Pumpkin Spiced Cookies
As the September nights start to draw in, although I feel a sadness at saying goodbye to hot summer days and light nights, the draw of autumn and all of it’s cosiness is kind of comforting. Being a 70’s child, I grew up associating autumn with the fall of orange and yellow leaves and turnip carving (I’m sure I have the scars to testify this!). Pumpkins were always an American thing, not really associated with the cold north east. However, I have come to embrace this beautifully coloured fruited vegetable, not only as a symbol of autumn and Halloween, but of course, for its many nutritional benefits (see below).
Every year, I try to share recipes to use the flesh of this delicious food, not only to make the most of the nutrients but also, of course to reduce food waste. Pumpkin soup and pumpkin pie are the usual well known ways of using this vegetable, but I always like to create something different and this is how these cookies came about.
PUMPKIN SPICED COOKIES
Equipment
- Baking tray
Ingredients
- 120 g butter
- 100 g unrefined brown sugar
- 60 g pumpkin puree or use grated pumpkin
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. mixed spice
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon optional
- 25 g custard powder or use cornflour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 150 g wholemeal flour*
- 1 tbsp. pumpkin seeds
- 75 g dark chocolate, chopped
Instructions
- Oven 180c
- Beat together the butter and sugar. Stir in the pumpkin puree, salt, spices and custard powder/cornflour.
- Stir the baking powder into the mixture, then mix in the flour. The dough will be soft but will stay on a spoon unless scraped off.
- Add the pumpkin seeds and 50g of the chopped chocolate. Scoop out the dough with a small ice cream scoop or dessertspoon and place on a greased baking tray. It should make 12 - 15 cookies depending on the size of your dough scoops.
- Press down slightly with a spatula then place chunks of the remaining chocolate on each cookie.
- Bake for 20 - 30 mins until lightly golden around the edges. If you prefer a softer biscuit, bake for 20 mins, if you prefer a crisper biscuit, bake for 25 - 30 mins.
Tips
- *Feel free to swap the wholemeal for standard white flour (or substitute for 75g white, 75g wholemeal) though it will not have the same fibre/nutritional content. If you don’t have custard powder or cornflour, you can increase the flour to 175g though it will not have the same texture.As these cookies use fresh/canned pumpkin, they will not keep as long as other types. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
The recipes are free to everyone to use (please give credits to us if you choose to use them), and always will be, but our non-profit organisation incurs many costs to keep it running. If you would like to help keep it going, please consider giving a donation. If you feel inspired to try more, why not invest in our Recipe Collection, available online or from our Eco Market.
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Nutritional Benefits:
Wholemeal flour contains more B vitamins (needed to release energy from nutrients and a healthy nervous system) and vitamin E content than white (helping wound healing, immunity and healthy eyes, skin and red blood cells) as well as insoluble fibre essential for good digestive health and stabilising blood sugars.
These treats use dark chocolate which contains more of the beneficial cocoa solids. Cocoa solids are full of antioxidant flavonoids which help to ‘mop up’ free radicals in the body. Free radicals cause inflammation, ageing, chronic disease and some cancers. Cocoa is also a source of phenylethylamine which stimulates the feel good endorphins and may even help to boost serotonin production (low serotonin levels are associated with depression and anxiety).
These cookies only contain 60g of pumpkin and 15g of the seeds but nevertheless, there are still nutrient dense. Pumpkin is rich in alpha and beta carotenes which are powerful phytonutrients shown to help prevent certain cancers, protect against type 2 diabetes, heart disease and inflammation. The carotenes are converted to vitamin A by the body which is essential for good eye health and vision. They are fat soluble so should be eaten with a little fat to help absorb the nutrients. Pumpkins are also rich in some B vitamins as well as vitamin C and E. These vitamins have an important role in maintaining healthy skin and protecting against sun damage.
Pumpkin seeds are nutritional powerhouses rich are rich in protein, zinc, an antioxidant mineral which boosts the immune system, iron (important for healthy blood cells and energy levels), omega 3 fatty acids, antioxidants, magnesium, selenium, calcium and many other nutrients . They also contain heart healthy polyunsaturated fatty acids and can benefit your heart, liver and immune system as well as helping to fight the onset of diabetes .They also contain tryptophan; an amino acid which is needed by the body to produce serotonin. This brain chemical helps regulate mood, appetite, digestion, sleep and memory. Low levels are linked to depression.
