In college I worked at a video store and had to wear this really ugly red polo shirt that proudly declared me an employee of the Movie Gallery. An awful screener tape of movie previews would come in once a month from corporate and we were forced to play it over and over throughout our shifts. Needless to say this was total torture. When The Family Man was released on DVD the Talking Heads Song “Once in a Lifetime” played in the commercial. Whenever that segment would queue up my fellow unhappy co-workers of the day and I would yell out, “how did I get here!” along with the television.

That loop of new releases was maddening and eventually everything would begin to look like absolutely fascinating cinema. When Dude, Where’s my Car starts to look like an appealing rental you have to get a little suspicious about the potential of possible subliminal marketing ploys…

There was one perk to my nightly “your DVD is late” calls and re-shelving drudgery — we received a lot of advanced screener copies of films before they were released to the public. Once upon a time one of the movies I took home was Ginger Snaps. I’d categorize it as a coming-of-age anxiety film with werewolves. It’s dark but actually pretty clever for a horror film. In fact, one of the professors I work with just showed it in a class, which is how the memory of this little film (and my video store stint) was initially jogged in my mind.

Obviously the film Ginger Snaps has nothing to do with the cookies called Gingersnaps. My personal gingersnaps memories are mostly of eating them out of the brown paper bag packaging that they came in at the grocery store. Those cookies are always hard as rocks though and since I’m a chewy cookie girl I opted to under cook these a bit for a softer texture. My favorite part of this recipe is that it calls for white pepper which is a spice I love and sadly rarely use. The flavor it gives these cookies is off the charts! So go watch that scary movie (it’s available on iTunes) and eat a plate of sassy snacks. Tis the season.

Gingersnaps (makes about 5 1/2 dozen cookies)
Originally Published In: A Field Guide to Cookies by Anita Chu

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup softened unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1 egg
1/3 cup molasses
Extra sugar for rolling

Sift flour, baking soda, and salt into a bowl and set aside.

In a stand mixer, cream butter and sugars on medium speed for several minutes until smooth, light, and fluffy. Add spices and mixed until combined.

Add egg and mix to combine. Add molasses and mix to combine.

Add flour mixture and mix to just combine.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll dough into a 12-inch log and wrap in parchment or plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes or until firm enough to slice. Dough may be refrigerated up to 2 days or stored in the freezer, wrapped airtight, for two weeks (thaw in refrigerator overnight before using).

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease several cookie sheets. Fill a small bowl with the sugar reserved for rolling.

Using a sharp chef’s knife, cut slices 1/4 to 3/8 inch thick. Coat slices in sugar and place on sheets about 2 inches apart.

Bake for 6-10 minutes; for chewy cookies, remove from oven when each cookie is just holding its shape when nudged. For crispy cookies, bake until edges are set and center is slightly soft. Cool sheets on wire racks for a couple of minutes before transferring cookies directly ontp wire racks with a spatula to finish cooling.

Happy first day of fall! I’m sure most of you aren’t feeling very excited about this change, especially if you reside in New England like I do.  The onset of Fall means that sunblock, bathing suits, and flip flops will soon be distant memories and the inevitable snowflakes are lurking just around the corner. In the meantime though I fully intend to take advantage of the crisp cool air, visit my favorite local orchard, and maybe even bake a pie or two. Of course my fondness for fall is probably made possible due to the fact that I’m flying to Florida for an extended dose of sun soaked laziness this week. It’s much easier to get excited about bundling up in scarves and mittens when you know you have an upcoming date with a frozen rum soaked concoction and a chaise lounge in 48-hours.

Beach retreat or not, I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the changing seasons than with a spicy pumpkin muffin topped with a subtle orange icing. This substantial snack is the perfect way to ready yourself for the pumpkin flavored onslaught that is bound to take place over the next few weeks. Are you ready for the pumpkin?

Orange Frosted Pumpkin Muffins (originally published in A Harvest of Pumpkins and Squash by Lou Seibert Pappas)
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 cup pumpkin or winter squash purée, canned or homemade
2 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup golden raisins

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Line 12 standard muffin cups with paper liners.

In a large bowl, combine the butter, brown sugar, and molasses. Using an electric mixer set on medium speed, beat until creamy. Add the pumpkin and eggs and beat until smooth. In another bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture along with the raisins and mix just until incorporated.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each almost to the rim, and smooth the tops. Bake for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool slightly, then turn the muffins out and let cool compltely in their liners on the rack.

Orange Frosting
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons butter melted
1 tablespoon thawed orange juice concentrate

In a small bowl, beat together the confectioners’ sugar, butter, and orange juice concentrate. Spread over the cooled muffins. Serve at room temperature. Note: I really wanted my icing to be orange tinted so I added one drop of yellow and red food coloring to the mixture.