open a bag, then both flavors. Glad we got a half dozen.

I can barely taste the pumpkin or the spice. Meh. Hubby thinks they are more cinnamon chocolate than anything else. Huffington Post thought they were a dud as well, so we're in good pumpkin critiquing company. Open the candy corn M&M's, expect to be disappointed. Do not buy these. They are too good to keep in the house.

So, I’m off to make some cookies out of these new additions to my overflowing pantry. Must make so I have room for the bags of pumpkin Hershey’s kisses, which I haven’t been able to find, which is fine because I don't have a coupon, yet.

When I do, I plan to make Pass the Sushi's Chai Spice Cookies, which I've had pinned for a year:

And then if our palates aren't pumpkin-saturated, Pescetarian and the Pig have a pumpkin butter stuffed cookie that looks really interesting. Maybe I'll use the candy corn M&M's? Thoughts readers?