Friday, October 20, 2006

RECIPE ~ Pumpkin Spice Cookies


It's pumpkin season! These cookies make beautiful and delicious treats to give as a gift or share at a potluck. The texture is soft and cake-like. Feel free to skip the maple-like glaze for an all-dosha-friendly festive snack that's lighter on sugar.

1 cup butter (I used 1/2 cup each coconut oil & butter)
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup pureed pumpkin (fresh or canned)
1 egg
2 cups flour of your choice
1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice (or 1 tsp each cinnamon, allspice and ginger)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

GLAZE
3 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
chopped walnuts or pecan halves (optional garnish)


In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Blend in pumpkin and egg.

In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices and salt. Mix flour mixture into butter-sugar mixture.

Preheat oven to 350F and have some ungreased baking sheets ready. Drop tablespoonfuls of cookie dough 3 inches apart, trying to make them neat and rounded. Bake for about 12 minutes until golden around the edges. Remove warm cookies and transfer to racks. Let cool completely for a least one half hour, then frost with glaze if desired.

GLAZE
In a small saucepan, heat butter and brown sugar over medium heat until bubbly. Cook, stirring constantly, for one minute or until slightly thickened. Reduce heat to low and beat in the milk. Blend in confectioner's sugar until the glaze is smooth and creamy. To glaze the cookies, take one at a time and dip top-side-down into the hot glaze, then set on a plate and immediately press nuts on the top if using. This glaze will harden fairly quickly so keep on the stove on the lowest heat possible and stir frequently to prevent it from hardening.

Makes 3 dozen.

FOR INDIVIDUAL DOSHAS
VATAS replace white sugar with sucanat or turbinado sugar
PITTAS use 1 Tbsp cinnamon and no other spices; replace white sugar with sucanat or turbinado sugar; choose almonds or coconut for top garnish
KAPHAS this is such a kapha-heavy treat that major substitutions are necessary to make it kapha-friendly: replace all fat with 1/4 cup ghee or sunflower oil; use quinoa, rice or tapioca flour; replace both sugars with 3/4 cupfruit juice concentrate or prune puree; do not glaze or use nuts.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yay! Your cookies were so good, they lasted aprox. 2 hours in our house. can't wait to try making them!

Anonymous said...

Hi Fran,

You have some great recipes and awesome notes on each.
I am the chef and owner of a culinary solutions company named Global Cuisines (www.GlobalCuisines.com ). Vegetarian by religion and by choice. Aspects of Ayurveda were practised at home since my childhood. As an entreprenurial chef, it is intriguing and exciting to see the kind of work that you are devoting towards Ayurveda.
At Global Cuisines, our core focus is on new world multi ethnic food and related event management. Our organization comprises of professionals who are from a multitude of ethnicities and various aspects of the food service and hospitality industry. Leading food service corporations and smaller free standing entities use our consulting services ranging from strategic development to project implementation and operations.
Private cooking classes and team buliding exercises revolving around modern interpretations of ethnic cuisines are also part of our repertoire.
If we could ever be of any assistance to you please do feel free to reach out to us through www.GlobalCuisines.com
Be well,
Atul Jain

Claudia Davila (Fran) said...

Why thank you, gimpy mumpy! I'm so glad you tried them and liked them -- I'll be sure to post more cookie recipes in the future! :-)

Anonymous said...

Just wanted to thank you for this cookie recipe. I had tons of pumpkin to use up, and this was the tastiest thing I did with it. I made four batches in one day and they were devoured.

Unknown said...

I have to add that I just made these (I veganised them) and they're absolutely delish! Thanks for posting the recipe.

Here is a pic of mine.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v675/serpentinekiss/2007-10-20016Medium.jpg

Claudia Davila (Fran) said...

Sally and Stiletto, I'm thrilled they were such a hit! Those little Halloween cats look pretty scrumptious. Thanks for your messages -- drop by again soon! : )

Anonymous said...

I LOVED this recipe! Thank you so much for posting it. I shared it with the readers of my blog, hopefully that'll bring some of them your way. Thanks again!

Anonymous said...

I LOVED this recipe! Thank you so much for posting it. I shared it with the readers of my blog, hopefully that'll bring some of them your way. Thanks again!

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