Pumpkin Butterscotch Cookies

I like winter and colder weather for a few reasons. I enjoy wearing my slippers around the house and cuddling up with a blanket on my couch. I love the feeling of extra blankets on bed when I'm falling asleep at night. The being cold right before you get into a nice warm shower is just wonderful. Snow covered trees and bushes are breathtakingly beautiful.

But some of those reasons are also why I don't like the cold weather. Like being comfy and cozy on the couch doesn't make me motivated to wash dishes (actually not much makes me motivated to wash dishes). And the warmth of my bed in the morning does nothing for getting me up and going early in the day. My showers take longer because why would I want to leave the hot water? And snow has a tendency to turn to an ugly grey color that is not quite as admirable.

Ah well, winter is something you deal with (the good, the bad and the ugly) when you live in the Midwest. In the words of Master Stark "winter is coming" and we gotta drag out our boots, coats, hats, mittens and scarves.

If you want to warm up your house a little bit without turning the heat up, I would suggest some baking. I've got grand plans of cookies, bars, candies and the such this holiday season so stay tuned for recipes. And feel free to send me your address and then maybe you'll get a goody bag in the mail (because we all know I shouldn't eat all the treats I make). 

To start off holiday baking season, I'm sharing with you some pumpkin butterscotch cookies that I made for Thanksgiving. Since our Thanksgiving festivities were smaller in number of people this year, we decided to make only one pie-- apple, which is definitely my favorite. My mom wanted something pumpkin-y and she really enjoyed my last pumpkin cookie, so I figured we should give these a whirl. I had made them before (like back in the day before Pinterest and this blog) so I knew they would be good. They are a nice soft cookie that is bursting with flavor. The dominate flavor is definitely the butterscotch but your mouth is left with pumpkin and cinnamon goodness at the end. I would recommend them for any holiday cookie platter!

Pumpkin Butterscotch Cookies (adapted from Annie's Eats)
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
dash of salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 canola oil
1 cup pumpkin puree (homemade or storebought)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup butterscotch chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Combine the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon) in a bowl.

In a larger bowl, gently beat the eggs with a whisk. Whisk in the sugar until light in color, about 2-3 minutes. Whisk in the oil, pumpkin puree and vanilla extract. Stir in the flour mixture with a wooden spoon until just incorporated. Gently mix the in butterscotch chips.

Drop mounds of the dough onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 14-16 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through. Allow to cool slightly on the baking sheet and then transfer to a wire rack.

Makes 36-40 cookies of about 2-2.5 inch diameter.

Pumpkin Pesto

Well it's official. I had to turn my heat on today. My house was down to 60 degrees and I couldn't handle it. I did bundle myself up and head out to the second to last farmer's market of the season. Either the crops are diminishing or the farmers were cold as well because it wasn't quite as full as normal.

Oh don't worry, I'm actually not complaining. I like the cooler weather especially a cooler house. I love to cuddle up with blankets on the couch to watch a movie or read a book. I like sleeping with extra layers on my bed (yes, I did add my down comforter to the bed last night). 

Have you been wondering what I have been making with that pumpkin puree? Wait no longer, today is pumpkin pesto day! I came across this recipe through one of my daily recipe emails that just knew I had to try it out. I decided to skip the walnuts and substitute in some toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds!) instead. 

Overall, I thought the pesto was good on spaghetti noodles although I didn't get a strong taste of pumpkin. The predominant flavors were definitely the garlic, basil and parsley. However, that being said, I would still suggest trying it out. You can use pesto for so many things including as a sauce for pasta as I did below or as a pizza or calzone sauce or as an appetizer dip.

Stay warm and eat pumpkin pesto!

Pumpkin Pesto (adapted from Diabetic Living)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves

1/2 cup packed fresh parsley

1/2 cup pumpkin puree (homemade or store bought)

1/4 cup pepitas, toasted*

1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

2 garlic cloves

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tbsp honey

kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients except the oil in a food processor. Pulse until coarsely chopped, scraping down the sides as necessary. With the motor running, stream in the oil and blend until the desired consistency is obtained. Season with additional salt and pepper, to taste.

Use as pesto in anything you desire.

To serve with pasta, combine with cooked noodles and 1/8-1/4 cup pasta cooking water to help coat the noodles. Serve garnished with additional parmesan cheese and pepitas.

Homemade Pumpkin Puree (a how to)

I know I've said this a number of times, but sometimes spending the time and effort to make things at home instead of buying canned or prepackaged is great.

This weekend I made pumpkin puree. Yeah, that stuff you normally get out of a can. I spent $3 on two pie pumpkins and got around 5 cups of puree. I think that is maybe about equivalent to what it would cost you from the store. But the great thing is I also got some toasted pumpkin seeds out of the deal. And I supported a local farmer. If you've got the time you should do it; doesn't take a lot of effort, just follow the 6 easy steps below.

Step 1. Go to the farmer's market (or grocery store) and pick out some pie pumpkins. Clean the outsides. And get out a giant sharp knife.

Step 2. Cut the pumpkins in half and scoop out the insides. Place them cut side down on baking sheets. Roast in 400 F oven for 40-60 minutes (give or take some time depending on the size of your pumpkins).

Step 3. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.

Step 4. Peel off the skin and put the flesh into a food processor.

Step 5. Puree until you get the desired consistency.

Step 6. Use in recipes!!

So simple. Do the darn thang!


Pumpkin Puree
Ingredients:
Pie pumpkins (also known as sugar pumpkins)*

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 F.

Clean the outside of the pumpkin(s). Cut the pumpkin(s) in half using a sharp knife. Scoop out the seeds and strings. Place the pumpkin halves cut side down on baking sheet. Bake for 40-60 minutes (cooking time will vary depending on the size of your pumpkin) until the flesh is cooked completely.

Let the roasted pumpkins cool completely. Peel off the skin and put the flesh into a food processor. Pulse until a smooth consistency is reached.

Use in place of "canned pumpkin puree" for any recipe.

Freeze in freezer safe ziploc bags.**

*I used two pie pumpkins (Sorry I don't know how much they weighed because I got them from the farmer's market) and got around 5 cups of puree. Use as many pumpkins as you want :)

**I packaged some of mine in 1 cup aliquots in quart sized bags. I froze the rest in ice cube trays (about 2 tbsp per cube) then cracked the cubes out and put them in a gallon sized bag. The different amounts will allow me to thaw whatever I need, when I need it.