Pumpkin Muffins (with optional cream cheese filling)

Cheap Eat Challenge, Part 2: Watch as our family of 6 eats on less than $10/day.

Because at this time of year, you totally need sugar for breakfast too. Okay, well, probably not. But these are very good. They might have even ousted my favorite, but I'd have to eat them side-by-side to be sure. So add them to your plate of treats and eat them thusly.

Pumpkin Muffins (with an optional cream cheese filling)
adapted from food.com
Makes 24-30
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time 20 minutes
Cost: $2.40 (without cream cheese. That'll cost you another .40 if you can find it on sale--thanks, Aldi)
(flour: .30, eggs: .40, sugar: .35, pumpkin: .99, oil: .20, spices: .16)

3 C all-purpose flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cloves
4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 pinch cardamom (you can skip if you don't have)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
4 eggs
2 C sugar
2 C pumpkin (about a 15 oz can)
1 1/4 C vegetable oil

Optional filling:
3 oz cream cheese, softened
1 tsp sugar
dash pumpkin pie spice

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix all ingredients (besides optional filling) together. Don't you just love instructions like that. They make my holiday bright.

Beat or mix cream cheese. Add sugar. Add spice.

Plop 1/2-1 tsp into center of each muffin and push it down. Yes, you do want to push it down. I thought it'd just sink in during baking, but they kind of just stay there like a great white peak, so push them down so you've got the top of your plop of cream cheese flush with your pumpkin batter.

Note: You don't have to do the cream cheese thing, but I was surprised at how much I liked it. It adds a little something special and takes the edge off any too-sweetness.

Bake muffins at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick (fork, knife, whatever) inserted comes out clean or with a few (very few) moist crumbs.

Allow to cool. These are good warm or cool, but I did favor the cool ones just slightly.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Chewy Chocolate Rice Krispy Treats

Cheap Eat Challenge, Part 2: Watch as our family of 6 eats on less than $10/day.

I love baking cookies at this time of year, but I know--as you surely do as well--that there are times at this time of year when we're expected to show up at a party or our kid's classroom or the church social with something tasty and we're ready to weep or beat ourselves with a mixing spoon or both because we Just. Don't. Have. The. Time. to make anything else or do anything else or spend a whole lot more money.

Enter an old classic. And my mother-in-law. And the marshmallows that have been languishing in my pantry since those winsome late summer roasting days. And chocolate of course. Chocolate always enters in our times of greatest need, right?

These can be made in 2 minutes. Do you understand me? Two. Minutes.

By the time you get where you're going or are done greeting your guests, they'll be set up.

That's pretty good. But they're also amazingly tasty: chewy, soft, and chocolate. My mother-in-law brought a few to give to the kids when she came for Thanksgiving. They were awesome. I've made chocolate Rice Crispy Treats before and they've been good, but these were better. With mine I've always thrown the chocolate in at the end so I end up with some chocolate chunks, or I try to. What I usually end up with are lots of chocolate streaks that make cutting the treats difficult and eating them sometimes kind of difficult too (don't you hate it when they cut your mouth). These are chewy and just plain good while still being delightfully chocolate-y. And did I mention the 2 minute thing.

Oh, and they use a lot less butter because they use melted chocolate instead, which has anti-oxidants, so I'm sure they're like, totally a health food too.

Chocolate Rice Krispy Treats
from my mother-in-law who is also named Jeanie
Makes 8x8 inch pan and can easily be doubled
Prep time: 2 minutes
Set time: 10 minutes
Cost: $1.30
marshmallows: .50, chocolate chips: .45, butter: .05, Rice Krispies--generic: .25)

5 oz or 1/2 bag marshmallows (I used the big ones because that's what I had hanging around
1/2 C chocolate chips
1/2 Tbsp butter
3 C Rice Crispies (I used generic, which worked fine, but--though I hate to admit this--weren't quite as good as the original kind)

Put marshmallows, chocolate, and butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for about 30 seconds or until the marshmallows are poofing their little marshmallow hearts out. So watch them because how they look is more important than how long you go. When they're nice and poofy, take them out and stir the mixture up. If it's all smooth, great. If it needs another 20-30 seconds, put it in the microwave a little longer. Mix until smooth.

Add Rice Krispies and stir until incorporated. Try not to eat it all out of the bowl before you get it to your pan as I may or may not have memories of certain roommates at BYU doing. Hopefully none of them ever runs for public office; what would the media make of such an event? (BYU may not be known for its excessive drinking issues, but I hear they're been fretting over the obsessive Krispie treat consumption. Okay, I don't really hear that. It's not true. But perhaps someone should do something about this risky behavior among today's youth. I'll have to get right on that. Yeah, right on it. Just after I lick off this spoon.)

