cranberry pumpkin scookies

 

 

not quite a scone, not quite a cookie

procrastinating: a new recipe.

prep time: 20 minutes

bake time: 13 minutes a batch

cleanup time: 7 minutes

time spent procrastibaking: 40 minutes

hey there, procrastibakers. so, i made this recipe… days ago. i’m sorry. life gets crazy– which has been my standing excuse lately, i know– but it’s true. i’m itching to bake something new, but i can’t until i post last week’s (?) creation. sorry for the delay! hopefully the next one will be more prompt.

anyway, i was sort of shooting for this oatmeal-y, pumpkin-y, cranberry-…y (eh, go with it) scone, but they never really retained that dry, crumbly, fluffy shape– instead, they sort of melted down into cookies. so, ya know: half-scone, half-cookie… scookie (not to be confused with pickle-loving. ed-hardy-adorned, jersey shorite snooki— much less edible). this may have something to do with the fact that i totally eyeballed the ingredient quantities, because i made them at my boyfriend’s house, which is a wonderful place, but devoid of all my baking utensils.

anyway, these are a happy mistake, because they’re big, soft, thick cookies, but they’ve got the substance, thanks to oats and pumpkin taking the place of a ton of butter or sugar. and instead of chocolate chips, cranberries punctuate the cookies with a huge burst of flavor. let’s get baking!

sugar cookie base

procrastinating: packing.

prep time: 15 minutes

cook time: 10 minutes (per batch)

cleanup time: 5 minutes

time spent procrastibaking: 30 minutes

it’s sort of funny that my welcome-back blog post is also one of the last blog posts in the original procrastibake kitchen. that’s right, i’m leaving my apartment here in the heart of boston and going… well, somewhere new. and you know how it is when it’s time to pack up and leave– lots of packing, and throwing things away, and finding new nail holes in the wall to patch up. blargh.

anyway, why bother with silly (depressing) things like that when we could be baking, instead?

today’s recipe is a new favorite, and it’s one of the most versatile. sure, sugar cookies are delicious, and these are no exception. sweet without being TOO sugary, a hint of vanilla– they almost melt in your mouth, and are especially perfect paired with pumpkin coffee. thank you, dunkin donuts. BUT– these cookies are also the perfect base cookie: chocolate chip? macadamia nut? blueberry? maple? butterscotch? pumpkin? yes! as scrumptious as it is on its own, this base goes perfectly with whatever you decide to add to it. and, this recipe yields lots of cookie dough, so freeze it plain and you’ll be able to add fresh ingredients to your cookies as you acquire them!

let’s begin!

coffee cocoa cookies

procrastinating: packing.

prep time: 10 minutes

baking time: 8-12 minutes a batch.

cleanup time: 5 minutes.

time spent procrastibaking: 30 minutes.

bon voyage, procrastibakers. i feel like i’ve been procrastinating packing a lot this summer, and i have– i’ve been running back and forth to new york since may, to visit friends and family. i don’t have that opportunity when school’s in full swing, so i’ve tried to squeeze in as much new york as possible while i have the chance, and this weekend’s kind of the last hurrah before grad school: year two commences.

last time i went home, i came equipped with linzer cookies, maple butter cookies– all sorts of goodies, and i would hate to come home empty handed tonight. but i’ll have to make something delicious that’ll sustain me for a 4 hour bus ride (yep, that’s before we add in rush hour traffic– who decides to leave at 6pm?!). so today we’re making coffee cocoa cookies– the caffeine of coffee; the chocolate of, well, hot chocolate; the flavors aren’t intense, but they definitely compliment the soft, sugary, buttery deliciousness of your new favorite bite-sized snack.  let’s get started!

fondant!

procrastinating: cleaning up yesterday’s mess.

prep time: 20 minutes

cleanup time: 5 minutes

total procrastibaking time: 25 minutes

greetings and salutations, procrastibakers. yesterday i had all these great aspirations of making a wedding-esque cake for my dear friend lauren who’s getting married today (!!!!) but i had the baking day from hell. i collapsed two cakes, got raspberry filling everywhere, ruined a batch of white frosting (which is so easy to make, it’s almost HARDER to ruin it), and ended up cutting my hand when my pilsner-glass-turned-rolling-pin exploded in my apparent death grip. you know how you have to crack a few eggs to make some cookie dough? yesterday was more an egg day than a cookie dough day for me.

but i was successful in one of my endeavors– homemade marshmallow fondant. fondant is often used on wedding cakes, but you’ll find it on chic cupcakes or even cookies as decoration– it’s satiny smooth, could be colored or white, and often, it tastes chalky and gross. but of all my misfortune yesterday, the fondant was a smashing success. easy to work with, easy to make, and best of all– tastes delicious. if i had managed to produce a baked good worth serving, i imagine the fondant would have been the icing on the cake– both literally and figuratively.

