HAPPY BIRTHDAY POPPA!
Badass in a tuxedo at my wedding, holding ice cream. (Photo by Jackie.)
Today my dad turns SIXTY-FIVE. He’s very well preserved. And still my go-to guy for all information regarding everything. Ever. How to replace a toilet. The exact reasons behind the Red River Rebellion. How to put a motion through City Council. Which tools are the best for the job at hand. How to use a sextant. The correct procedure for loading and firing a torpedo. Yup, he knows all that stuff. And more.
Like how to install crown moulding, for instance.
In fact, it’s usually a shock to my brain when I find out that he doesn’t know the answer to something. It’s just too weird. He’s like prehistoric Google or something.
Enjoying box seats at the Sens game a few years ago. I actually know more about hockey than he does. Shocker. (Photo by Doodle.)
I’m not where he is and he’s not where I am and I have to bake some stuff for the Sweet Treats group at work, so I’m baking today with Dad in mind. He loves cookies pretty much more than anything, and I hope you do, too. Enjoy!
I have so much pumpkin puree. SO VERY MUCH. I hacked up our carved jobbies from our pumpkin-off, because we only had them out for the day and they were totally salvageable.
And then I boiled the crap out of them and mashed and blended what came out of it. I know that I should have roasted them instead but the way that my pumpkin bits worked, that just wasn’t possible. So boiling it was.
I ended up with a full 14 cups of puréed pumpkin. So be warned: there will be several pumpkin-related recipes in the days that follow.
With the first bit of it, I’m going to make these pumpkin oatmeal spice cookies (recipe from Love From the Oven) for the good folks at work. So to start, preheat your oven to 350°F and line a couple baking sheets with parchment paper.
In one bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups puréed pumpkin (if you’re using canned pumpkin, make sure it’s pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling, which has its own sugar and spices already added), 2 eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla until well-blended.
In another bowl, mix together 3 cups rolled oats, 1 1/2 cups flour (you could use gluten-free flour here, as you don’t have to worry about rising), 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and about 4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice.
I like to use the cinnamon/ginger/nutmeg/allspice/clove combination I found at My Baking Addiction. If you’re feeling adventurous, try grinding and grating your own spices for it.
Cinnamon is harder to grate than nutmeg.
Some day I will have a dedicated spice grinder, but until then I just carefully wipe out my coffee grinder and chuck in my allspice and cloves.
Then you just chuck it in a jar for the next time you need it — which, with the way we’re going, is going to be soon.
Mix the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients. Your dough is going to be very stiff, so make sure you get everything mixed in well.
You can add in more spices, as well as raisins, chocolate chips, or nuts. I decided to add some chocolate chips and pecans for a bit of extra sweetness and crunch.
Use a spoon to drop the dough onto the baking sheets, and press them down a bit with your fingers (they won’t spread). Bake them for about 12-15 minutes, rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until they start to brown.
Store in a sealed container for a few days or freeze for comfort food cravings some time in the winter!
These look delicious….and what a lovely way to honour your father. What would we do without these great men in our lives? -D
We spoke to Grandpa earlier and he told me to look up this blog post!
I told you he is a wise man.
this looks seriously delicious. i can almost smell all those spices. (and i’m with you on the coffee/spice grinder situation…my coffee has a hint of nutmeg, and vice versa. heh)
lovely photos as always!
You’d think I could spring for another $10 grinder, but every time I’m at Canadian Tire, it slips my mind …
Those look so yummy, and I say that not being a big fan of pumpkin. The thought of chocolate with the pumpkin is so good too. Do you always grate cinnamon instead of buying powdered? Do you find it makes a big difference in flavour and does it take a long time to get say a teaspoon? Silly but it never crossed my mind to use cinnamon sticks for anything but hot cider and craft things. Totally going to try it. I’ve regretted buying powdered nutmeg when I couldn’t find the whole ones. Thanks for the idea
Actually, this is the first time I’ve tried grating my own cinnamon. It is certainly harder to do than nutmeg, which I find goes really quickly, so it takes a lot longer to get one teaspoon out of it. In addition, the stuff that comes off the rasp is little tiny curls, so I was a little concerned that volume-wise it wouldn’t be the same as powdered cinnamon. It did smell nicer than the powdered stuff, though, and I didn’t have to worry about accidentally inhaling it!
The lazy bum in me heard yes try it, but only on something where it will make a big difference and be worth the extra effort!
That about translates right.
I can’t wait to see more uses for pumpkin! It’s pretty cheap out here at the farmers markets. I just don’t know what to do with it other than pumpkin soup.
Happy Birthday to your Dad!!
At this point, I only have two more pumpkin recipes to cross off my list (one of them being soup) and we’re getting kind of sick of it. But it’s so good!
Just thought about you, as I am making pumpkin soup right now.
Haha, awesome.