Samhain ~ Halloween ~ All Hallows Eve ~ Pumpkin Walnut Oatmeal Cookies ~

Samhain - Halloween - All Hallows Eve - October 31 to November 1, in the Northern Hemisphere - is a Celtic festival marking the end of harvest season and the beginning of winter and is considered to be the darker half of the year. The skies are turning grey, the leaves have fallen from the trees and the garden is bare. It is a time where we honour the dead, protect the living and petition the spirits for wisdom and prediction. 

Death is a reoccurring theme during this time as boundaries dissolve and the veils between worlds during equinoxes and solstices are at their thinnest. That is why it is believed that the spirits, faeries, ancestors and darker entities could more easily roam our lands as the portal between our world and theirs is considered to be at its thinnest; therefore we want to honour and hold offerings to our ancestors, the dead, the departed and the otherworldly for this reason. Other festivals celebrated during or around this time are: Day of the Dead (Mexico), Day of those who have Died/Undas/Araw ng mea Yomao (Philippines), Dia de Finados (Brazil), All Saints' Day (Christian), All Souls' Day (Roman Catholic & Christian), Hallowmas (Christian), Martinmas/Armistice Day (Scottish/British/UK), The Huron Feast of the Dead (Wyandot Nation - Canadian, Ontario, Canada) and another Celtic tradition, Feast of the Dead/Féile Na Marbh, (Irish)   

Samhain is a magical time. As the dark half of the year begins, death is followed by rebirth, the end of the old year and the beginning of the new year, it's a time of rest and reflection as we go inward to honour the darkness as we descend into winter and the darker half of the year. Remember... light is born from darkness and darkness has potential and growth... through death we find rebirth.

These densely rustic pumpkin cookies honour Samhain in such a spirited spiced seasonal way.  

Pumpkin Walnut Oatmeal Cookies

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3/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar 

1 egg

1 1/4 cups canned pumpkin

1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 3/4 cups rolled oats

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup chopped walnuts

dark chocolate,  melted, for decorating

Preheat oven to 400ºF (200ºC) and line a baking sheet with baking parchment paper.

In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugar. Add the egg and beat well. Add the pumpkin and stir to combine.

In another bowl combine the flour, rolled oats, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, ground ginger and cinnamon, add the chopped walnuts and stir together. 

Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture. The dough with be sticky and thick. Drop by teaspoonfuls of dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until done. Remove from baking sheet and allow to cool on a wire rack.

When completely cool. Melt the dark chocolate in the microwave and drizzle over top of the cookies. Decorating them with drizzled chocolate isn't necessary however it just adds that hint of sweetness and darkness to this delicious festive cookie.