I have lists and lists of recipes I would like to make in all kinds of random places around the house. Every notebook or diary I have inevitably gets scrawled with my dreams of food. I love nothing better than a morning brainstorm, jotting down potential delicious combinations of things to eat… cakes, salads and breakfasts all feature highly. But the funny thing is, when I do step in to the kitchen I usually make something else entirely. I’m not sure why that is. I guess I just love thinking up ideas so much that sometimes going back to an idea I’ve already had, even if I haven’t actually cooked it yet, feels a little bit old. I’d rather freestyle it at any moment, than be told what to cook.

I know that not everyone feels the way I do and lots of people like to have a recipe and follow it. There are those of you out there who feel so much better with a week’s worth of meals planned ahead of time – it helps with the shopping and gets a handle on the week ahead. It makes me happy to know that from my random thoughts come someone’s afternoon tea or breakfast or dinner; it’s one of the main reasons I write recipes – 1. because people find them useful and 2. because they help get the ideas out of my brain.

Given this kind of brain of mine it’s best for me to go with my heart and cook on that whim, saving the other ideas and recipes for a later date, when hopefully they pop back into my mind at just the right time to come out as, perhaps, something else entirely.

With this somewhat intuitive approach to cooking, based purely on whatever is in my head at the time, my grocery shopping looks a little similar. I just buy whatever looks good for the most part, with a few staples here and there. It can make shopping a little bit random, and the contents of the cupboards even more so, but this helps me feel creative about food and makes things more fun; buying random ingredients is one of my favourite things to do. I think it’s great to go to the shops with a list and stick to it, but my brain just works differently. Hopefully this works out for you and for me; I have fun exploring new ideas and you get new recipes! It seems I’m at my happiest if I just wing it and see what comes out on the plate…

Last week when I was in the kitchen I really wanted to make cookies. I cannot tell you the last time I made or even ate a cookie, but that day the time was right; kids were coming over after school for afternoon tea and I had a little hankering for chocolate. I had saved a cookie recipe from Grown and Gathered around 6 months ago, for their ‘everyone cookies’. I just loved the idea of a cookie that was made for everyone. I also wanted to make cookies, but definitely did not feel like getting the mixer out. Too many years of making cakes has made me absolutely unwilling to break out the mixer unless it’s for a special occasion; a quick afternoon cookie whim just wasn’t worthy enough! All that cleaning and noise, I’d rather make something with my hands.

I had some pumpkin in the fridge that was looking for a home plus some fresh almond meal and after making those pumpkin muffins, and realising just how much I love to sneak vegetables into unsuspecting tummies, cookies with pumpkin sounded like a very good idea.

So here is my version of the ‘everyone cookies’ – slightly adapted from Matt and Lentil’s version; a delicious and wholesome afternoon or breakfast treat.

Everyone Cookies with Pumpkin, Hemp Seeds and Cacao Nibs

I guess it must be the weather, because I seem to be using pumpkin and cacao nibs in everything. I hope you all don’t mind my pumpkin + chocolate run, I will try and come up with something else next time! Or should I go for the trifecta?! You can let me know.

A little wholesome sweetness, a little spice and a little chocolatey crunch, that’s what these cookies are. You can leave the pumpkin out of these cookies if you like, and they will be a bit crunchier. With the pumpkin and the shredded coconut they have great chew, especially around the edges, and I find those little crunchy bits from the nibs extra satisfying. Being full of good fats from the almonds and hemp seeds, one of these cookies will sustain you for the afternoon, or also makes a great breakfast on the run. I had one in the car on the way to early morning yoga on Saturday and it powered me through a good 90 minute flow without weighing me down; perfect for if life gets really busy.

They don’t take long to make, even less if you leave out the pumpkin (although I really recommend adding it in because of that love for a sneaky vegetable), and they keep well in an airtight container for 5 days (and counting…)

I used slightly damp hands to shape these cookies, rolling a heaped tablespoon of mixture into a ball between my hands and then flattening it with my palm on to the baking sheet. The mixture is sticky, so you can use an ice-cream scoop if you have one the right size, otherwise wetting your hands is the best trick I know! And have fun with the stickiness, it feels really nice to squeeze it through your fingers and the mixture tastes great uncooked too (no eggs, so totally safe to eat for all!) so feel free to lick your fingers once you are done, especially if you’re making them with kids.

The amount of spice makes for a fragrant, warming cookie without it being too spicy. If you love spices, and are looking to take it more into gingerbread territory, then feel free to double the amount of cinnamon and ginger. I think chopped crystallised ginger would be an absolutely delicious addition to these too, as would raisins.

Everyone Cookies with Pumpkin, Hemp Seeds and Cacao Nibs

Adapted from the recipe by Grown and Gathered

Makes 20 cookies

240g almond meal (around 2 heaped cups)
50g hemp seeds (1/4 cup)
80g xylitol (1/2 cup)
2 tablespoons ground golden flaxseed
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
pinch of salt
100g coconut oil, melted (1/2 cup)
130g steamed, mashed pumpkin, cold or slightly cooled (around 1/2 cup)
30g shredded coconut (1/2 cup)
70g cacao nibs (1/2 cup)

Preheat your oven to 160°C fan forced. Line two baking trays with baking paper.

In a medium bowl, stir together all the dry ingredients until well combined. Mix through the coconut oil and pumpkin until the mixture comes together, then stir through the shredded coconut and cacao nibs. Feel free to use your hands to squish it and mix it through.

Place heaped tablespoons of the mixture, rolled into balls, onto the baking trays – allowing a little room between each cookie. Flatten with the palm of your hand until the cookies are around 1cm thick.

Bake in the oven for 15 – 20 mins, or until the cookies are golden around the edges. Allow to cool on the tray before storing in an airtight container.