Friday, October 31, 2008
In honor of the season---and the fact that I've got half a dozen jumbo cans of pumpkin---I decided to bake yesterday. These cookies are very moist and cake-like, without being annoyingly sweet.
John’s Pumpkin-Oatmeal Cookies
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, at room temperature
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup granulated (white) sugar
1 cup prepared pumpkin/pumpkin puree
1 large egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup dried cherries (or raisins)
½ cup pine nuts, toasted
2 tablespoons bourbon or other whiskey
In a small bowl, soak the cherries in the bourbon, along with enough water to cover. Set aside for at least 20 minutes, or as long as a few hours.
Cream together the butter and sugars until thoroughly mixed. Add the pumpkin, egg and vanilla; mix until thoroughly combined.
Drain the liquid from the cherries; discard liquid. Blot cherries dry with paper towel.
In a separate bowl, mix the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Whisk to thoroughly combine. Gradually add the butter mixture to the dry ingredients, in 3 or 4 installments, stirring with a rubber spatula. When ingredients are just combined, fold in the pine nuts and cherries. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, and store dough in refrigerator for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake cookies for 15-17 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack.
Makes about 4 dozen cookies.
John’s Pumpkin-Oatmeal Cookies
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, at room temperature
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup granulated (white) sugar
1 cup prepared pumpkin/pumpkin puree
1 large egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup dried cherries (or raisins)
½ cup pine nuts, toasted
2 tablespoons bourbon or other whiskey
In a small bowl, soak the cherries in the bourbon, along with enough water to cover. Set aside for at least 20 minutes, or as long as a few hours.
Cream together the butter and sugars until thoroughly mixed. Add the pumpkin, egg and vanilla; mix until thoroughly combined.
Drain the liquid from the cherries; discard liquid. Blot cherries dry with paper towel.
In a separate bowl, mix the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Whisk to thoroughly combine. Gradually add the butter mixture to the dry ingredients, in 3 or 4 installments, stirring with a rubber spatula. When ingredients are just combined, fold in the pine nuts and cherries. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, and store dough in refrigerator for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake cookies for 15-17 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack.
Makes about 4 dozen cookies.
