I love pumpkin spice whether it's in a latte, pie, donuts, cake, ice cream and even in cream cheese smeared on a well toasted bagel. But I just can't bring myself to consume this flavor before it starts to get cooler. I'm to busy trying to enjoy the last of the fresh tomotoes, corn and the like.
Just like Christmas, many big-name stores start pushing pumpkin spice well before the season. I swear the coffee chain from Seattle, which will remain nameless, started offering it's pumpkin spice latte in July!
Summers in New England are way to short to start indulging in comfort food and flavors before the temperature drops to at least a semi consistent fifty-ish degrees. Heck, once the weather is truly right for pumpkin spice cookies and lattes to be served, it will be at least six months before New Englanders begin to consider stopping with the comfort food. And another two months before it's considered the start of beach weather!
Don't get me wrong. I absolutely love the change of seasons. When the real chill of Fall arrives, I'm the first one to take out the Halloween and Fall time decorations and dishes. And the first one to start with pumpkin and apple everything.
Having some nice platters and misc. decor really adds to the spirit of the Fall and makes whatever is being served more delish. Here are a few sweet items I am loving right now for Fall time tables:
Pretty Fall Table Inspirations
These sweet little plates will do triple duty for either appetizers, salads or dessert.
This 4 quart casserole is a splerge. However, it will always look good, last a lifetime and be worthly of passing down to your kids or grandchildren. Especially with all the memories of it on your Fall time holiday tables filled with your home made deliciousness.
This small rectangler platter is just the right amount of white color along with the pretty stacked pumpkins. I love narrow rectangler platters for cookies.
I also love simplicity when it comes to table-clothes. Let your beautiful platters, plates and above all food be the star of your table, not your tablecloth! This tablecloth is pretty and won't compete with what is on top of it.
NOW TO THE FROST ON THE PUMPKIN OLIVE OIL COOKIES...
In my opinion, the temperature criteria has been met and pumpkin spice and other fall flavors are beginning to burst forth in my kitchen. And the first baked good of the season are my Frost on the Pumpkin Olive Oil Cookies.
There is a misnomer out there that one must use a "neutral tasting" oil, such as vegetable oil when baking because olive oil will add the wrong flavor. I say that is complete hogwash!
Whether one of O'Live A Little's flavored extra virgin olive oils are used, such as in this recipe, our Blood Orange Extra Virgin Olive Oil or very a good traditional olive oil like our Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil, not only will one's heart benefit due to the lack of butter, but so will the overall flavor of the cookie.
Please don't use grocery store "lite or light" olive oil. It has the same fat and calories as quality olive oil but has been heat processed and striped of any and all health benefits and of it's delicious flavor.
These Pumpkin Olive Oil Cookies are "cakey" bites and are addictive and super easy to make.
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This is a super easy recipe to make (no mixer required). But, there is one small piece of equipment that would make things easier for the cookie maker… a cookie dough scoop. It is not necessary, but it does make the process go faster and creates cookies of uniform size. My suggestion is to purchase a set of three that offers 1.25-ounce, 2- ounce and 2.75- ounce scoops. If one is a cookie maker, it is an inexpensive investment that will be used year after year. In this recipe I used the purple handle 1.25-ounce scoop.
A note about using confectionary sugar on these cookies: If you plan to freeze them, know the moisture from freezing and thawing does affect the confectionary sugar. They don’t look bad, just not quite as good as prior to freezing. If you are going to serve them within day or two, my suggestion would be to keep them in a cool, dry place. But not in fridge or freezer. If not, use one of the other variations listed and pictured below. They look and taste just as good and freeze well.
Here's a picture of what the cookies look like after freezing and thawing:
At the bottom of the recipe, I give a few variations for these cookies. So, if you don’t want to use the powdered sugar, you have other options.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line line baking sheets with Parchement paper.
In mixing bowl mix together the first 8 ingredients
In a large bowl, using a whisk, mix together olive oil, ½ cup of both sugars, egg, pumpkin and balsamic vinegar
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.a
Mix till just incorprated. The dough will be a bit sticky.
Add the ¾ cup granuated sugar and the 1 ½ cups powdered sugar into two seperate bowls
Starting with the granuated sugar, using your cookie scoop, drop the batter into the granulated sugar. It works best to do 5-6 at a time.
Once the batter is dropped, using your fingers roll the dough peices around in the sugar till coated. Then pick up and roll with your hand into a ball.
Add the balls to into the powdered sugar and coat generously. Place on cookie sheet 1 ½ - 2” apart
Because the cookie dough is moist, the powdered sugar can begin to melt on the dough. It is best to fill one cookie sheet and then immedialy bake those cookies. While the cookies are baking prepare next batch for baking.
Bake for approximatly 10 minutes. They are done when they are puffy and the powdered sugar has cracked. They will be soft and where the cracks are, the dough should look dry. Allow to sit on sheet pan for a few miuntes then transfer to wire rack.
For Cookie Variations here are a few combos to get you started. But the options are endless and only limted by tastebuds and imagination.
Option 1 - Roll in cinnamon sugar with fingers then use hands to form ball, place on baking sheet and bake (no need to bake one sheet at a time). Bake as directed above. Dough will not crack when baked.
Option 2 - Roll in cinnamon sugar with fingers then use hands to form into ball, place on baking sheet and press a walnut or pecan half into the center of the cookie ball (no need to bake one sheet at a time). Bake as directed above. Dough will not crack when baked.
Option 3 - Roll in cinnamon sugar with fingers then use hands to form into ball, then roll in shredded cocount, place on baking sheet and press a walnut or pecan half into the center of the cookie ball (no need to bake one sheet at a time). Bake as directed above. Dough will not crack when baked.
Option 4 - Roll in cinnamon sugar with fingers then use hands to form into ball, then roll in shredded cocount, place on baking sheet and press a Bookside blueberry/acai berry chocolate ball or your favoriate piece of chocolate into the center of the cookie ball (no need to bake one sheet at a time). Bake as directed above. Dough will not crack when baked.
Option 5 - Roll in cinnamon sugar with fingers then use hands to form into ball, then roll in shredded cocount, place on baking sheet (no need to bake one sheet at a time). Bake as directed above. Dough will not crack when baked.
Other ideas are to add the coconut, chopped nuts and/or chopped chocolate right into the batter then scoop and roll in the cinnamon sugar. Or chop nuts fine and scoop and roll the batter into the cinnamon sugar then the nuts.
