I'm so excited to try these cookies, the perfect post to get us ready for a vegetarian/vegan Thanksgiving!
My mother didn't do very much cooking when I was growing up; she doesn't enjoy cooking and she's not terribly good at it (sorry, Mom). She did, however, make exceptions to this no-cooking lifestyle whenever I had a test at school. On such occasions, she would wake up early, dig the Bisquick out of the back of the cupboard, and send me off to school with a stomach full of pancakes. Though one could question the value of carb-loading a nine-year-old, I think the idea that your brain needs food in order to function best is a sound one. I also think people really like treats. So when my undergrads had a midterm in the class that I TA at UCLA this week, I decided to ameliorate the situation by providing them with a healthy influx of cookies. Here's what I came up with—together, these recipes managed to feed approximately 45 exam-taking undergraduates plus a number of roaming linguists.
Pumpkin Cookies with Maple Glaze
adapted from Growing in Grace
I came across this recipe while searching for a pumpkin cookie that would be a little less cake-like. I don't think this one hits the target, but it gets a little closer than your average pumpkin cookie. I also traded up for a flavorful maple glaze, which really makes the cookie—just make sure it goes on after they're fully cooled!
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1c brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup margarine
1 cup pumpkin puree*
1 tablespoon egg replacer, mixed with 3 tablespoons liquid**
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Glaze:
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/3 cup powdered sugar
a little hot water
Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Sift together all dry ingredients (baking soda, baking powder, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, salt).
In a second bowl, cream together the sugar and margarine. Add in the pumpkin, egg replacer, and vanilla extract. After this is all brought together, gradually beat in the dry ingredients.
Bake in tablespoon-sized scoops for 15-20 minutes (until the outside is firm—these don't get very brown). Let cool on baking sheet until they're firm enough to move without harm and then transfer to a wire rack. After they've completely cooled, drizzle on the maple glaze.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Modified for more intense pumpkin-y goodness from The Post Punk Kitchen Recipes
Ingredients
1/2 cup margarine
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree*
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup walnuts
Keep your oven at 350°F.
Sift together all of the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon).
Cream together the margarine and sugar then beat in the pumpkin puree and vanilla. Gradually add the dry ingredients in. Once everything is mixed up and dough-like, add in the chocolate chips, walnuts, and raisins.
Drop giant balls of dough onto your cookie sheet (about the size of 1-2 tablespoons), and flatten out a bit with your finger. Bake for 15-20 minutes until slightly brown and cooked through (using the toothpick test). Let cool on a wire rack.
* To make your own version of the canned pumpkin puree that is all the rage 'round Thanksgiving, cut a small pumpkin in half, scoop out the innards, and roast opening-down at 400°F until brown and wrinkly. Let cool, scoop flesh into a blender and puree.
** I'm not sure if this is scientifically sound, but I always consider the liquid used to mix up the egg replacer as a sneaky vehicle for extra flavor in a recipe. When making savory dishes, I always mix up my egg replacer with vegetable broth. For these cookies, I used soymilk with a little each of vanilla and almond extract.
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