I picked up a “small” pumpkin at the grocery store this week with the intention of freezing some and using it for cooking.  I don’t have much experience with pumpkins other than seeding or carving, so that’s where I started.  I removed the seeds, washed them, and let them dry.  We baked them with a little sea salt on them - they really make a great snack!  With that out of the way I wasn’t sure what to do next.  Farmer’s Almanac had a great guide on preparing a pumpkin for freezing.  We pureed all of it.

Once I got down to the last bit of pumpkin I decided I wanted to have a little fun with it.  I have an old recipe hiding in my cookbook for Christmas cookies.  I love to make them year-round, but I’ve always wanted to try modifying it to make it more seasonal.  Here is the original recipe…

Christmas Cookies

Prep Time:  15 minutes

Cook Time:  10 minutes (varies based on cookie size)

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup shortening
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp grated orange peel
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 4 tsp milk
• 2 cups flour

Directions

1. Cream shortening, sugar, orange, and vanilla.  Add egg; beat until fluffy.  Stir in milk.  Add dry ingredients.
2. Divide dough and chill for one hour.
3. Roll dough 1/2 inch thick and cut into shapes.
4. Bake at 375 degrees for 6-8 minutes.
5. Decorate when cool.

Christmas Cookie Icing

Prep Time:  5 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup sifted confectioners sugar
• 1 tbsp cream
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp flavoring
• 3/4 tbsp water

Directions

1. Blend; divide for color.  Spread on cookies.

For my variation I decided to go without the orange, and instead I added 1/3 cup of pumpkin puree and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.  This has made the batter much more gooey and difficult to cut.  I didn’t have the patience to use cookie cutters - instead I rolled the cookies into balls and flattened them out.  I was a little worried that the cookies would not bake correctly due to the consistency of the dough.  We tested the cookies without the icing first - they were WONDERFUL!  We decided to go ahead and ice them, and we used vanilla flavoring instead of the normal lemon we would use.  I also grated a small amount of orange peel for some zest.

This is not the healthiest recipe in the world, but the cookies are soft and flavorful.  My co-workers will be a bit disappointed… I’ve been telling them I’m going to bring some in, but my husband and his friends ate them all!