The table of my kitchen has lots of things that I don’t always use. Have I mentioned that our flat is tiny? Well, we have a space problem and I don’t know where to store kitchen stuff. For example: 3 different types of peanuts, amaranth, muesli, box with tea… so they lay on our kitchen table. Among all those things there it was: my Hokkaido pumpkin =). I had it there lying for some time and I knew I wanted to do something special with it, but I was waiting for a special occasion. Let me tell you how I planned today morning yesterday night.
- -Me: tomorrow I want to get up earlier to go get baking stuff in the supermarket.
- -Him (my husband): ok, make a list.
- -Me: I am not sure of what I want to make tomorrow. I have some time because my student has cancelled the lesson, so…
- -Him: why don’t you use the old chocolate that we have been keeping in that box? I give you this week if not and I will throw it away.
- -Me: mmm chocolate? I don’t feel like it. I was thinking something more like autumn flavour, we have to eat the autumn season, soon it will be over =(
- -Him: just make something and let me read the news.
- -Me: ok, anyway I won’t ask for your opinion.
Finally I saw it, I saw what I wanted to make. Cupcakes, yes cupcakes! So I grabbed my “Objetivo: Cupcake perfecto” (by Alma Obregón) book and I pictured it in my head: a beautiful red velvet cupcake with a beautiful frosting.
So this morning I got up with the second (of three) alarm and I ate my overnight oats that I will also post here soon. Then we got ready and we left to the supermarket, and I thought, mmm I want pumpkin, and pumpkin it is! I had seen this recipe and I wanted to do it sooner or later and today is the lucky day.
Canned pumpkin puree is not easily found at stores in Germany as in the USA… Instead of using the easy lazy version I make the fresh one. It is a bit of a work but it is totally worthy. Here I was in the kitchen cutting and peeling the Hokkaido pumpkin. Then I boiled big pieces in some water for 10 min or so (until tender) and mashed it…and fresh pumpkin puree it was!
This is a recipe that will make you taste fall in all its splendour. It will make you want to step on crispy leaves and hug a cat!! It is pure golden Fall.
I want you to enjoy them as much as I do whenever I make them.
Soft pumpkin cookies (adapted from Sally’sbakingaddiction)
Ingredients:
- 115g unsalted butter
- 50g dark brown sugar
- 200g granulated sugar (only 100g in the dough!)
- 90g fresh pumpkin puree
- 190g flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice: ground ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves.
- 3 handfuls of pumpkin spice morsels
DIRECTIONS:
To begin with, grab a microwavable recipient and melt the butter. With a mixer combine both sugars and once creamy and no lumps add the pumpkin and mix well.
Then get a big recipient work with the dry ingredients: sift flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and pumpkin spice. Mix them well and set aside.
Carefully fold in the wet ingredients into the dry ones and with a spatula stir it and mix them well. Last but not least add the pumpkin spice morsels. Do not over mix the batter.
Chill the cookie dough for 30 minutes.
Once they have rested in the fridge, get a spoon and form small balls and roll them in a mixture of 100g granulated sugar and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon (to get that bakery shinny effect). Repeating the action with a ball after ball and place those on a baking tray with baking paper.
I flattened them a little by pressing my fingers on them.
Preheat the oven before and bake for 8-10 minutes. Do not over bake them. They will look very soft almost uncooked but let them rest for 5 minutes with the oven open and after transfer them to another surface to cool down.
Feel free to add more pumpkin morsels for fun and taste. If you feel like, you could use some of the pumpkin puree to make a real homemade pumpkin spice latte…That is what I did. What a delicious treat they were!! I should have shaped smaller balls because the outcome was bigger than I expected! They were giant cookie balls with extra pumpkin morsels!
These cookies must be stored in a dry place.
With love,
Pink Maple