Pumpkins. The epitome of fall. The entire reason autumn exists. To bring pumpkin breads, pumpkin cookies, and pumpkin goodness into the world.
We have had volunteer plants spring up in our garden walks over the years. They typically exhibit tomatoes, zinnia flowers, or a random pepper sprout. But this year, we were surprised with a volunteer pumpkin vine. If you know anything about the Cucurbitaceae family, you will be familiar with their overachieving nature to grow not only in their designated little plant spot, but anywhere else they so desire. Our volunteer pumpkin vine decided to grow just off our front porch steps.
Why we chose to let this baby plant achieve adulthood is beyond me. But we now have a massive, sprawling vine, covering a sizeable portion of our front yard. It has proven to be a blessing and a curse. The amount of headache dear pumpkin vine caused when mowing our front lawn over the summer is difficult to estimate. On the other hand, who can resist free contributions from the gourd family? The pain and joy just about evened themselves out.
We now have a surplus of happy members of the pumpkin family, and let’s just say that the baking has begun! One of our absolute favorite pumpkin recipes to date is our World Famous Pumpkin Breakfast Cookies. These breakfast cookies are soft, chewy, and just simply delightful. Preparing these pumpkin cookies takes no more than 10 minutes. The ingredients are simple and ones you already have on hand. We have enjoyed these World Famous Pumpkin Breakfast Cookies more times than I care to count! With the incredible fall flavors, chewy interior, and simplicity to make, these cookies aren’t just autumn treats. We enjoy them all year long, utilizing frozen pumpkin puree.
Pumpkin Puree
Cooking a pumpkin is actually quite simple! Any leftovers can be frozen in freezer bags or our favorite silicon cubes.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Using a sharp knife, carefully cut the pumpkin into two halves.
Using a large spoon, scoop the pumpkin seeds and stringy flesh from the middle of the pumpkin halves. Set the seeds aside for delicious roasted pumpkin seeds.
Lightly grease a large roasting pan with olive oil or butter, and lay pumpkin halves face down on the pan. Bake in a preheated oven for 45minutes or until a fork is easily inserted into the flesh.
Once pumpkin halves are cool enough to handle, carefully remove the outer skin. To skip the peeling step, you can also use a large serving spoon to scoop out the pumpkin flesh into a bowl. Transfer cooked pumpkin to a food processor or high-powered blender. If using a Vitamix, only fill to half full. Blend on medium-high until smooth for 30-45 seconds. Be careful since the cooked pumpkin will still be warm to the touch. Transfer pureed pumpkin to a heat-safe bowl.
Once the pumpkin has cooled, transfer it to quart or gallon freezer bags and store in the freezer. You can also use silicon freezer cubes for easy storing.
Pumpkin puree will store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Sweeten with Honey
Back in my early days of baking, I sweetened almost everything with sugar. Sugar contains the sweetness of life, and naturally, a little sugar made just about everything better. But when creating these World Famous Pumpkin Breakfast Cookies, I was a little hesitant to lace the first meal of the day with bleached sweeteners. One of my favorite sugar substitutes is raw honey. Naturally sticky and even more naturally sweet, raw honey holds these World Famous Pumpkin Cookies together while offering added nutritional benefits.
For the World Famous Pumpkin Breakfast Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Raw Honey
- 2 Cups Freshly Milled Soft White Wheat Berries
- 1 Cup Oats
- 1/2 Cup Butter, melted
- 1 Large Egg
- 1 Cup Pumpkin Puree
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon (plus more to garnish)
- 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, oats, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Stir until fully combined.
In a small saucepan, melt butter on low heat.
In a large bowl or stand mixer, add in pumpkin puree, egg, vanilla, and honey, beating until well incorporated.
Very slowly add in the flour mixture bit by bit until fully mixed in.
Using a spatula, fold in chocolate chips if desired.
Drop a large spoonful of dough for each cookie onto a greased baking sheet. Using a fork, gently flatten the dough until it is half an inch thick. Cookies will not spread out while baking, so this is an important step. Lightly dust cookies with cinnamon.
Bake for 8-10 minutes.
Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a serving plate.
Cookies will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, or store in the freezer for 1-2 months. Make these cookies fresh for a quick, easy breakfast, or reheat leftover or frozen cookies for a healthy snack or dessert.
Pro Tips
Crunched for time? Make World Famous Pumpkin Breakfast Cookie dough a day in advance, and chill in the refrigerator.
Don’t over bake! These cookies bake quickly! If you intend to reheat them later, try baking for a minute or two less to keep them from drying out during reheating.
These World Famous Pumpkin Breakfast Cookies are simple to make, full of healthy fiber, potassium, and magnesium. Plus, you can’t beat the irresistible fall flavor of these World Famous Pumpkin Breakfast Cookies!
Go try them!!
Joyfully,
Lauren
