Apple Blondies.

Apple Blondies

Yields about 3 dozen.

Ingredients:

3⁄4 cup butter, melted

1 1⁄2 cups packed brown sugar

1 1⁄2 cups sugar

3 eggs

3 teaspoons vanilla extract

3⁄4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3⁄4 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons baking powder

3 cups flour

3 cups diced apples (tart varieties work best)

1 cup chopped walnuts, optional

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on opposite sides.

2. In a large bowl, mix together butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla.

3. In another large bowl, whisk cinnamon, salt, baking powder, and flour until well-combined. Add to sugar mixture, and mix well. Batter will be thick.

4. Stir in apples and walnuts, if using. (The moisture in the apples will thin the batter to a brownie-like consistency.)

5. Spread batter in prepared pan, pushing it into the corners and smoothing the top.

6. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean, with just a few crumbs clinging to it.

7. Cool completely in pan, then lift out and cut into bite-sized bars.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Yields about 3 dozen.

Ingredients:

1 cup pumpkin purée

1 cup sugar

1⁄2 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon milk

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped walnuts, optional

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, mix pumpkin, sugar, oil, vanilla, and egg with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined.

3. In another large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together.

4. In a small bowl, dissolve baking soda in milk.

5. Add flour mixture and milk mixture to pumpkin mixture, and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts, if using.

6. Drop 1 1⁄2 tablespoons dough into mounds on prepared baking sheet.

7. Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes. Cool cookies for 2 to 3 minutes on baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.