Living La Vida Holoka


Soft and Fluffy Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

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These Soft and Fluffy Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies have a thick and cakey texture with lots of delicious pumpkin flavor!

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I hope you’re not sick of pumpkin yet because I’ve baked cookies!  And who doesn’t love stealing a cookie fresh from the oven?  Especially this time of year!  November baking is like the pregame to my holiday baking that usually starts December 1st.  If I want to try any new cookie recipes, this is the time to do it! 

I like to get familiar with new recipes before I decide to add them to cookie trays and tins.  And this year, I can’t think of a better gift to drop off to family and friends than a tin full of homemade cookies! 

My family has their favorites that always get added to cookie trays each year.  But I seem to sneak in at least one new cookie or candy onto these trays each each year.  I have a few pumpkin spice lovers on my list, so these could possibly end up as a new addition!  Especially since they’re so easy to make!

Soft and Fluffy Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

 
Oatmeal cookies are classic. But I wanted to put a seasonal pumpkin twist on them, so I added pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice to this oatmeal cookie recipe.  The result is a soft and fluffy, sweet and pumpkiny cookie that’s so, so good with a cold glass of milk!


Start these cookies by adding the flour, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice to a medium bowl.  Then, in the bowl of a mixer, add the butter, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, and white sugar.  Beat on low speed just until combined. 


Then, you’re going to add in the egg and vanilla, beating just until combined.  Once that’s combined, slowly add the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture.


Continue beating on low speed until everything is combined and the mixture looks smooth and creamy. Then, you can add in the oats. Instead of beating the mixture, you want to stir in the oats just until it’s incorporated.


Now it’s time to drop that cookie dough onto the cookie sheets!  These cookies don’t really spread too much, so keep them about an inch apart.  Drop them onto the cookie sheet in heaping tablespoonfuls.  Then, pat them down a little bit with your fingers.


Bake these cookies for about 15 minutes, or until they get nice and golden brown around the edges and the center is cooked.  Then, allow them to cool on a wire rack and dive in! 

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Soft and Fluffy Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

Yield: 12

Soft and Fluffy Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup white sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cup old fashioned oats

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
  2. Add the flour, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice to a medium bowl. Stir to combine.
  3. In the bowl of a mixer, add the butter, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, and white sugar. Beat on low speed just until combined.
  4. Then, add the egg and vanilla to the mixture and beat until combined.
  5. Slowly add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and beat until it's creamy and smooth. Then, stir in the oats.
  6. Drop the batter onto the prepared cookie sheets in heaping 1 tbsp. spoonfuls and slightly flatten the dough down with your fingers. Leave about 1 inch between each cookie.
  7. Bake the cookies for about 15 minutes, or until the edges of the cookie are golden brown and the centers are cooked through.
  8. Place the cookies onto a wire rack and allow them to cool before serving.
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If you’re like me and prefer soft cookies over crispy cookies, you’re going to love these!  This cookie recipe makes a dozen, so if you are planning to add them to your holiday cookie trays, make sure you double or triple the recipe!  They’ll keep for a week in a cookie tin or airtight container.

Did you make this Soft and Fluffy Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies recipe? Share it on social media using the hashtag #livinglavidaeats. Don’t forget to tag me @lavidaholoka!

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20 Easy Thanksgiving Desserts That Go Beyond Pie

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Plan your Thanksgiving dessert menu with one or more of these 20 Easy Thanksgiving Desserts like cookies, cake, bars, bread, and of course, pie!

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Thanksgiving gatherings might look a bit different this year.  But that doesn’t mean that you can’t have a full Thanksgiving dinner complete with turkey, sides, and a delicious dessert (or two)!  We’ll probably end up at home – just the two of us – and you can guarantee that there will be pie.  Probably pumpkin or apple pie with whipped cream on the side! 

But Thanksgiving desserts can go way beyond pie!  Don’t get me wrong.  Pie is one of my all-time favorite desserts!  I love it with a dollop of whipped cream and cinnamon on top and especially a la mode!  It’s just that fall is such a great season for all kinds of baking.  With flavors like apple, cranberry, and pumpkin, you can make all sorts of delicious desserts that would be welcome on a Thanksgiving table! 

20 Easy Thanksgiving Desserts That Go Beyond Pie

 
My fall baking tends to start sometime in late August, when canned pumpkin makes its first appearance at the grocery store. From there, I end up baking all kinds of things.  There’s apple cake and apple crisp that always tastes better after an afternoon of apple picking.  Bags of fresh and dried cranberries that end up in cookies and other treats.  And all kinds of fall bread! 

Any of these recipes would be simple enough to whip up for your Thanksgiving feast, no matter how you’re celebrating this year!  So make room for dessert and add one or more of these easy recipes to your Thanksgiving menu! 

