Pumpkin is EVERYWHERE, so in case you were wondering what season it was, take a look around! More and more, I’m seeing pumpkin-flavored recipes on my favorite blogs and foodie websites, on menus and in coffee shops. I’m certainly not complaining though! Pumpkin features in several of my own favorite recipes:
- Pumpkin Pecan Bread
- Roasted Pumpkin & Red Pepper Soup
- Hearty Pumpkin Bean Soup
- Pumpkin Walnut Bread
- Raw Pumpkin Pie (a Thanksgiving staple!)
There is nothing to it (other than a bit of peeling, chopping, and roasting). You could also steam the squash to save time. But one step you cannot skimp on is the peeling. While I’m all for a roasted butternut (or any variety) squash with the skin intact, if you’re pureeing for a baked good, you’ve got to remove the thick skin. Here’s how I got my butternut squash puree:
- Preheat the oven to 375F.
- Cut the ends off the butternut squash, and then cut it in half, where the bulbous part meets the “neck”.
- Cut the bulbous part in half and scoop out the seeds, and cut the neck part in half.
- Peel the skin off all parts of the squash, then chop the flesh into small cubes (about 1 1/2-inch).
- Place the squash chunks into a roasting pan and sprinkle with a little bit of water. Cover the whole thing with foil and place in the oven.
- Roast for about 30 minutes. If a dinner knife can be easily inserted in one of the squash pieces, it’s ready. If not, bake a little while longer.
- Leave to cool slightly before pureeing in a blender. Add a few splashes of water if too thick. You know what pumpkin puree in a can looks like, consistency-wise, so that’s what you’re aiming for here.
- Keep whatever you don’t use in this recipe in an refrigerated air-tight container for up to a week.
Butternut Spice Cookies
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Keywords: bake dessert snack gluten-free nut-free soy-free vegetarian wheat free cookie fall
Ingredients (18-20 cookies)
- 1 3/4 cup brown rice flour
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 1 1/2 cups coconut sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp vanilla powder
- 1 1/4 cups butternut squash puree
- 1/2 cup light coconut milk
- 2 tbsp olive oil or melted coconut oil
- 2 organic eggs, beaten
- optional: 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Stir the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, combine the squash puree, coconut milk, oil, and eggs.
Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry, stirring slowly as you go. If the batter is too wet, sprinkle a touch more brown rice flour. If it is too dry, add a bit more coconut milk.
Optional step: fold in the chocolate chips here.
Scoop out the batter and place onto the lined baking sheets – you should get about 18-20 cookies in total. Flatten each one slightly with the back of a spoon (these won’t bleed together, so don’t worry about placing them close together).
Bake for 20 minutes, checking on them at the 15-minute mark. Do not overbake!
Leave to cool on the sheets completely before removing and storing in an airtight container in the fridge.
