I’ll never forget my last Halloween when my family lived in Iowa City. I had a sweet little 3 year old Snow White and a 4 month old cow and after bundling them to the point you couldn’t tell at all who they were dressed up as, we braved the bitter cold and wind and maybe made it around to about 10 houses before I really believed it was too cold to keep going.

Just one short year later, on the other side of the country, it was an absolutely perfect, 70 degree day with just a slight breeze to keep those kids in heavy costumes a little bit cool, so as not to overheat and get sweaty.

Then I moved inland a little more in Southern California where it is even hotter and the other day we went to a pumpkin patch so I thought it would be fun to wear a nice, flannel shirt to feel nice and festive for this time of year. Biggest mistake ever!! It was a HOT 90 degree day and I was feeling that extra unnecessary layer for sure!! Instead of getting all the good fall vibes with cozy sweaters and boots, I am turning to fall-inspired baking! Which I have absolutely no complaints about :)

Here is my fall-inspired baking bucket list (and it’s not ALL pumpkin spice! ;) )

1. Rounding off number one is pumpkin cream cheese cookies. My friend made these for our family and they were SO good, I had to get the recipe and share it with you guys. These pumpkin cookies are more subtle and not super sweet and they pair beautifully with the tartness from the cream cheese frosting. The recipe for these are at the end of this article :)

2. Next at bat are another round of the pumpkin pasties. I made some with my kids the other night and we actually just used a little jar of pumpkin butter from Trader Joes for the filling and they were so much fun for them to roll and make together. Next time I am planning to make a savory version like Cornish pasties.

2. After I give that a go I’ve got to go out and get myself a bundt pan. I feel like I can’t consider myself a true baker until I’ve got myself a bundt pan and know how to use it. I don’t know what I’m gonna make, but I know it’s gonna be good! I’ll keep you posted on that.

2. A good and simple dinner roll recipe. Once again, it feels like I can’t consider myself a top of the line baker or home chef if I don’t know how to whip up a good batch of dinner rolls to go with all of the soups I plan on making. But don’t worry, I’ve always got a bag of Rhodes frozen rolls in the freezer so I can pretend, if need be :)

5. And finally, I want to make my first fancy criss-cross lattice apple pie. I’m in my 30’s now. It’s time to look like a respectable baker who knows how to make a perfect lattice apple pie. For some reason a lattice apple pie is something that just looks like it would be so fun and satisfying to put it together perfectly and it looks so pretty too! It’s just another one of those things that would be really fun to make with the kids too.

What is on your fall baking bucket list this year? Do you have any new recipes in mind that you want to try?

Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

1 cup butter, softened

⅔ cup packed brown sugar

⅓ cup sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup canned pumpkin

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon baking powder

1 cup chopped walnuts

FROSTING:

¼ cup butter, softened

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add pumpkin; mix well. Combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and baking powder; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in walnuts.

Drop by rounded tablespoons 2 inches apart onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

In a small bowl, beat the frosting ingredients until light and fluffy. Frost cookies. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

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