Pumpkinseed Shortbread Buttons

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“Um, Mum, we are coming with you, aren’t we? Because (and sorry to have to tell you this), we actually have more fans than you do on this blog.”]  

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I had promised to post recipes on Friday and diet musings on Saturdays during Holidailies, but I’ve been so frazzled by all this marking that I skipped straight to the weekend in yesterday’s post.  I figured I’d better rectify the situation, and what better way than with cookies?

This is a recipe I originally created for my cooking classes, and one we baked a couple of weeks ago at that last class in my house. 

I’d been given a jar of organic pumpkinseed butter about a year ago, and found I wasn’t crazy about the flavor on its own.  I knew that pumpkinseeds are uber-healthy (they contain not only monounsaturated fats, the same type in olive oil, but also an abundance of zinc, shown to help prevent prostate cancer and the one mineral involved in more metabolic functions than any other in the body), so I was particularly chagrined that I didn’t like the taste.  How to make amends for this terrible affront?  Why, convert the p-butter into cookies, of course.

These are quick and easy,  with the traditional shortbread texture when baked the full 12 minutes.  For a slightly chewy cookie, bake a bit less.

I brought these to a Christmas party at a friend’s last weekend* and they disappeared fairly quickly, even though they were nestled between cherry pie and a multi-layered, cream-covered chocolate concoction.  Not bad for a little vegan, gluten-free treat.

Pumpkinseed Shortbread Buttons

These rich tasting cookies combine a subtle flavor with the traditional sandy texture of butter-laden shortbread.  Use other seed butters as a substitute, such as sunflower or sesame (tahini) or a combination, if you prefer. 

TO VIEW THE COMPLETE RECIPE, PLEASE VISIT THIS PAGE ON THE NEW DIET, DESSERT AND DOGS, BY CLICKING HERE.