A Halloween Treat Full of Sanctimony and Spice

Just a quick post for a Monday morning to say “hi” and so we can all take a deep collective breath together.

My Monday recipe offering is a little delight for Halloween, as it’s full of famously fall flavors (and alliteration), but also has very little sugar in it. You can even make them using half whole wheat flour and half all-purpose, which boosts nutrition and sanctimony.

If you might leave a wee little “like” at the tippity-top of the page, that would help the big ol’ algorithm. Thank you!

As ever, I encourage you to have your wicked way with the recipe add-ins. Swap out crystallized ginger for chopped pecans, ignore the call for chocolate chips and opt for creamy butterscotch chips. Diced dried cranberries would also be delicious. Let me know what you try.

As I write this I am pondering making whoopie pies with a cream cheese frosting filling. Hmmmm. What do you think?

Baking note: You probably had an inkling that the color of your baking pans makes a difference. It’s true, of course, because dark absorbs more energy than light, but wanna see how dramatic a difference? As an experiment, I baked one batch of cookies on my bright, reflective aluminum sheet pans I reserve solely for cookie baking. I baked another bunch on the blackened pan I use for grungy work like roasting veg or cooking bacon. I put them into the oven together and took them out at the same time. Take a look.

Which makes me ask the question, in my former life I wrote the “Gadget Lust” column for Newsweek where I reviewed all manner of kitchen equipment. Would you like me to do that here?

Spice Cake Drops With Crystallized Ginger And Chocolate

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Spice Cake Drops with Crystallized Ginger and Chocolate 

Makes about 3 dozen 1” small cakes or 12 3” large ones

What You’ll Need:

2 cups (240 grams) all-purpose flour (or do half all-purpose, half whole wheat)

1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon baking powder  

¼ cup (53 grams) brown sugar 

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (Diamond)  

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon  

½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (generous!)  

¼ teaspoon allspice  

¼ teaspoon ground ginger  

¼ teaspoon ground cloves (more or less depending on how much clove buzz you like!)

1 tablespoon orange zest  

2 tablespoons minced crystallized ginger  (to prevent the ginger from sticking to the knife, lightly rub the blade with a a neutral oil)

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips  

8 tablespoons (113 grams) cold butter, cut into 16 pieces 

3/4 cup milk, plus 2 tablespoons standing by in case of need

1 teaspoon vanilla  

What You’ll Do:

1. Heat oven to 400° F.

2. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

3. Whisk flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, powdered ginger, cloves and sugar in a large bowl.

4. Cut the pieces of butter into the flour mixture using two knives, a pastry blender, or go to town and use a food processor, pulsing a few times until the mixture look like pebbly sand, which is another way of saying that the butter should be in a variety of sizes from pea, to nearly invisible. (If using a food processor, pour the flour-butter mixture into a large bowl and continue the directions.) Toss the crystallized ginger and the chocolate chips in the flour mixture. Whisk the vanilla into the 3/4 cup milk and pour over the flour-butter mixture. Quickly stir in the milk, until the flour is absorbed. If necessary, add milk 2 tablespoons at a time until the batter is thick and moist (but not sopping wet!).

5. At this point, you should walk away for 20 minutes or so to let the dough hydrate.

6. Drop the batter onto baking sheets in 1/4 cup-size mounds for giant cookie-cakes, or 1-inch balls for more petite treats, leaving 3 inches between each. Sprinkle with a crunchy brown sugar such as Demerara. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden and just firm to the touch. Remove to a rack to cool.

How do you spend Halloween? Do you hide behind the couch eating the candy you bought in case you decided this was the Halloween you’d open the door to trick or treaters? Do you dress up as a goblin and hide in the bushes in the hopes of scary the candy away from little kids? There are probably other options…What do you do?

Happy Halloween!

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