Desserts/ Recipe

Raisin and Walnut Cookies

I was browsing the isles of the market the other evening and I couldn’t help but notice all the signs of fall on Vancouver Island have arrived. Sunny days are spotted with cooler and damper air; the leaves on trees are starting to turn and rustle with the crinkling that comes with lack of summer heat and humidity; by about 6:30pm it’s near dark in the house; and most lovedly – piles and piles of fall and winter squash are lining the market walls! I love fall! And I love squash! All kinds of squash – Acorn, Delicata, Butternut, Banana, Buttercup, Spaghetti! Delicious! Of course, we can’t forget one of the most adaptable (and wonderful) squash(es?)(i?).

 Pumpkin Cookies

Right now if you drive up the Saanich Peninsula on your way to the ferries, bright orange patches chase the highway all the way to Sidney. It really is beautiful, and it’s also a delightful reminder that Halloween is just around the corner when pumpkin is used in so many different, delicious, and creative ways. I LOVE pumpkin and so does my partner. So, for dessert the other night we had homemade pumpkin cookies with raisins and walnuts. Now, you don’t have to be a pro-baker to make these babies: I suck at baking. I mess it up, just about every time. Things are under-cooked, over-cooked, and usually extremely malformed. However, these are SO user-friendly, it’s very difficult to go wrong:

(User Friendly) Pumpkin Raisin & Walnut Cookies

Ingredients

  • 1 C Freshly Cooked Pumpkin
  • 1 C Butter, room temperature.
  • 1/2 C Sugar.
  • 1/2 C Brown Sugar, firmly packed.
  • 1 Egg.
  • 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract.
  • 2 C Flour.
  • 1 Tsp Baking Soda.
  • 1 Tsp Baking Powder.
  • 2 Tsp Cinnamon.
  • Lil Orange Rind.
  • 1/2 Tsp Salt.
  • 3/4 C of Your Favorite Raisins.
  • Walnuts for Garnish, toasted.

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
  2. Carefully cut pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds (Save these! You can toast them for a delicious snack!). In a baking dish, put 1/4C water and the pumpkin halves face down; cover with tin foil. Bake approx. 45-55 minutes until the flesh is easily pierced with a fork.
  3. Remove, let cool slightly, scoop out flesh with a spoon, and mash/puree away. VOILA! Set aside.
  4. Turn oven to 350 degrees, and lightly grease 2 baking sheets.
  5. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and both sugars until well blended and fluffy looking.
  6. In a separate bowl, blend flour, baking soda and powder, cinnamon, orange rind and salt.
  7. Mix dry into wet, including the pumpkin, followed by the raisins.
  8. Gently spoon about 2 Tbsp of the mixture, a couple inches apart on the baking sheets and top with a walnut.
  9. Bake 15 minutes, or until golden and firm around the edges. Remove, and let cool at least half an hour for cookies to set. Eat.