Cookies and Bars

Pumpkindoodles

Snickerdoodles are nostalgic cookies that evoke strong feelings in cookie lovers.  Everyone has their own idea about what makes a perfect Snickerdoodle.  Honestly, I find Snickerdoodles kind of boring.  I always want more – more flavor, more moistness, more YUM.  But these snickerdoodle-meets-pumpkin cookies are anything but boring!  Adding a small amount of pumpkin and bumping up the cinnamon and other spices is a game changer!  Brown sugar adds moisture and deeper flavor.  Finished with a cinnamon sugar coating that gets lightly crispy, the inside is melt-in-your-mouth soft and moist.  A gentle tart flavor comes from the cream of tartar which differentiates them from a mere sugar cookie rolled in cinnamon.  They aren’t “cakey” like most pumpkin cookies.  And they don’t turn into dry, hockey pucks the day after they are baked like many Snickerdoodle cookies.

Pumpkindoodles – a snickerdoodle-ish recipe I love!

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Pumpkindoodles

These cookies are “delicate, light as air, with subtle pumpkin flavor, and lovely warm spices – perfect with a cuppa!”
Servings 36 cookies (about)
Author Rosalie D’Amico

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

  • 2½ cups all-purpose flour
  • ¾ teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1½ teaspoons cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ginger
  • ½ teaspoon nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon allspice

Wet Ingredients

  • ½ cup butter, melted
  • ½ cup butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 tablespoons maple syrup
  • ½ cup pumpkin puree

Sugar Cinnamon Topping

  • 2 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1½ teaspoons cinnamon

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients (flour through allspice) and set aside.
  • In another bowl, melt ½ cup of butter and whisk together with ½ cup room temperature butter. The mixture should be the consistency of mayonnaise.
  • Add the brown sugar to the butter and whisk together until homogenous.
  • Add the egg yolk, vanilla extract, maple syrup and pumpkin puree and whisk together until well combined. Add to dry ingredients and stir together using a spatula until all the flour is incorporated.
  • Chill the dough for 30 minutes.
  • Pre-heat the oven to 325°, convection. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or spray with non-stick cooking spray.
  • Portion cookies using a #40 cookie scoop. Roll into balls, coat in sugar spice mixture, place on parchment lined cookie sheets 2” apart. Flatten to 2” (I use the bottom of a ¼ cup measuring cup).
  • Sprinkle flattened cookies with more sugar spice mix.
  • Bake for 8-10 minutes. If you prefer a softer cookie, bake 8 minutes. Baking 10 minutes will result in a crisper cookie.  Overbaking will result in a hard cookie. 
  • If you have extra sugar and spice topping, sprinkle more on warm cookies when they come out of the oven.
  • If the cookies have puffed up, gently flatten them (yes, after they are baked) with a ¼-cup measuring cup.  This keeps the middle of the cookie moist and the edges crisp.

Notes

Get Cheffy: Make these cookies extra special by browning (instead of just melting) ½ cup of butter before mixing with the room temperature butter.  To brown:
Add the butter to a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir while the butter starts to melt. The butter will start to bubble, then after a couple minutes it will start to foam up — keep stirring. After the foam subsides, you’ll have brown, nutty smelling butter! Take the pan off the heat and let cool slightly for 5 minutes.