I have several recipes for soft pumpkin cookies, but I am sharing my favourite today. This version was published in a book titled Better Food for Kids, written by registered dieticians Joanne Saab and Daina Kalnins, who were working at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto at the time of publication. The recipe was not included in the revised edition, and that is a shame. I suggest you scour second-hand bookstores for this 2002 edition. My daughter has made dozens of recipes from this book, repeatedly. There is no better gift for new parents than Better Food for Kids, circa 2002.

My grandmother’s recipe for pumpkin cookies is similar, but she didn’t soak the raisins or add apple sauce, and she sometimes added nuts. Soaking the raisins and adding a bit of apple sauce helps create a moist, soft cookie. I adapt this recipe for the people who will be eating the cookies. I have made gluten-free cookies by using Only Oats flour or a gluten-free blend. I sometimes use spelt flour because I like it. The recipe is forgiving and seems to turn out well in spite of variations.