Pumpkin Cookies...

Here are some recent pumpkins I made. I was inspired by these pumpkin decorated cupcakes. I decided that three small circle cookies made from my sour cream cookie recipe and decorated with my almond frosting would be cute decorated in this same way.
This takes a ton of frosting! :) I should have used my very smallest round cutter. About an inch in diameter would be the right size. And make your frosting very stiff -
use extra powdered sugar. And don't forget to pipe frosting between the cookie layers.

I wrapped them up and shared them with my mom's group small group.
They were cute and yummy! Give it a try in these next few days before Halloween. But maybe plan to make only part of the batch into these and cut the rest with a pumpkin shaped cookie cutter. Otherwise you will need 10 sticks of butter and lots and lots of time. :)

Pretty in Pink: Maraschino Cherry Cake

I made this yummy and pretty pink cake early in the summer but never had a chance to share. This picture was all that was left to photograph by the time I remembered to do it. :)

I was really intrigued by this recipe with it's egg whites and maraschino cherries. It is from "Old-Fashioned Baking Book" by Jim Fobel. I found it at a flea market in Florida about 18 months ago. It was a really fun find. Full of fun recipes that I have yet to try. I need to get to work on that...

The recipe:

2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. granulated sugar
1 T. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
3/4 c. milk
1/4 c. juice from maraschino cherries
1 t. vanilla extract
1/2 t. almond extract
4 T (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 c. vegetable shortening
4 large egg whites
18 maraschino cherries, drained and quartered

Cream Cheese Frosting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease two 8-inch round cake pans (or I used a 9 x 13). Line bottom with waxed paper and then grease the paper (if using rounds, not necessary if you are using a 9 x 13).

In a large bowl stir together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl stir together milk and cherry juice. Add to the flour mixture along with the vanilla, almond, butter and shortening. Beat with an electric mixer just until smooth. Add the egg whites and beat for 3 minutes at medium speed. With a spoon, stir in cherries. Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake about 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely and remove round cake from pans before frosting with Cream Cheese frosting or frost in 9 x 13 pan, if desired.

This is a unique cake - not over the top sweet. Lovely with the cream cheese frosting. When I make it again I will add more cherries. The original recipe calls for walnuts but we are a no nut family so I skipped those and felt like it needed more cherries in the mix. Just my two cents. :)

Enjoy!