Pumpkin Cookies Galore for January’s Secret Recipe Club

Today is  Secret Recipe Club day!  Welcome to the first SRC reveal for Group C in 2014!

Secret Recipe Club

I was assigned Jamie’s blog, Our Eating Habits.    When I received the assignment from Debbi (Group C’s hostess), I was smack dab in the middle of roasting pumpkins.    I get the most bang for my buck out of pumpkins during the fall.  I buy them for decorations on our front steps for Halloween.  I don’t carve them and usually I can use them for Thanksgiving decorations as well if the weather cooperates and it doesn’t freeze.   Then, I roast them, puree them, and freeze up bags for later use.

Luckily for me, Jamie has some great pumpkin recipes on her site.   So much so, that I ended up making three of Jamie’s recipes for this post.    All of the results were met with rave reviews from my colleagues and The Hubs’ co-workers.

The first recipe I tried was a pumpkin-oatmeal cookie.   I used dark brown sugar, coconut oil and added a bit more oatmeal to Jamie’s original recipe.

Pumpkin Seed Oatmeal Cookies
Based on Pumpkin-Seed Cookies

3/4 c. dark brown sugar, packed
3/4 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. coconut oil
1 large farm fresh egg
1 1/3 c. pumpkin puree
1 ¾ c. old-fashioned rolled oats, divided
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 T. baking powder
3/4 t. ground cinnamon
1/4 t. ground allspice
1/4 t.  salt
3/4 c. dried cranberries
3/4 c. salted, roasted shelled pumpkin seeds

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Beat together the coconut oil and sugars until creamy. Beat in egg and pumpkin.

Place 1 cup of the oats oats in blender or food processor and process to a coarse powder. Add to pumpkin mixture.

Stir in remaining ¾ cup oats, flour, baking powder, salt and spices. Add pumpkin seeds and cranberries. Mix until well combined. Using a small cookie scoop, drop onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven, and cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes. Remove to wire cooling racks.

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Pumpkin Seed Oatmeal Cookies.

Hold onto your hats for this next one.   It is delicious and perhaps my favorite of the three recipes I made.   The only addition I made was to add some pecans to the topping of this dessert.

Pumpkin Shortbread Bars

For shortbread crust:
1/2 c. softened butter
1/3 c. white sugar
1/4 t. pure vanilla extract
1 c. all-purpose flour

For filling:
1/3 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
2 farm fresh eggs
1 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1 c. pureed pumpkin
1 t. pure vanilla extract

For crumb topping:
1 c. all-purpose flour
1/3 c. white sugar
1/4 c. cold butter
1 c. pecans

Make the crust:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.   Using the whisk in a stand mixer, combine first four ingredients and press into the bottom of a 13×9 inch baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees. Remove from oven. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.

Make the filling:
Beat together the filling ingredients until smooth. Pour on to crust.

Make the topping:
In a food processor, process flour, sugar, butter and pecans until crumbly. Sprinkle on pumpkin mixture.

Bake for 30 minutes. Cool completely, and cut into bars.

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Pumpkin Shortbread Bars

These shortbread bars are delicious—not too sweet—with just the right spice.   I really liked the addition of the pecans to the topping.   I have to admit that I ate more than one of these for breakfast.

I also made the Pumpkin Gingersnaps which were absolutely delicious.   I didn’t change a thing to that spectacular recipe.  If you like a softer gingersnap, you must try this recipe.   Click here for Jamie’s original recipe.

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Pumpkin Gingersnaps

After making all these treats plus some pumpkin soup  from this leftover Halloween/Thanksgiving decoration, I was pooped.   I really wanted to make Jamie’s  Streusel Topped Pumpkin Muffin  but I had to log it in my archives for a later date.

Thanks to our SRC hosts Jane,  SarahSuzanne, and the fabulous Group C host, Debbi.  They do a super fantastic job keeping us all organized, informed, and on track!   Thank you, ladies!  (For all my past SRC posts, click here. )

PicMonkey Collage

Pumpkin recipes galore!

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