I love the smell of fall.
Dried leaves, roasting chilis, woodsmoke, and the aroma of fresh-baked cookies… Mmmm…
During harvest season, when we go to the Farmers Market, we make sure to stock up on pie pumpkins, butternut, red kuri, acorn, and spaghetti squash. Some go into savory dishes, like a soup or stir fry, and the rest go to feed my sweet tooth. Yes, vegetable cookies…
Winter squash can be kept for a long time in cool storage, so buying cases of squash in the fall and storing them will stretch your food budget and stock your pantry with nutritious goodness. Squashes and pumpkins are an important part of a local-centered diet, especially for those of us in places with a short growing season. They grow pretty happily in most areas but need room to sprawl, so plan your planting accordingly. This year I dug up a patch of lawn and planted squash there and they loved it. I just mowed around them and mulched them with the grass clippings.
This incredible recipe will have you eating tons of pumpkin long before the traditional Thanksgiving pies.
Amazing Pumpkin Spice Cookies
- 1/2 cup coconut oil (or butter)
- 3/4 cup unrefined sugar (or maple syrup or honey)
- 1 cup cooked pumpkin (cut in half, scoop out seeds, place cut side down on baking sheet and bake at 350 until soft. Peel and mash or blend the pumpkin.)
- 2 eggs (or egg replacer equivalent)
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Mix all ingredients together and chill in refrigerator for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 325, drop spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets and bake for 8 to 10 minutes.
Try substituting sweet potatoes or butternut squash for the pie pumpkin for a different taste, or bake in a loaf pan.
You’ll freak out, they’re so tasty.
>> Related: Ten Ways to Eat Local, Seasonal Food All Year
Image: the_girl on Flickr under Creative Commons
Is it possible to chill this longer than an hour, say, a couple days before you plan to bake?
I’ve never kept them in the fridge that long, but I imagine that if you kept them covered to keep from drying out, they would be fine. We always make the vegan version, so if you make it with eggs, it might be different.
If you try it, let me know how it goes.
Just curious, approximately how many cookies would this recipe make?
Recipe makes about 2 dozen cookies, depending on the size of the cookie.
Made these over the weekend. I decided to only chill them overnight to avoid any problems but 2 days seems possible as long as they are well sealed. Used the honey and skipped the walnuts. Everyone at work loved them. Next time I think I might fold in dried cranberries.
Would have been even better with pictures!