  1. Fresh Cranberry Apple Pie
  2. Apple Pie Cheesecake Jars
  3. No-Bake Mini Chocolate Pumpkin Pies
  4. Caramel Apple Pie
  5. Gooey Chocolate Pecan Pie
  6. Boozy Whiskey Apple Crisp
  7. No-Bake Pumpkin Eggnog Cheesecake
  8. Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese Braid
  9. Apple Pecan Bread
  10. Chocolate Pecan Tart
  11. White Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bars
  12. Pumpkin Banana Nut Bread
  13. Puff Pastry Cranberry Walnut Pinwheels
  14. Easy Caramel Apple Crescent Rolls
  15. Apple Snack Cake
  16. Easy Rustic Apple Tart
  17. Salted Caramel Monkey Bread
  18. Pumpkin Pie Dessert Hummus
  19. Pumpkin White Chocolate Chip Bread
  20. Soft and Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Did you make any of these Thanksgiving dessert recipes? Share your pics on Instagram using the hashtag #livinglavidaeats. Don’t forget to tag me @lavidaholoka!

Fresh Pumpkin Sage Pasta

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This homemade Fresh Pumpkin Sage Pasta is the epitome of cozy fall food that will make you change your mind about boxed pasta!

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It’s the end of October and we just ripped out our garden this past weekend!  We had a long garden season this year.  At least 2020 gave us that!  I can’t ever remember picking veggies, cutting fresh herbs, and having tomatoes on our windowsill this late into the year!  It’s been nice, but now I’m trying to make use of everything we managed to save, including fresh herbs.

I haven’t cut my herbs back yet, but I can see from some of the browning stems that it’s almost time.  So I’ve been trying to use them in sauces and eventually I’d like to dehydrate some to make my own dried herbs and herb infused salts.  This past weekend, I decided to dust off my pasta maker and use some of my fresh sage in a Fresh Pumpkin Sage Pasta.   

Fresh Pumpkin Sage Pasta

 
I’ve made fresh pasta before and it’s relatively easy to make with just a few simple ingredients like flour, eggs, and olive oil.  But it’s pumpkin season, and sage and pumpkin go together wonderfully.  So I used pumpkin puree and fresh sage from our garden to flavor the pasta. 


The first thing I did was add flour into the bowl of my stand mixer. If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can do all of this by hand. I made a well in the center of the flour and added the eggs, pumpkin puree, sage, olive oil, and salt.  With the flat beater attached, I mixed everything up for a few minutes before switching to my dough hook to start kneading it.


After the dough started to come together in my mixer, I turned it out onto a floured surface and kneaded it by hand until it was smooth.  Then, I covered the dough and let it sit for 20-30 minutes.


When 30 minutes was up, I cut the dough into 4 pieces. Work one piece of dough at a time, keeping the rest of the dough pieces covered.


If you don’t have a pasta maker, you can also do these next couple of steps by hand. I used my pasta maker to roll out each piece of dough, but you can use a rolling pin.  With my pasta machine, I set the dial to “1” to get the dough started.  As the dough began to thin out, I set the dial to a higher number until I reached “4.”  


I attached the cutting roller to the machine and, using the fettucine cutter, cut each piece of pasta dough into noodles.  


As each piece of dough was cut, I placed the noodles onto wax paper to dry. This takes about an hour to do and you’ll be able to feel the texture change.


When the pasta has dried, you can twirl it into little pasta bundles and freeze them.  To do that, place them on a baking sheet and freeze.  Once each bundle is frozen, you can individually portion them out.  There’s no need to thaw them.  Just drop them in boiling water and cook!


If you’re cooking the pasta right away, salt a pot of water and bring it to a boil. Then, carefully drop in the pasta. Fresh pasta cooks faster than boxed pasta, so you only need to cook it 2-3 minutes.

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Fresh Pumpkin Sage Pasta

Fresh Pumpkin Sage Pasta

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose, or 00 flour
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 1/2 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 tbsp. fresh sage, chopped
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 2 tbsp. water

Instructions

  1. Add flour the bowl of a stand mixer and make a well in the center.
  2. Add the eggs, pumpkin, olive oil, fresh sage, and salt to to center of the flour.
  3. With the flat beater attached, mix everything together for 3-4 minutes. If the dough is too dry, add the water, 1 tbsp. at a time. You want the dough to be a little sticky. If it's too wet, add a little more flour.
  4. Then, switch to the dough hook and continue to work the dough for another 3-4 minutes.
  5. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead it by hand just until it begins to look smooth. Then, form it into a ball and flatten it down with your hand. Cover and let it rest 20-30 minutes.
  6. After the dough has rested, cut it into 4 equal pieces.
  7. Work with one piece of dough at a time, while keeping the rest covered, and roll it through a pasta machine a couple times using setting "1."
  8. Lower the dial and continue to roll the pasta dough until the desired thickness is reached.
  9. Then, attach the cutting roller and use the fettucine roller to cut each piece of pasta dough.
  10. Lay the pasta out on wax paper or parchment paper and allow it to dry for about an hour.
  11. After an hour, you can use the pasta immediately, or twirl it into bundles to freeze.
    12. To cook the pasta:
  12. Salt a pot of water and bring it to a boil.
  13. Add the pasta to the water and cook for 2-3 minutes.
  14. Drain and serve with your favorite sauce and pasta toppings.
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How to Serve this Fresh Pumpkin Sage Pasta

 
If you’re looking for a tasty way to serve this pasta, you’ve got to try the pasta dish I made this past weekend!  I added chopped prosciutto to a pan and got it nice and crispy.  Then, I sautéed mushrooms, onion, and garlic in a little butter and olive oil. I topped the pasta with that mixture and served it with some crumbled goat cheese on top. It was delicious!


