October 1, 2011

It's PUMPKIN time!

Like I have said before, cookies have never been my favorite dessert.  I remember my mom making snickerdoodle cookies for my dad when I was younger.  They were his favorite, but they were probably my least favorite because there was not a hint of chocolate in them.  No chocolate?!  What kind of cookie doesn't contain chocolate?!  

Jump ahead about 14 years...I was looking for something pumpkin-y to bake last weekend because fall has arrived.  Pumpkin is my favorite part of fall, and I plan to make the most of pumpkin season.  Look out world!  I stumbled across a recipe for pumpkin snickerdoodles on one of my favorite blogs and was intrigued.  Plus, I knew my dad would be delighted.

These cookies were delightful!  They smelled heavenly while baking, they were perfectly soft on the inside and crispy on the outside, and the hint of pumpkin was just the right amount.  I am a snickerdoodle convert, but only if they contain pumpkin.

  
Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Ingredients:
2-3/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1-3/4 cups sugar, divided
2 sticks butter, softened
1 egg
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Directions:
1.  Heat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2.  In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.
3.  In a separate bowl, cream the butter and 1-1/2 cups sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, using an electric mixer at medium speed.  Add the egg and beat until combined, about 30 seconds.  Add the pumpkin puree and beat at medium speed until combined, about 30 seconds.  Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds.  Scrape sides of bowl with rubber spatula as necessary.
4.  Place the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl.  Roll a heaping tablespoon of dough into a ball.  Roll the ball in the sugar mixture and place on prepared baking sheet.  Repeat with remaining dough.
5.  Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, or until edges are set and just beginning to brown but centers are soft and puffy.  Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, and then remove them to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

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