Bonus Thanksgiving Post: Pumpkin Cookies and a Dairy Free, Egg Free Pumpkin Pie

Moe has taken a couple of trips to the allergist recently for some tests to determine whether or not he can eat some things with milk or eggs. The official word from the doctor is that YES, he can absolutely eat any baked good with those ingredients: bread, cake, cookies, muffins, etc. He is still allergic to eggs and dairy products--he still can't eat cheese or scrambled eggs or quiche or even pumpkin pie or meatloaf with egg mixed in--but donuts and cupcakes and brownies (so long as they don't contain nuts) are fair game. The allergist also advised me to serve him these kinds of treats EVERY DAY to help him build his resistance, and maybe down the road he'll be able to eat more and more dairy and egg products.

I want to share two recipes with you today; one is the dairy-free egg-free pumpkin pie that I make almost every year for Moe. This year he decided he wanted pumpkin cookies instead (made with real egg, of course), so I'm going to share that recipe, too.

I remember when Joe and I were newlyweds, he mentioned that his mom used to make pumpkin cookies when they were kids, so could I please make him some? I pulled out the only cookbook I owned at the time, The Joy of Cooking. I followed the recipe exactly, and when they were finished, Joe took one look at them and said, "Oh, no, those don't look anything like the ones my mom made." You can imagine how crushed I felt right then, until Joe took one bite and exclaimed, "These are DELICIOUS!!" All was forgiven.

OUR FAVORITE PUMPKIN COOKIES

(It's supposed to make 5 dozen, but really it only makes about three dozen.)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cream together:

1 cup butter or shortening

1 cup sugar

Add and mix well:

1 cup cooked pumpkin

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

Sift together and add to above mixture:

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon double-acting baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon allspice

Stir in:

1 cup chopped nuts*

1 cup raisins*

Drop cookies onto a well-greased cookie sheet and bake about 15 minutes.

*Moe is allergic to nuts, and I didn't have any raisins; so I substituted about half a bag of chocolate chips (about 6 oz.)

From The Joy of Cooking, by Irma S. Rombauer and Marion Rombauer Becker; 1995 edition, p. 709

What I love about these is that they have a cake-like consistency, kind of like a little cookie-sized muffin. Someday I'll try making a gluten free version, because it was absolute torture taking these out of the oven knowing I can't eat them.

Now for the pumpkin pie (sorry I don't have a picture):

Dairy-Free, Egg-Free Pumpkin Pie

Makes 6 servings.

1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
1 cup low-fat soy milk or rice milk
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dash salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
9-inch unbaked pie shell

In a large bowl, mix all filling ingredients, blending until smooth.
Pour into crust and smooth the top. Bake 15 minutes at 425 degrees
F, then reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Bake until
filling is set, about 50 to 60 minutes. Chill.

(Source: RecipeCottage.com)

Moe loves this pie (although I will admit that the rest of us have never been brave enough to try it), and one year on the day after Thanksgiving, Grandma B. let him eat a piece of it for breakfast. He thought he had died and gone to heaven. And if I make this one at Christmas, I will be sure to post a photo!

Have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving!