Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Happy Wednesday! I know it has been awhile since my last post, but I have been working like crazy and have been out of town 3 weekends in a row (2 in San Francisco and 1 in Orange County to visit family and friends).  This last week, LA finally got the memo that summer is over and cooled down a bit (finally!!!).  So my husband and I hosted a little Autumn Party with some friends which consisted of homemade hot cider, pizza, seasonal beers, watching Hocus Pocus and pumpkin snicker doodles.  I am relatively new to baking, but every year I try a new pumpkin cookie and since snicker doodles are my favorite, I decided why not combine them.  I used the recipe below, but used half portions of everything as I do not own a beater and it is quite a workout.  The end result was quite delicious and you can enjoy them with a glass of milk, or with you favorite seasonal brew! 

Yield: about 3-4 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

For the cookies:

3¾ cups all-purpose flour

1½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. ground cinnamon

¼ tsp. ground nutmeg

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

½ cup light brown sugar

¾ cup pumpkin puree

1 large egg

2 tsp. vanilla extract

For the coating:

½ cup granulated sugar

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

½ tsp. ground ginger

Dash of Allspice

Directions:

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Whisk to blend and set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugars on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.  Blend in the pumpkin puree.  Beat in the egg and vanilla until incorporated.  With the mixer on low speed add in the dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated.  Cover and chill the dough for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Line baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.  Combine the sugar and spices for the coating in a bowl and mix to blend.  Scoop the dough (about 2½ tablespoons) and roll into a ball.  Coat the dough ball in the sugar-spice mixture and place on the prepared baking sheet.  Repeat with the remaining dough to fill the sheets, spacing the dough balls 2-3 inches apart.  Dip the bottom of a flat, heavy-bottomed drinking glass in water, then in the sugar-spice mixture, and use the bottom to flatten the dough balls slightly.  Recoat the bottom of the glass in the sugar-spice mixture as needed.

Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, or until just set and baked through.  Let cool on the baking sheets about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  Repeat with the remaining dough.  Store in an airtight container.

Recipe via Annie's Eats