Pumpkin Cookies

Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving and a wonderful day with the ones you love! It's been an amazing year as we were blessed with our little boy Sam and I can't even imagine my life without him. He brings us so much joy, happiness and laughter each day! I can't believe he is already 8 months old! We are so thankful to have him in our lives! I recently made these pumpkin cookies as a "thank you" to Sam's daycare workers. They take such great care of him while we work and I wanted to show them our appreciation with a little fall treat! This time of year you can't go wrong with anything pumpkin as far as I'm concerned so I thought pumpkin cookies would be super cute to show our appreciation.

I also packaged up some cookies and took them to the post office! I am a frequent visitor to our local post office and so from time to time I like to say thank you in the form of sweets! They are always so excited and appreciative when I bring them in some cake pops or cookies.

So on this day let's all remember to "slow down" (I know this is extremely hard for me) and spend time with family and remember to say "thanks" and be appreciate for all of the blessings in our life!

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Pumpkin Patch Cake

I having been dying to share this adorable 1st Birthday cake with you all! I absolutely love the idea of a "pumpkin patch" themed cake for a fall birthday. It can't get much cuter than this can it? This cake was so easy to make, as you can see the famous fall "candy pumpkins" are the star of the show! So no need to spend hours making your own fondant pumpkins, just grab a bag of these little candies and you are all set! I used brown fondant to create the fence around the sides of the cake and the sign. Using some green tinted buttercream and the Wilton tip # 233 I piped grass around the base of the cake and around the pumpkin clusters on the top.

Then I made one single cupcake for Finn to enjoy as his smash cake!

Not only is this cake perfect for a fall birthday, but it would be great to accompany your Thanksgiving Feast! You could change up the writing on the sign to say "Give Thanks" or "Happy Thanksgiving" and it would be perfect. You could even make a pumpkin flavored cake with a cream cheese frosting...yum wouldn't that be an amazing end to your turkey dinner. So if you are still looking for a festive fall dessert, give this cake a try and grab the kids to help you decorate. I guarantee they will love scattering the pumpkins all around.

Pumpkin Pecan Chocolate Chip Pie

Only 4 more days until the big turkey feast, are you ready? I can't wait for turkey, potatoes, stuffing, veggies and of course the pies! Thanksgiving may just be my favorite meal of the year! So much delicious food and left overs for days! I am craving some dark meat turkey right about now.

We are heading to Clemson, SC this year to spend the holiday with Randolph's family. I'm excited to head back to my college alma mater. It will be a nice change of scenery for a few days and hopefully the air will be a little more crisp and cool than what we have been experiencing here in Mobile. It just doesn't feel like Fall when the temps are in the high 70s. We are looking forward to taking a trip up to the mountains and checking out the vibrant leaves and getting some fresh apple cider. But before I head out of town I want to leave you all with one last pumpkin recipe.

If you are still finalizing your Thanksgiving menu and looking for that perfect pie recipe, I think I've come up with one that you will enjoy! Take the traditional pumpkin pie to the next level by adding a chocolate chip, pecan and brown sugar topping! Your guests are sure to love a slice of this pie!

Pumpkin Pecan Chocolate Chip Pie

Ingredients:
-3/4 cup sugar
-1/2 tsp salt
-2 tsp cinnamon
-2 large eggs
-1 can (15 oz) Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin
-1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
-1 unbaked 9-inch deep-dish pie shell

Pecan Chocolate Chip Topping

Ingredients: (mix all together and set aside)
-1 cup chopped pecans
-1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chip
-1/4 cup light brown sugar
-2 Tbsp melted butter

• Mix sugar, salt and cinnamon in small bowl.
  
• Beat eggs in large bowl.
• Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture.
• Gradually stir in evaporated milk.
• Pour mixture into pie shell.
• Bake in preheated 425 degree oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees and bake 40 minutes.
• Remove pie from oven and add Pecan Chocolate Chip topping. Bake an additional 10 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.
  
• Cool on wire rack.

What are your plans for Thanksgiving this year? Does your family have a favorite pie?