When he was small, my youngest son had a habit of filling his pockets with treasures he encountered in his daily adventures. I didn't always understand the value he saw in his chosen objects -- really, how many rocks and sticks could one boy keep? In his eyes, though, each one was beautiful and important. Life is just like that on a larger scale, isn't it? We gather up the precious bits of our experiences and save them all to learn from and enjoy later. Perhaps you'll find a little something here that you'd like to keep in your own pockets. Thanks for visiting.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Pumpkin cookies, please!


Pumpkins are popping up all over the neighbourhood around here, and that reminded me of a favorite fall lunchbox treat for our family -- big, soft pumpkin raisin cookies. I baked up this recipe from the Better Food for Kids cookbook by Joanne Saab and Daina Kalnins today, and I'm sure that the scrumptious results won't last long!

1 1/2 cups raisins
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 tbsp applesauce
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (Note: I substituted whole wheat flour and the pint-sized food critics at our house had no complaints!)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a small bowl, soak raisins in hot water for 5 minutes, then rinse and pat dry with a paper towel. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Add pumpkin puree, applesauce, egg, vanilla, ginger and cinnamon; beat until well mixed.

In another bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and baking powder. Gradually add to pumpkin mixture, stirring until just combined. Stir in raisins.

Drop spoonfuls of batter onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 12 minutes or until golden brown.



Thanksgiving is fast approaching, and soon we'll have pumpkin pie and other wonderful autumn treats to enjoy. In the meantime, these delightful pumpkin cookies will definitely tide us over!

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