You can also use this pasta dough to make your own pumpkin sage ravioli (definitely need to try that one of these days)!  But since I didn’t have all of the ingredients to make a killer ravioli filling, I just boiled up some of this pasta and served it with prosciutto and goat cheese. 

Did you make this Fresh Pumpkin Sage Pasta recipe? Share it on social media using the hashtag #livinglavidaeats. Don’t forget to tag me @lavidaholoka!

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Pumpkin Mousse with Halloween Bark

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This pumpkin mousse is a light and fluffy Halloween dessert topped with a ghostly Halloween bark that’s spooky sweet!

This post may contain affiliate links.  Making a purchase through one of these links helps support this blog.


I don’t watch a lot of cooking shows, but I do love watching holiday themed cooking competitions.  I’ve been hooked on Halloween Wars.  You know, where they make crazy edible creations out of carved pumpkins, candy, and baked goods? 

While watching one of those competitions one night with my husband, I got super inspired!  I blurted out, “You know what would be cool?  If you made a chocolate coffin and filled it with a pumpkin mousse!” The next day, I was on the hunt for a silicone coffin mold! 

Unfortunately, my original idea didn’t work out as planned.  The candy was a little too soft in texture and when I tried to unmold it, it would break apart.  So it was onto plan B!

Pumpkin Mousse with Halloween Bark

 
Since I had two bags of black candy melts and some extra chocolate morsels to use up, I decided to make a Halloween bark instead.  The new plan was to make a delicious pumpkin mousse, serve it in a ceramic cauldron, and top it with pieces of the broken Halloween bark.  This idea came together much easier and still looked spooky cute!


The first thing I did was make the chocolate bark.  Over low heat, I added both bags of my black candy melts to a small pot and stirred continuously until melted and smooth.   


Then, I poured the melted chocolate onto a baking sheet that I prepared with parchment paper.  I used a cake scraper to smooth the candy melts into an even layer.


In another small pot, I added white chocolate chips and melted them over low heat until they were nice and smooth.


Then, I spooned some white chocolate onto the black candy melts. With a toothpick, I dragged the white chocolate into ghost-like shapes and added eyeball sprinkles and black sprinkles for a mouth.


I finished the Halloween bark off with an assortment of Halloween sprinkles before letting it set for about an hour.


While the Halloween bark set, I started working on my pumpkin mousse.  I added vanilla pudding, pumpkin spice, pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, milk, a pinch of salt, and Cool Whip to a mixing bowl.  Once that was all mixed up, I let the mousse set for 20-30 minutes in the fridge.


When the Halloween bark and pumpkin mousse was ready, I spooned the mousse into a ceramic cauldron and broke up some of the bark to serve on top.  Serve the rest of the Halloween bark with the pumpkin mousse to top individual portions.

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Pumpkin Mousse with Halloween Bark

Pumpkin Mousse with Halloween Bark

Ingredients

    For the Halloween bark:
  • 2 - 10 oz. black candy melts
  • 1/2 - 12 oz. bag white chocolate morsels
  • Halloween sprinkles
    • For the pumpkin mousse:
  • 1 - 3.4 oz. package instant vanilla pudding
  • 1 tsp. pumpkin spice
  • 15 oz. pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 cup milk
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 cup Cool Whip topping

Instructions

    For the Halloween bark:
  1. Prepare a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. Add the black candy melts to a small pot and heat over low.
  3. Stir the candy melts until smooth. Then, pour the melted candy onto the baking sheet. Use a cake scraper to smooth the candy melts evenly onto the baking sheet.
  4. In another small pot, add the white chocolate chips and heat over low.
  5. Stir the chocolate until it's melted.
  6. Then, drop onto the candy melts and use a toothpick to make ghost-like shapes.
  7. Add eyeball sprinkles to make a face and sprinkle assorted Halloween sprinkles onto the rest of the Halloween bark.
  8. Allow the bark to harden for 60 minutes. Then, break apart to use on top of the pumpkin mousse.
    9. For the pumpkin mousse:
  9. Add the pudding mix, pumpkin spice, pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, milk, and salt to a mixing bowl. Mix until incorporated.
  10. Fold in the Cool Whip topping and chill in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.
  11. When ready to serve, add the pumpkin mousse to a bowl and top with Halloween bark. Serve with extra bark to top individual portions.
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A Spooky Sweet Halloween Dessert!

 
The pumpkin mousse is light and fluffy with just the right amount of pumpkin spice flavor.  It’s actually a little fluffier than traditional mousse, but it’s still so, so good!  Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.


When I put the plate of Halloween bark in front of my husband, he said it looked like “a science experiment gone wrong.”  A perfect description for Halloween, if you ask me!  Store leftover chocolate bark in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. 

Did you make this Pumpkin Mousse with Halloween Bark recipe? Share it on social media using the hashtag #livinglavidaeats. Don’t forget to tag me @lavidaholoka!

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