Pumpkin Currant Cookies

99 CommentsSunday • October 14, 2007 • by Ari

A couple of weeks ago my friend Becky asked if I knew any good vegan baking recipes. Her daughter, who has just gone off to college, is starting a baking business in her dorm but most of the residents are vegans so – what to do? I had a few nut-based ideas but then Becky told me that nuts were also off the table because too many people were allergic to them. Geez, now I was stumped.

I recommended my favorite vegan blog, Vegan Yum Yum, and promised to go through my cookbooks in search of that magical trifecta: something baked, vegan and nut free. Not to mention scrumptiously suited to late night dorm room munching. This was going to be a challenge for my dairy-loving taste buds.

When I was a child my mother used to tell me that if you thought about something hard enough anything was possible, and this past Thursday she was proven correct (yet again) when the Cumberland House fairy delivered two copies of Olive Oil Baking to my doorstep. Coincidence? I must have been obsessing about vegan baking to an extraordinary degree, because how else would the perfect book – the one with dozens of dairy-free and even a few vegan recipes – find it’s way to me? Just like that, out of the blue. I swear my mind connected with the cookbook universe, bending the space-time continuum to my baking needs. It was all very Twilight Zone meets Food Network.

Even with Olive Oil Baking in hand I have to tell you – I was skeptical. Baking without dairy or nuts? Hmm. Then I began trying the recipes and, with a few adaptations (see recipe below for examples) created flavorful butter/milk/egg/nut free goodies like spiced raisin cake and dark chocolate zucchini brownies (this recipe was already vegan). Upon tasting, each one produced the same question, which wasn’t really a question: “Can you believe these are – insert missing ingredient here-?!” So now I’m convinced – delectable vegan baking is a definite reality, though I won’t be converting anytime soon. Luckily “Olive Oil Baking” isn’t a vegan book but an olive oil book, so I still have the likes of hazelnut sables, almond poppy seed muffins and lemon chiffon cake with blueberry sauce to keep me occupied.

With cool Autumn weather at my window one recipe in particular caught my eye, paying homage to my favorite Fall squash – pumpkin. The Pumpkin Currant Cookies pictured above are super yummy, not to mention healthy with their blend of whole wheat, wheat germ, brown sugar, currants and olive oil. I used walnuts when I made them the first time, then tried the recipe again sans nuts – either way these truffle sized morsels were compulsively munchable. This evening I decided to enjoy a few with a cup of mulled apple cider, which shares spices like cinnamon, ginger and cloves with the cookies. Excellent combination.

One more thing before the recipe: Since Cumberland House sent two books to me, and I obviously only need one, I’ve decided to give away the extra copy. If you would like to win it answer the following question in the comments section of this post and I’ll randomly select a winner on Saturday October 20th. Comments that don’t answer the question will not be entered into the book raffle.

Answer this question for a chance to win a free copy of this book: What is your favorite Autumn food?

Pumpkin Currant Cookies
Adapted from Olive Oil Baking by Lisa Sheldon.
Ingredients: Makes about 2 dozen large cookies or 3 dozen small cookies.

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 tablespoons wheat germ
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 egg (Vegan sub: 1/2 a small, ripe banana, mashed. Or 1/4 cup apple sauce. You can also use a vegetarian egg substitute like Ener-g Egg Replacer.)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 cup currants or raisins
1/2 cupped chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, combine the flours, wheat germ, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves. In another bowl, blend the egg, vanilla, olive oil, pumpkin and brown sugar with a whisk. Add the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Stir in the currants or raisins, then the walnuts.

Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets. (I used a tablespoon.) Bake for 12 -15 minutes or until just the top is firm to the touch. Tranfer to a wire rack to cool completely.