Cookies for the Fall

I think I need to be careful; I feel like I'm flirting with danger - or at the very least - flirting with taking way too much on.  In the last ten days, I have made four batches of cookies.  So here's an update, because I may take a few weeks off.

#117 Butterscotch Raisin Cookies (10/16/13)
 Mike went down to Indiana over this weekend and he brought Joey with him.  Yes, he took my infant son away from me for three nights, four days, and took him on a plane.  How do you think I can get Mike to do this more often? : )

I requested Mike's help in determining which cookie his dad would like best for his birthday.  Mike chose well.  My mother-in-law didn't expressly say she didn't like my previous cookies, but implied that she actually liked this cookie.

#118 Goblin Chewies (10/19/13)
It's Halloween time. .However, I only have about three or four more specific Halloween cookies.  So this is the only specifically Halloween cookie I made this year.  They are goblin chewies because it has a goblin face it in it.  It's chewy because it has orange slices chopped up inside the cookie.

#119 Cocoa Chocolate Chip (10/19/13)
These come from the Big Batch Bonanza chapter.  I made this batch (plus 118 and 119) for all the events I have in October: 2 Halloween parties, retreat away, Joey's Halloween party at daycare, and then I usually bring Halloween cookies to school.  Someone at school asked if I'm not baking as much (because they haven't seen any batches this year).  I'm actually baking more than I have in the previous year - I just have so many more functions that I never seem to have enough for school.  With these three batches; I'm still not sure I have enough to bring to school this week.
These were a thin chocolate chocolate chip cookie. 

#120 Iced Pumpkin Cookies
This recipe is the epitome of why I do this project.  I would never have made this recipe - just doesn't look good to me.  This cookie called for canned pumpkin, whole wheat flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, granola, walnuts, white chips and cranberries.  Just sounds too much to me.  They were actually quite good.  I got several requests for the recipe. 
Last weekend I did just fine with Joey being gone.  This weekend, not so much.  This is a crafting retreat I've done several times.  I wasn't going to go this time, because I knew it might be hard to spend two weekends away from Joey after working all week as well.  However, my sister-in-law really wanted me to go, so she wouldn't be the only young person there.  So I decided to go for one night.  Then she got sick and cancelled.  However at this point, I'd already made plans to get help from my mom to make Joey's costume.  I left early Saturday morning.

cookies for tennis

Say what you will about teenagers; especially teenage girls, but they sure are appreciative of fresh baked goods.  The tennis season is finally over.  For the past four months I've had tennis for four days a week.  We had one of our best albeit dramatic seasons.  A team that we have never even scored one point against before this year, we lost only by one this year.  It was actually tied, and one of my girls hit a winning shot to tie her match up, but as she did so, she fractured a bone in her foot and had to forfeit the rest of the match, causing us to lose by 1 - so sad.  We had a few injuries this year - she was out for the rest of the season.  We had a bloody nose, two girls hit in the eye, and one girl punched in the head.  Yep - she was two points away from going to the finals in a doubles tournament, but her opponent wasn't handling losing very well.  The opponent jumped the net and got into my girls face; and then hit her in the head.  Unfortunately my girl then defended herself and both girls were disqualified.  I've never heard of fighting happening at a tennis match. 
I'm ready for a rest now.

Of the past five batches, four of them were for my tennis team. 

#112 Crisp Sunflower Cookies 
September 2013
So my girls tennis team had some serious issues when the boys tennis team comes around.  They get all flaky and can't concentrate.  So I needed to solve to this problem.  My girls team challenged the boys team to a tennis game (not a match, just a game that we play during practice).  Keep in mind I actually coach both teams.  I announced that I would bake a batch of cookies for whichever team won.  The boys were victorious.  However, I got what I wanted.  For the rest of the season, the girls were much more focused when the boys came around.  What's better, the two tennis teams bonded and kind of functioned as one. 

#113 Big Chocolate Cookie
September 2013
To play sports for the Mpls high schools, you have to pay a $60 sports fee - pretty reasonable considering most suburban high schools charge upwards of $100.  I told my girls that for each of them that had their sports fee turned in by the 13th, they'd get a big chocolate cookie.  I actually had to make a double batch of this recipe, because it only made 1 dozen and I have more than a dozen girls on my team.  I don't normally make double batches, because I figure if I need a lot of cookies, I'll make a recipe with a bigger batch, or make two batches and get to cross off two recipes. 
It worked, all but 3 girls got their sports fee in by then. 

#114 Banana Nut Bars
10/4/13
It's craft show time again at GA church.  As usual the church ladies sell yummy Lutheran church homemade bars - so I contributed as well.  I would say they went over pretty well, there were only 2 left by the next day. 

We had the individual state tournament for tennis this morning.  I sent six girls.  My two singles team and one of my doubles teams won their first round.   I made two recipes for this morning's tournament.  It was an early morning and lasted several hours, so brought snacks for the girls to eat. 
#115 Apple Walnut Bars
A nice recipe for fall.  Diced up apples, diced walnuts; they were gone in a hurry.  
#116 Double Chocolate Biscotti
This probably goes best with coffee, but I don't drink coffee.  The biscotti definitely came out tasting like biscotti, but again, is probably best for coffee drinkers.  I think I'll freeze the rest of it and save it for when I have some people over ... for coffee?  I think I better learn how to make coffee.