Ahem, where was I? Oh yes, into the 8x8 inch pan. Press it down. Smear a little butter on your fingers to do this and it will be easier (a lot easier) and you'll have less excuse to lick them off.

Let cool/set and then cut into squares. Arrive on time and not in tears (unless you ate the whole bowl of stuff) to your party.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Linked to Sweets for a Saturday and Fusion Fridays. 

Chocolate Covered Cherry (or Nut or Mint or More Chocolate) Cookies

Cheap Eat Challenge, Part 2: Watch as our family of 6 eats on less than $10/day.

Strange how when you're supposed to make cookies, you're suddenly gripped with the inability to churn any out. At least that's what happened to me. Or maybe it's that Kip's been working and that my kids have been going berserk (Emma has entered the dread 'let's see what will flush down the toilet' stage) and that my house is a big fat ugly mess. At any rate, I've been unable to conjure up the strength to make any cookies at all.

And then today--Kip's first day off since his family has left town, I was suddenly gripped with enough energy (not to clean my house mind you), but to make the fussiest Christmas cookie in my repertoire. Oh, it's not that fussy, don't worry. I'm not that kind of a Christmas baker. You won't find pictures of ornaments baked into my ruffly frosted cakes (though wouldn't it be awesome if you did). But it does have a cookie, a topping, and then something--traditionally a maraschino cherry--hiding there between the two. Fortunately for you (and for my messy house) all three elements of this cookie are easy to do, so the whole project can be done, even with two little "helper" bakers hanging around trying to steal the toppings and beaters.

And now for a word from our sponsor: These are usually made with maraschino cherries (thus the name of the cookie). I HATE maraschino cherries and always have. Ever since I was a girl and my mother made these cookies for us, I've picked them out. Let me say a couple things about this: 1. You can totally pick the cherries out. In some ways, I even prefer to do so because you lose the grody cherry, but you maintain a sugary, soft sweet middle. 2. You can sub the cherries for something else and we often do. You can use nuts (I did walnuts today) or Hershey's kisses (I did 3 chocolate chips per cookie today) or Reese's cups (cut into smaller bits) or Andes Mints (one of my favorites) or toffee bits instead of the cherries.

Note: If you want to save some or all to give away, they're totally freeze-able.

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies
makes 30 cookies
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Cost: $2.63 for 30 cookies
butter: .30, sugar: .18, egg: .10, flour: .15, chocolate chips: .90, sweetened condensed milk: .50, cherries: .50)

1/2 C (1 stick) butter, soft
1 C sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 C flour
1/2 C cocoa
1/4 tsp salt (omit if using salted butter)
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda

maraschino cherries or other filling such as chocolate, Andes mints, nuts, toffee, dried fruit, or whatever your imagination conjures

Topping:
1 C chocolate chips
1/2 C sweetened condensed milk (Uh-oh, you're going to have the rest of the can to use still. That's always bad news so I'm sorry about that. You'll have to pour it over your cereal for breakfast. Note: I say that in jest; it's a totally bad idea, as is eating the rest of the contents of your can with a spoon. I'm not saying you can't, only that such a choice might be regretted. And as far as I know there's no morning after pill, over-the-counter or otherwise, for such behavior. P.S. Let me know if there is.)
1 Tbsp cherry "juice" to loosen it up (if you're not using cherries, you can add milk)

Preheat oven to 350.

Beat butter and sugar until nice and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat.

Mix in dry ingredients and beat (I always have to mix then beat because my hand-mixer sprays powdered ingredients everywhere if I'm not careful.) You'll get a very firm batter. Like this.

Now take your firm batter and roll it into 1-inch balls. I got about 30, which I managed to cram all onto one jelly roll sheet.

Now take your thumb and give these a good smash in the middle. You want a nice indentation for your cherry.

Now add the fillings of your choice.

Aren't they pretty?

Now throw your topping ingredients into the microwave for 30 seconds. Mix. And nuke for a few more seconds or until smooth.

Plop 1-2 tsp worth of the chocolate mixture onto the cherry or other topping. Try to get it all covered. Like so.

Bake for 9-10 minutes at 350 degrees. The edges will poof and spread a bit, so don't put the cookies any closer together than these.

And you're done. If you take them to a party, make sure the nut ones are labeled for anyone with an allergy.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Linked to Sweets for a Saturday and Fusion Fridays and Crumbs and Chaos and Secret Recipe Club.