Recipe: Pumpkin Cinnamon Raisin Cookies

Autumn is my favourite season of the year. It brings back wonderful memories of my childhood, especially of playing through the harvest fields with my dad and first dog. It also signals the arrival of one of my favourite flavours: pumpkin. I don't care how basic this makes me seem, I freakin' love pumpkin spice-flavoured things!!! As I've been trying to attempt one new recipe per week, I decided that this would be the one where I dive into it.  

TwoPeasandtheirPod is one of my favourite websites for learning new recipes. Their resource index is vast and contains meals and treats that are sweet and savoury, healthy and indulgent, all using fresh ingredients that are easily* found in most grocery stores. One of the things they are most well-known for are the variety of cookie recipes offered, which is where I found the base for these pumpkin cinnamon cookies that I slightly modified for my tastes. They are absolute DELICIOUS and make one's home smell heavenly. I added raisins for flavour and texture, subtracted the cinnamon sugar topping, and substituted vanilla extract for an actual vanilla bean. This is the first time I got to bake with a vanilla bean, thanks to a lovely colleague who shared them with me. 

For the original TwoPeasandtheirPod recipe, click here or check my slightly modified version below. 

*Cinnamon chips are not easy to find in Canada (and Bulk Barn, where I purchased mine, has just discontinued them). However, I feel these could be eliminated from the recipe and flavour would not be sacrificed. In the future, I would probably add butterscotch chips instead. 

Ingredients: 
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I use Daybreak Mills which is organic and locally made in my province of Saskatchewan). 
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsps ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup pure pumpkin
• 1 large egg
• 1 vanilla bean
• 1 cup cinnamon chips
• 1 cup thompson raisins

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. 

2. In a medium-sized bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices. 

3.  In a large-sized bowl, whisk softened butter with brown and granulated sugars. Add the pumpkin, egg and vanilla bean seeds and then whisk more until it develops a creamy texture. 

4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until well combined. Add cinnamon chips and raisins and fold until blended. 

5. Scoop approximately 12 balls onto baking sheets. Lightly press with spatula or hand. Bake for 12 minutes. Repeat until all dough is used (should make approximately thirty cookies). 

Prepping my kitchen

Flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices are combined. 

Pumpkin is one of the most beloved flavours of autumn.

These cookies mark the first time I've used an actual vanilla bean rather than extract. 

Cinnamon chips and raisins are added to the dough. 

The final product was well enjoyed by all who received it (and an added bonus: my home smelled heavenly afterwards). 

Recipe: Dark Chocolate Lavender Cookies 🇫🇷

Throughout my travels, I've had the opportunity to try many new foods and unique flavour combinations. One country in particular has really opened my eyes and palette to a new world of culinary possibilities: birthplace of Le Cordon Bleu, France. 

France has not only mastered taste, but also visual presentation. It is a feast for the eyes as well as the tongue. A plated dinner is a work of art that elicits a gasp; walking into a French bakery is sensory overload with beautiful, unexpected bursts of colour hinting at the explosion of flavour to follow. Now that I'm learning to cook and bake, I want to bring this experience to my own kitchen. 

I recently put this into practice by baking dark chocolate lavender cookies. France incorporates a number of floral notes into its cuisine and while some are an acquired taste – I've had a rose spread from Versailles that has lingered, for the most part unused, in my cupboard since forever – lavender paired with rich dark chocolate makes for a heavenly, decadent dessert. Primarily cultivated in the Provence region of the country, the herb is a member of the mint family and adds a sweet, citrusy note to cooking. 

I scoured the internet for a recipe to use as a base and then modified according to my own preferences (bit more chocolate and of a richer variety; slightly less lavender as I didn't want it to overpower). One bite of the finished product and I was transported right back to the banks of the River Seine. Enjoy!

Ingredients: 
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 6 tbsp red dutch process cocoa powder
• 4 tbsp lavender buds
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 cups unsalted butter
• 1 1/4 brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large omega-3 eggs
• 2 1/2 tsp organic Madagascan vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups 70% dark chocolate chips
• powdered sugar for presentation

1. Lightly crush lavender buds.

2. In a medium-sized bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa and lavender. Stir until mixed well. 

3.  In a large-sized bowl, whisk softened butter with brown and granulated sugars. Add eggs and vanilla extract and then whisk more until it develops a creamy texture. 

4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until well combined. Add dark chocolate and mix until blended. 

5. Let stand in refrigerator for 24 hours for flavours to settle. 

6. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking tray with tinfoil and then scoop approximately 12 balls on top. Bake for 12 minutes. Repeat until all dough is used (should make approximately two dozen cookies). Sprinkle with powdered sugar for presentation.