Cooking notes

• A great recipe for pairing up two fun ingredients – pumpkin and parmesan. These savoury bites pack an unexpected punch from the pairing of the flavours and are extremely addictive. I’m convinced that this is one of the best ways to get more pumpkin in your diet!

• If you can’t find a can of pumpkin puree, simply use a regular pumpkin, steam it until it’s soft, and then run it in the blender to get the puree.

• Recipe adapted from Food Network.

• Makes 12-14 pieces.

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour, plus more for dusting

• 1 tbsp baking powder

• 1 tbsp sugar

• ¾ tsp salt

• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg

• ¼ cup grated parmesan, plus 1 tbsp for sprinkling on the top

• ½ cup cold unsalted butter (113 gm), diced, plus a little more melted butter for brushing

• ½ cup canned pumpkin (or fresh pumpkin puree)

• ¼ cup heavy cream

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

2. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and nutmeg. Whisk in the parmesan. Add the diced butter and work it in with your fingertips until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs.

3. Mix the pumpkin and cream in a small bowl and pour over the flour mixture. Mix gently with a spatula or wooden spoon to make a soft dough.

4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly-floured surface and roll out into a ¾-inch-thick shape using a floured rolling pin. Cut out biscuits using a 2-inch cutter, the lid of a jar or simply a knife, anything you have available. Arrange about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the tops with melted butter and sprinkle the remaining parmesan.

5. Bake until golden for about 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer the baking sheet to a rack and let the biscuits cool slightly before serving. Enjoy!

6. These can be stored at room temperature for 2-3 days or frozen (after cooling fully) in a resealable plastic bag for up to a month. To reheat, arrange on a baking sheet, cover with foil and bake at 180°C until warmed through, about 10 minutes.