This month's notes: May 2013: The cool weather has delayed blooms and slowed growth by a couple of weeks, but don't miss strawberries: they started in most Southern areas in late April, and in late May up north. Click here for strawberry facts and picking tips, and this page for easy strawberry jam making directions. Blueberries will come in June in most areas. Of course, Florida, southern Texas, and other very warm areas are already picking both crops! See this page for hundreds of easy canning and freezing instructions/recipes, canning equipment guide! Also make your own ice cream - see How to make ice cream and ice cream making equipment and manuals. Then see each state's crop availability calendar for more specific dates of upcoming crops. Organic farms are identified in green!  See our guide to local fruit and vegetable festivals!. Please tell the farms you found them here - and ask them to update their information!!

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How to Make Pumpkin Cookies from Canned or Fresh Pumpkin - in easy illustrated steps

How to Make Homemade Pumpkin Cookies!

Pumpkin cookies are a great change from chocolate chips and other cookies, as they are much more nutritious, as well as tasty! The taste is reminiscent of pumpkin pie and they're great warm from the oven or warmed later in the microwave!  They have a light, soft, almost bread-like texture! and of course, you can add orange food coloring to the icing and use frosting to make jack-o-lantern faces or other designs on them, too! Perfect for Halloween, Thanksgiving or Christmas and holiday parties.

Click here for a PDF print version

Directions for Making Pumpkin cookies

Ingredients and Equipment

Pumpkin Cookies Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 375 F  (190 C).
2. Lightly grease two cookies sheets (whatever size you have) with vegetable shortening (like Crisco.  If you are the UK, there is something called Trex vegetable fat in the refrigerated section of the supermarket near the butter. I'm told it a good substitute for Crisco. )
   
   Prepare the icing:
3. Carefully, lightly brown the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Be careful not to burn it. If you have trouble getting it to brown, down worry about it, it is mostly to add the color!
    
4. Remove the browned butter from heat.
   
   
   
    
5. Blend in the confectioners' sugar and the vanilla extract. It will start off think and lumpy, until you add the milk in the next step.
   
   
    
6. Mix in just enough milk to make the mixture smooth and spreadable.  It probably will only take a small amount, like 1/8 to 1/4 cup.
    
7. Set aside
   
    
8. Prepare the Cookie dough
   
   In a large mixing bowl, mix the butter and brown sugar together until light and smooth.
   
   
   
   
    
9. Mix in the eggs, pumpkin and vanilla extract.
   
   
   
   
    
10. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and spices (cinnamon, allspice, ginger and nutmeg).
    
    
    
     
11. Combine the two bowls (just pour the smaller bowl into the larger) and
     
12. Stir until blended.
    
     
13. Stir in the chopped nuts (optional).
14. Use a ordinary spoon (table, soup) or small ice cream scoop to drop the cookie dough onto the greased cookie sheet (you can also use the silicon cookie sheet cloths on a regular cookies sheet, the cookies will come off more easily).
15. Bake pumpkin cookies in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until lightly browned.
     
16. Cool the cookies on racks and while they are still warm (but not hot)
     
17. Spread the butter icing on them!

They're great warm, or later when cool!
 

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This page was updated on 23-Apr-2012