Easy Spice Cake Cookies

Fall foods are always warm and comforting.  These easy Spice Cake Cookies are delicious and definitely fit the bill for a delicious fall food. 

These cookies are ridiculously easy.  They're soft and pillowy with a sweet spice.

Jenny's Spice Cake Cookies

18.25 oz. pkg. Spice cake mix

2 eggs

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. Penzey's Cake Spice (optional, but I think it gives the cookies nice depth)

1/3 cup confectioners sugar

Preheat oven to 375° F.

Pour cake mix into large bowl.

Stir in eggs, oil, and lemon extract until well blended.   

Drop teaspoonfuls of dough into a bowl of confectioners sugar.

Roll them around until lightly covered.

Once sugared, put them 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 8 minutes and no longer!!

Bottoms will be light brown, and insides will be chewy.

You can also top these with some cream cheese frosting.  

Chewy Almond Cookies

I love anything almond flavored.  And if you've read my previous posts, I'm a sucker for a macaron.  While I've never attempted to make my own, these are a fast and easy substitute you can make at home.  All you need is a food processer.  These are great if you have a gluten allergy and they're also kosher for Passover.

2 1/2 cups almond meal (I found this at Trader Joe's) 
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
almond slices - optional

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper - this helps your cookies from sticking and makes cleanup easy!

Pour your sugar into the food processer and pulse for a few seconds to make it a little more fine.  Add the almond meal and pulse until well mixed, but don't over do it. You don't want to end up with almond butter.  Add the egg whites, vanilla extract and almond extract, and mix until the dough is smooth. 

Drop by rounded teaspoons onto the parchment lined baking sheet.  If you want, add some almond slices on top and dust with some additional sugar.  Bake for 20-24 minutes.  Cool completely, and store in a air-tight container.

Yummy!