Giant stuffed pumpkin chocolate cookies

Cook pumpkin puree down with spices and dark brown sugar to drive off most of its water, to a thick paste; cool.

Chop the crystallized ginger in the food processor.

Cream the butter with the ginger and a pinch of salt; add white sugar, dark brown sugar, aniseed and the egg.

Combine flour with baking powder and baking soda. Pulse the cooled pumpkin mixture and a couple of tablespoons of flour into the creamed mixture; transfer to a large bowl.

Fold in half the flour, then the rest. The dough keeps a couple of days, or frozen for weeks; thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

Shape the dough into a 17-inch (43 cm) log, about the length of a rolling pin.

For the brittle, cook white sugar to a light brown caramel, add dark brown sugar, toasted pumpkin seeds and a pinch of anise seed; cool on a silicone mat, roll thin when the heat is gone, and cool completely.

Divide the log into 10 portions of 90 g (three ounces) each; refrigerate until baking.

Bake 5 minutes at 375F (190C).

Flatten with a large glass or cup and bake about 8 minutes more.

Stuff the half-baked cookies with pumpkin seed butter, praline and the pumpkin mixture; bake 5 minutes more.

Top with more pumpkin seed butter, praline, the brittle, chocolate and candied orange; return to the switched-off oven for 90 seconds.