Thursday, October 30, 2008

I heart my KitchenAid mixer

After many years of limping by with a wimpy little mixer, I was very blessed to receive this Kitchen Aid professional mixer for Christmas from my parents last year. I've used it numerous times during the year, but it seems I only had somewhat small batches of things to make.

But wait... here comes the fall! This is the time of heavy-duty usage. Bake sales for school, bake sales at work (we had one this week to raise money for the VisionWalk that it coming up this Saturday), holiday cooking... ah! Cooking and baking heaven!

I gave it quite a workout tonight, making these pumpkin cookies for tomorrow's field day. I made a double-batch, and this thing powered right through it like it was nothing. It was fantastic! I love this thing. Thank you again to my parents for such a great gift.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Did I ever give you my favorite pumpkin cranberry recipe?

Pumpkin Cranberry Cookies
from The Victory Garden Cookbook
makes 36 Cookies

1/2 cup softened butter (or 1/4 cup butter + 3/4 cup flax seed meal)
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1 cup pureed cooked pumpkin (canned or fresh)
2 1/4 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup cranberries
1 tbs grated orange peel
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

1. Cream butter (& flaxseed meal) and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla, egg, and pumpkin.

2. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; beat into the pumpkin mixture.

3. Halve cranberries (or pulse in a food processor), and stir into mixture along with orange peel and nuts.

4. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake in a preheated 375 oven for 10-12
minutes.

Notes: Cookies will brown differently with the flaxseed, and will also have a slightly nutty flavor.
I usually skip the nuts and go for the flaxseed.
Occasionally I have forgotten the orange peel, and it has not made that much of a difference. Instead of sifting, I usually measure everything into a bowl and then use a whisk to aerate the flour. If you don't eat immediately, you might wish to keep in the fridge - they don't keep very long.
You could also substitute chocolate chips for the cranberries.

Anonymous said...

You're so welcome. You really shouldn't have been so surprised as you grew up with one. Even if your incompetent mother was a waste at baking.