(A side note about pumpkins (and winter squash in general): I am glad they are so forgiving. I got this pumpkin from The Root Cellar a few weeks ago and just got around to roasting it, I'm lucky they are longer keepers!)
This is one of the more difficult recipes I've tried. I am no good at glazing, icing, or decorating things, so I tend to skip recipes that call for any of the above. But I am trying to improve my skill and shirking off a challenge seems to be antithetical to my goal. I must admit though, I made a mess because I didn't really think the process through. It didn't occur me to put parchment paper under the wire rack while glazing the cookies until after I had made a mess, followed by my moving the cookies to a (parchment lined) surface, and cleaning up a big mess of glaze off the table and floor. And I have a college degree, in a "scientific" area no less... ;-)
Messes aside, these were really good cookies. They were mild, and yet another excellent cookie to pair with tea. I think these would make a great breakfast too - though I would prefer it without the glaze for that purpose. I don't like anything too sweet in the morning.
Recipe modified from here.
The local booty legend (aka revealing my sources):
no asterisk = grocery store
+ = local produce from The Root Cellar
++ = The Peace Nook (will denote whether product is local or just from the Nook)
* = farmer's market
** = CSA
*** = Container or Community Garden
**** = the non-profit buying club, Blue Planet or Purcell Mountain Farms
Whole Grain Spelt Pumpkin-Pecan Cookies with Cinnamon-Sugar Glaze
Makes 18 cookies
Cookies:
1/2 + 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup Earth Balance
1/4 cup safflower oil
1/2 cup pumpkin puree +
1 egg or egg replacer ++
1 cup + 8 tbsp whole grain spelt flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 cup pecans, chopped
Preheat oven to 350.
Bean sugar, Earth Balance, oil, egg (or replacer), and pumpkin with an electric mixer. Slowly add all the dry ingredients (except the pecans).
Stir in the pecans.
Drop by rounded tablespoons a few inches apart on a cookie sheet.
Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.
Let cool 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and let cool completely before frosting.
Frosting:
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp Earth Balance, melted
1/4 tsp cinnamon
4 tbsp plain rice milk
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Use a fork if needed to work out the clumps of sugar.
Using a regular spoon, drizzle over cooled cookies and let sit for about an hour before storing in an air tight container.
These made our apartment smell really good. Oh and they taste pretty awesome too. :-)
'Til next time.
12 comments:
Deish use of pumpkin!!
I love that you're making all these cookies with whole wheat flour. I do that too, and it makes me feel so much better about indulging.
BTW, I also have a college degree and, in the kitchen, I'm the messiest person I know.
Trial and error? haha. I'm also quite messy because I don't think first when baking something new. The cookies sound delish! And with frosting! now that's professional...
Jennifer -- pumpkin keeps very well if you have a cool place to keep it (around 50-65 degrees). We've managed to keep pumpkins from October to April without any fancy root cellaring techniques. Just keep them away from lights, sun or other sources of heat, don't handle unnecessarily, and check them frequently for visible soft spots which mean "use me."
These sound great! I bet they would be good with some dried cranberries or cherries too :o)
And I always make a mess in the kitchen too...but so what?! If you turn out delicious baked goods like the ones you are making, then the mess is well worth it, I think!
Courtney
I wish I had a couple of those pumpkin cookies right now! Thanks for the inspiration. I have a pumpkin patiently waiting to be eaten at home.
those look sooooooo awesome, Jennifer! hooray for more of your healthy & delicious cookies! i still have a pumpkin on hand i need to use up - now i just have to get off my ass and make something glorious with it! mmmmmmmm!
oh yes - i also make one helluva mess in the kitchen! dan's always commenting on how insane it gets! ahahahaaa!
Yum pumpkin cookies. That is something I haven't tried and they look wonderful. I'm not a fan of nuts in cookies however, but I wonder if pumpkin oatmeal cookies would be any good.
the pumpkin, cinnamon, and pecans sound delicious together. I don't whether I've ever had a pumpkin cookie, but the idea sounds perfect!
Veggie Girl - Thank you!
Bianca - I try to use either whole wheat pastry or whole grain spelt flour when cooking. I figure it can be decadent, but it doesn't have to be made out of flour that turns to a glue-like substance in your belly. :-)
Hahaha, I was just pointing out that having a college degree - even in science - is not necessarily an indication of how smart you are. Not only do I make messes, I manage to break things, or hurt myself in ways that don't even make sense. Part of my problem is that I don't always pay attention, and then you add to that clumsiness and it is a recipe for disaster - pun intended I suppose. :-)
Alice - Haha, I only post about the things that turn out. My mind takes me back instantly to a baking error a few years ago when I forgot to put flour in my cookie batter. Let's just say the cookie sheet was ruined. :-)
I don't think either, and I don't often read the recipe all the way through before starting. I get ahead of myself sometimes.
Professional, hahahahaha, you should have been there. I made a HUGE mess with the glaze. I had to go through a lot of hassle to put the silly glaze on!
Susan B - Thanks for the tip about pumpkin. I guess it is like any other winter squash though, if stored properly, they will keep over the entire winter.
Courtney - I think cranberries or cherries would be amazing in these. I'm partial to the idea of the cherries though, I love me some dried cherries.
Messes don't bother me. In fact, I have this amazing gift whereby I cannot see messes. ;-) I always figure if the food turns out, then it was worth it. But while I don't mind making messes, I'm not a huge fan of cleaning them up.
Kale for Sale - Me too! No problem, this or pumpkin bread is a great use for pureed pumpkin.
Jessy - As of today, all the cookie posts I had scheduled are up. I can't believe, looking at those posts, that I made all these cookies in one afternoon! It was madness in my kitchen.
Oooh, if your pumpkin is pureed, I would recommend either these or the pumpkin walnut bread I posted about a few days ago. If you have whole pumpkin, perhaps you would be interested in this pumpkin curry Chandelle posted about awhile back. I kept the recipe because I SWEAR I will try curry one of these days!
Here is the link: http://wholefoodwholefamily.blogspot.com/2008/11/spicy-pumpkin-curry.html
Dan and Brett would have a good time discussing our "mess making skills" I think, I manage to make messes like nobody's business!
Daphne - I hadn't tried them either until I made these. Brett doesn't like nuts either, he actually didn't try any of these cookies. You could sub in cherries or cranberries (as Courtney suggested earlier) or use oatmeal in place of the nuts, I can imagine that would be really good.
Lisa - It IS a good combination. You should try it, there are all sorts of recipes out there. I love that they can double as a breakfast and go perfectly with tea!
I love the idea of frosting these, that just takes it way over the top. These would be great for the holidays.
T - Thank you, if you make these, be sure to have a little more foresight than I did, or else you will have quite the mess on your hands. I think these would be great for the holidays too. I would like to put them in the gift baskets I am making, but I can't figure out how to package cookies with a soft frosting like that.
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