Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

My husband’s favorite fall treat of choice. I should have probably made them 5 times by now as it is the end of October, but I worry I’ll eat too many if they’re around! We love this recipe and use it every year! I also added a cinnamon cream cheese frosting on top & heated it up so I could spoon it on like a glaze. You must try these! We love them.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies:

• 1/2 c butter room temp
• 1 1/2 c sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 c pumpkin puree
• 2 1/2 c all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 c chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar together in a stand mixer. Once mixed well add egg, vanilla, and pumpkin, and mix again. Separately, combine dry ingredients. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet mixture, and then add the chocolate chips last.

GREASE your cookie sheets with cooking spray. This is unlike normal chocolate chip cookies but it helps them slide right off. Cook for 15 minutes or until first sign of brown appears on top.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 1/2 block cream cheese
• 1/2 stick butter
• 2 –3 c. powdered sugar
• 3 –4 tbsp. milk
• 1 tbsp cinnamon

Beat cream cheese in stand mixer until soft and light. Slowly add butter and continue to mix until whipped. Slowly add powdered sugar and cinnamon. Add milk slowly until it is whipped into a thick butter cream. Remove from stand mixer and place into microwave safe bowl. Heat for about 30 seconds or until frosting is melted. This helps the frosting coat the cookies but it will still remain thick. If you simply add more milk to the frosting it will be runny. Spoon the warm frosting onto the cookies and let set. Enjoy!

   

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Trader Joes Carolina BBQ Burger

I love to experiment with new kinds of burgers. The other week I cooked a burger in our favorite BBQ sauce – Carolina Gold BBQ sauce from Trader Joes, topped it with Trader Joes guac and some cheese and tomatoes, and it was the best flavor combo. The whole time we were eating them we couldn’t believe how well the flavors went together. The trick is to actually cook the burger in BBQ sauce – not just put it on top. This is such an easy dinner or meal – you should try it!

Ingredients:

• Ground beef
• Sliced cheese
• Trader Joes Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce
• Guacamole (we love the guac shown below from Trader Joes – it’s made with greek yogurt)
• Sliced tomatoes
• Hamburger buns
• Seasonings for meat (my special burger seasoning combo is below):
• Garlic powder
• Dill
• Onion powder
• Salt

Directions:

1. Place skillet pan on stove and turn heat to medium high.
2. Meanwhile, form patties from ground beef. Season each side with seasonings listed above (or your own mixture!)
3. Turn patties out onto pan once it’s hot. Cover.
4. After 2-4 minutes on the first side (depending on how done you like your burgers and depending on how hot your pan is), flip burger (make sure both sides are seasoned).
5. Cover again and cook for 2-3 minutes.
6. While burger is still in pan, turn heat down to medium low and pour some BBQ sauce over the burger it. Enough to make sure it is covered.
7. Cover and cook again for 1-2 minutes.
8. Then place cheese on top and cover for another minute, until melted.
9. Serve on buns, and add guacamole and tomatoes to burger. Also add more BBQ sauce to the buns before serving.

Get ready for a messy but delicious meal!     

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General Conference Printables

Two weekends a year our church holds a general conference to address all our members and any visitors or investigators, worldwide. We receive uplifting messages, advice, stories, and guidance. It is the best time of the year (twice a year;). Our wonderful leaders are good people but human and imperfect like us. They help us live the Gospel and find ways to navigate the ups and downs of life. I am grateful for these two weekends where I can recharge and refocus! I am grateful for a church and leaders that give us high standards of how to live our lives and are always helping us improve!

Here were some of my favorite quotes from conference so far. Click the photos to access the downloadable PDF links.

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