This is my post for the Go Ahead Honey event. I am also hosting this month, so check back soon for my post rounding up all the participants who made a dish out of pumpkin. In my house, we're huge fans of pumpkins and many different varieties of squash like kabocha, acorn, butternut, red kuri and spaghetti. For the Go Ahead Honey theme this month, I chose pumpkin because October is my favorite month and pumpkins are a must for this time of year. I decorate with pumpkins and I cook with pumpkin as well.
For my recipe this month, I made some pumpkin cookies to serve at my daughter's Halloween party. I took the recipe for my cinnamon crunch cookies and edited it to make the pumpkin cookies. I had to make a couple batches before the party to be sure I created a good recipe. I used canned organic pumpkin because I was afraid fresh pumpkin would be too watery. I also made some pumpkin icing as well and topped the cookies with gluten-free, naturally colored sprinkles.
Pumpkin Cookies (dairy-free, nut-free, gluten-free, egg-free and soy-free)
Ingredients:
3/4 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/2 sorghum flour
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup organic cane sugar (or use just organic cane sugar and no honey.. or coconut sugar!)
1/2 honey
1 cup and 1/4 cup coconut oil (not melted)
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup pumpkin
3/4 to 1 cup coconut milk (unsweetened by So delicious, in a carton)
Add dry ingredients to a large bowl and mix together well. Cream wet ingredients together in a smaller bowl. Add to dry ingredients and fold in until completely mixed. Be sure there's enough liquid - if not add a bit more. The batter needs to stick together and not be too dry.
Sprinkle some gluten-free flour on a cutting board and roll out the dough. Sprinkle the roller and the dough with flour as well, so that it rolls without sticking. Use cookie cutters of your choice!
Bake at 350. It takes approximately 30 minutes for these cookies to bake.
Be sure to check them and take them out as the become lightly golden brown.
I find the best results when I set the timer for 5 minute increments and turn the cookie sheet around in the oven when the timer goes off. The cookies bake more evenly (my oven isn't very good, so this may not be a problem for some).
The bake time also depends on how thick the cookies are. I made a few cookies a bit too thick in one of my batches and it required a longer bake time, so keep that in mind!
This batch actually made 42 cookies. It all depends on the thickness and size, so you might not get that exact amount. I made another batch for Sophie's Halloween Party. I used a pumpkin shaped cookie cutter, but unfortunately I did not get pictures of those. For that batch, I think it made almost 42 cookies as well (but I didn't count).
I wanted to use coconut sugar to sweeten, but I have not been able to find a source for the sugar. I have some organic cane sugar left but I'm not going to use it anymore once it's gone.
For the pumpkin icing, I made a recipe but I tried to repeat the recipe on the morning of the Halloween party and had a huge flop. I realized later why.. the batch of canned pumpkin. It was slightly overcooked and had a bitter taste. But, here's a loose recipe if you want to try the icing with a good batch of pumpkin.
Pumpkin Icing
1/4 cup pumpkin
1 to 2 tablespoons organic coconut butter (note: not the oil, the coconut butter)
1 tablespoon organic fresh squeezed orange juice
1 to 2 tablespoons raw honey
dash of cinnamon
Mix in a food processor or blender. The mixture should be rather thick. Spread on the cookies and enjoy! I also refrigerated some left over icing and it firmed up even more.
Have a wonderful Halloween! Be sure to check back to see the full round-up. I've had so many participants that I am going to have my hands full putting together the final post! Stay tuned!
-heather