blueberry jelly drop cookies!

procrastinating: errands.

prep time: 30 mins

bake time: 10 mins (per batch)

cleanup time: 10 mins

time spent procrastibaking: 1 hour.

hey procrastibakers! i’m off to a bbq today, which is certainly more exciting than the myriad errands i have piled up since coming home. grocery shopping, mopping my floor, taking out the garbage– and those are just the errands i can think of from my perch here in my kitchen. yikes.

anyway, i hate going to things like this empty handed, and so i thought i’d make some jelly drop cookies with some fresh homemade blueberry spread (i forgot i still had blueberries in my freezer!). these cookies are super easy, super tasty, and quick to make, which is good, since i have to head out of here soon. nothing like the last minute!

blueberry shortbread crumble!

procrastinating: sleep

prep time: 25 minutes

bake time: 30 minutes

cleanup time: 5 minutes

time spent procrastibaking: 1 hour.

good evening everybody. i finally got the butter to procrastibake with, and my gut instinct was “in the morning, katie. go to bed.” but gosh darn it, this is a procrastination blog, and that means i’ll put off anything in the name of baking– even sleep! so let’s pick up where we left off: shortbread.

this shortbread is light and buttery and would be delightful on its own, but it’ll serve as the crust and crumble top to the tangy sweet blueberry spread we made earlier today in this post. let’s go!

blueberry spread

procrastinating: making a doctor’s appointment

prep time: 2 minutes

bake time: 15 minutes

cleanup time: 8 minutes

time spent procrastibaking: 20 minutes.

hey there, procrastibakers. a few weeks ago i was at the gym playing pickup basketball with some guys who looked like the cast of 300, when i felt my already-sore achilles tendon pang a little more aggressively. i’ve had some fun sports injuries in the past (ie, two reconstructive knee surgeries) so i figured before it got to that point,  i’d rest it and ice it and it’d be a-ok. but it’s been a little over 2 weeks of rest, and still… significant ouch. should i admit defeat and call the doctor? orrrr… should i make blueberry shortbread bars and hope that along with amazing antioxidant power, blueberries also heal tendons?

pass me the berries and an ace bandage and let’s bake.

currently i have half a stick of butter in the kitchen, so that’s just not going to cut it for the shortbread. hopefully someone in my family will take pity on me and chauffeur me down to the grocery store (or better yet, pick some up!) — but in the meantime, we can prep this blueberry spread for the bars. it’s delish in the shortbread recipe, but just as good spread on toast or pancakes, in thumbprint cookies, or anywhere else you need a little blueberry pick-me-up.

esme’s cupcakes

i know this blog is usually dedicated to me putting off something in favor of baking, but today’s recipe was specially requested by my friend brittany for her soon-to-be six year old’s birthday this week. and while i have no problem putting off my own things (paperwork, dishes, etc), i try to follow up more promptly on baked goods for my friends. esme is adorable and like other girls her age, she’s all about cupcakes, fruit, and the color pink. i’ve got some good ingredients and cute tools to use, so let’s make her something pretty!

prep time: 30 mins

bake time: 20-25 mins

cleanup time: 10 mins

total time procrastibaking: 1 hour

maple butter cookies

procrastinating: doing my hair.

prep time: 10 minutes (plus 10-15 minutes refrigerating time)

bake time: 15 minutes

cleanup time: 5 minutes

time spent procrastibaking: 45 minutes.

okay, so i had one of those nights where i fell asleep at like, 7pm, and so naturally i woke up at 1am ready and raring to go. i  don’t know what’s the deal, but it did allow for a lot of productivity– i cleaned my bedroom, i did all my dishes (even the super jammy ones from yesterday!), i watched three movies, i sorted laundry. there’s not a whole lot left for me to do– except to wash my hair. the lady procrastibakers out there know what i’m saying– it takes so freaking long to do my hair. comb, wash, condition, rinse, brush, dry, straighten. i know i sound like i’m complaining, but even thinking about it’s an ordeal.

so instead, i think i’ll put on some coffee and make an easy, delicious breakfast cookie this morning. simple, buttery, rich– these cookies are super basic and need only a few ingredients, but the ones we do use blend together perfectly. and the touch of maple syrup is good anytime, but especially with your morning coffee. let’s go!

snickerdoodles.

procrastinating: building my resume.

prep time: 20 minutes

refrigeration time: 20 minutes

baking time: 10-12 minutes

cleanup: 10-12 minutes

time spent procrastibaking: 1 hour

hi procrastibakers! today i absolutely, positively, no excuses, must finish my resume. naturally, i am up before noon, so that’s a good start– plenty of time to break out one of my favorite, most delicious cookie recipes before i do anything crazy like open up a word document.

this recipe is, in a word, awesome. handy, accessible ingredients; easy to half or double; yielding truly fantastic, soft, delicious cookies. let’s get started.