Welcome, Autumn
With your sweet pumpkins
And scent of cinnamon
Let us hear the crunch under our feet
As you shake out your colorful hair
Kiss us with your crisp breath
And fill us with comfort and hope
I LOVE autumn. Love it with a passion. Let’s forget that it’s 80 degrees outside, and that the leaves are still green. Let’s pretend that it’s brisk and cool, like it is in so many parts of the world. If there’s one thing I dislike about Austin, it’s the length and depth of its summer. So long! So hot! And with hardly a taste of autumn before it’s time for a shot of cold and another long summer. To those of you who can see oranges and reds and browns outside your windows, know that you are lucky.
I decided to bring a little autumn in our home with these cute little cookies. I love that the dough is so easy to mix (no electric mixer), and that the recipe makes a small amount of teeny, tiny cookies. They do have their danger, though…I can eat 4 of them before I even realize it. They’re firm but chewy, with that sweet vanilla taste of candy corn.
I have to share with you my friend Vidya’s new etsy site…she’s selling her cute aprons and hairpins and such, and yours truly is one of the models. It was a fun photo shoot, in our wee little kitchen, and I think the photos turned out really well (thanks to my husband, of course). Stop by and check it out if you have a moment.
On to the cookies!
Chocolate Candy-Corn Cookies
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, very soft
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- about 36 candy corns
Preheat oven to 325ËšF. Place butter and sugar in a medium bowl; beat with a wooden spoon until combined. Beat in egg yolk, vanilla, baking powder, and salt. Add flour, and mix until a dough forms.
Scoop out level teaspoons of dough, and roll into balls (chill dough briefly if it becomes to soft to handle). Place balls on baking sheets, 2 inches apart.
Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges are firm and cookies are dry to the touch (do not let cookies color), 10 to 12 minutes.
Remove from oven; gently press a candy corn into center of each cookie (surface of cookies may crack slightly). Cool on sheets 1 minute; transfer to a rack to cool completely.
Notes: You can make a non-chocolate version by eliminating the cocoa powder and increasing the flour to 3/4 cup.
Makes about 36 cookies.
Source: Everyday Food magazine.
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