Pumpkin Cookie Recipe with Homemade Pumpkin Puree
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These soft pumpkin cookies are bomb. It’s an old fashioned dessert that grandma would be proud of! You’re going to be asking for more!
You can make pumpkin cookies with homemade pumpkin puree or used canned.
I love using pumpkins with my kids and decorating with them, but I HATE wasting food. I don’t like buying them and not using them. We roast our pumpkins and make our own homemade pumpkin puree. Then I freeze it in the freezer in 2 cup portions so it’s ready for recipes. Here are a ton of other pumpkin recipes to make with kids.
We can use it to add nutrients and fiber to our food all year. It’s a great idea! This time we made yummy pumpkin cookies with our puree.
Pumpkin puree cookies
These pumpkin puree cookies are so soft and tender and the glaze on top makes them the perfect sweetness.
First step to make pumpkin puree, cut the pumpkin in half.
Second step, scoop out all the seeds and junk in the middle.
You can wash the seeds and soak them in brine and cook them. They are delicious. You can compost the stringy goop in the center too. Click here to see how to make your own yummy pumpkin seeds.
Third step, bake the pumpkin cookies.
Set your oven to 350-400 degrees and lay the pumpkin halves on a cookie sheet cut side down. Bake them until fork tender. The time will depend on the size of the pumpkins. You can use pie pumpkins or even big jack o lantern pumpkins, but pie pumpkins have a more concentrated flavor and smoother texture. We use both. Like I said, I hate waste.
If I have a pumpkin that goes past its prime before it’s time to cook them up, I will set it out on the outside of the garden fence and let it decompose there. Sometimes animals will come and eat them. In the spring, some pumpkin plants will come up on their own. I love the idea of plants planting themselves naturally.
Fourth step, skin and process.
The skins will slide right off the pumpkin halves when they have cooled. Then throw the chunks in your blender or food processor and process until smooth. You can add a tablespoon of water if you need to loosen it up a little.
This year, when we baked our first pumpkin, we made some yummy pumpkin cookies. The kids loved them. I don’t use any cinnamon because I’m seriously allergic to it, even the smell. I personally think pumpkin flavor is good all on its own, but I’ve been allergic to cinnamon my whole life so I haven’t spent much time eating it.
Take your pumpkin puree and measure out two cups and store them in a ziplock back or mason jar with plenty of headspace. Then your puree is at the ready for your recipes. Another great idea is to freeze it in ice cube trays.
Once it’s frozen, pop them out and store them in an airtight container. Then you can use a cube or two or three as a hidden ingredient in many things. Soups, stews, and casseroles are a great place to boost nutrients with 3 or 4 cubes of pumpkin but will never be detected by picky eaters. Trust me, I’m a professional and you can be too!
Glazed pumpkin cookies
They are soft and fat and super yummy. Enjoy.
Pumpkin Cookies with Homemade Pumpkin Puree
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 C flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 C soft butter
- 1 1/2 C raw sugar (or white if you don't have raw)
- 1 C homemade pumpkin puree
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 2 C powdered sugar
- 4 T milk
- 1 T melted butter
- 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- In a medium bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup of butter and raw sugar.
- Add pumpkin, egg, and 2 teaspoons vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy.
- Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl. If you want to use Gina’s spices, you could add them now, cinnamon, nutmeg and ground cloves.
- Mix into wet ingredients.
- Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven.
- Cool cookies.
- To Make Glaze: Combine confectioners’ sugar, milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla.
- Drizzle over cooled cookies with a fork.
Notes
For more healthy pumpkin recipes, click here.
More Little Sprouts cookies:
- Best soft Christmas chocolate chip cookies (I’m world famous for these as well)
- Cowboy Cookies
- Monster Cookies
- Air fryer peanut butter cookies (cook in 8 minutes)
