We had most of a can of pumpkin puree in the fridge, left over from eggless muffins. Because I was lazy and running late that morning, I had simply tossed the open can into the fridge. A year living in the co-op put the fear of botulism in me, so it was clear that I needed to use up that pumpkin puree right quick. What an excellent excuse to create more baked goods.

These little cookies are very, very good. They’re light and a little spongy, more like a cake or quickbread than a cookie. They’re sweet enough to satisfy a craving, but not so sweet that you’ll go into a diabetic coma.

I was almost hoping for something sweeter, so I said to Barb: “I think they’d be better with a little cream cheese frosting.”

She replied: “I think they’d be better in me.”

… and then half of the cookies were gone.

If you keep your butter in the freezer like I do, you can grate the frozen butter on a box grater, and shorten the time for the butter to come to room temperature. It’ll still take a while, though, so be patient. (I was not patient, and a few cookies came out with little lumps of butter. Not the worst fate in the world, but these aren’t really supposed to be shortbread or pie crust.)

Pumpkin-Maple Cookies

Adapted from Moosewood New Classics

Makes roughly 2 1/2 dozen 2″ diameter cookies.

1 c. butter, at room temperature
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. maple syrup
1 c. pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 c. rolled oats
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the maple syrup, pumpkin, egg, and vanilla, and mix until well blended. Stir together the remaining ingredients, and add to the bowl. Stir well to form a soft batter.

Drop by small teaspoonfuls onto a large baking sheet covered in parchment paper, allowing plenty of space for the cookies to spread. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the cookies are very slightly brown on the bottom. Cook briefly on the pan, then transfer to a wire rack.

What to do?

Muffins, of course. I could eat breakfast muffins for days, and variations are infinite. I was out of eggs, but I did have a box of Ener-G Egg Replacer in the cupboard. I’ve used it in the past when cooking for vegans or those with an egg allergy, but I’ve never used it just because I had no eggs.

Surprisingly, these were good. They didn’t have the gummy, floppy texture that I often associate with baked goods made with egg replacer — I suspect the flax and whole wheat flour helped.

Early Morning Eggless Pumpkin Raisin Muffins

3/4 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. whole wheat pastry flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 c. ground flaxseed
2 tsp. Ener-G egg replacer (or 1 egg, slightly beaten, if that’s what you prefer)
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. canned pumpkin
1/4 c. butter, melted and cooled
1/2 c. maple syrup
1/2 c. raisins

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Spray oil a muffin tin. Mix dry ingredients (flour through egg replacer) in one bowl, and wet ingredients (milk through maple syrup) in another. Pour wet into dry, stir to combine, and stir in raisins.

Divide batter among 12 muffin cups. Bake 18-20 minutes, until muffins are slightly browned and spring back when touched. Cool briefly in the muffin tin, then on a wire rack.

I also made a new pumpkin soup. This one’s a new one for me — usually pumpkin soups are sweet affairs in this household. I like this one, though! It’s hearty and rustic and warming. Don’t bother chopping anything too finely in the beginning, since you will just hit it with the stick blender later. Same goes for the roasted pumpkin — unlike many pumpkin puree recipes, there is no need to take it for a spin in the food processor before using.

I served it with toasted pumpkin seeds (following Elise’s recipe) and my new favorite cornbread.

Black Bean and Pumpkin Soup
Adapted and greatly simplified from Smitten Kitchen

Split a medium (~5 lb.) pumpkin in half lengthwise. Scrape stringy bits, reserving seeds. Roast, cut side down, in a 400 degree oven for about 45 minutes.

Into a soup pot goes:
2 T. butter
2 T. bacon grease (or olive oil)
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped into 2-3 pieces
1 T. ground cumin

Cook on medium low, stirring, until onion is translucent. Be careful not to burn the garlic.

Add:
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14.5 oz) whole tomatoes (just dump the whole thing in, no chopping or draining)

Cook and stir until everything is heated through. When the pumpkin is cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh directly into the soup pot. Add flavorful liquid to cover — I used a combination of veggie broth and water, about 4-6 cups in total.

Simmer until the pumpkin really falls apart, maybe 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and hit the mixture with a stick blender until blended to your preference.