Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Hi there!  It's know it's been a while since I've posted.  I've been busy baking and cooking up a storm using the delicious flavors of fall as inspiration - Pumpkin snickerdoodles, cabernet cranberry sauce and roast pork loin with harvest veggies.  What's that link you ask?  Oh, it's my newest blog - running foodie.  I created a blog that incorporates my love for food and fitness.  Don't worry!  I'll still whip up indulgent decadent dishes like my chocolate peppermint cake and blue cheese stuffed buffalo turkey burgers but I am also trying out healthier versions of my favorite recipes.  I thought I would write about the healthier options on running foodie while keeping the more indulgent recipes here.

Now onto more important things - Cookies!

I remember when I was younger, my sister Emily and I decided to start a cookie company - Auntie Em's Cookies.  We specialized in snickerdoodles - Yummy little buttery bites with spicy hints cinnamon and sugar.  I think we were able to get a few orders, but if memory serves my correctly, my mom ended up baking the cookies and Emily and I still ended up keeping the proceeds!  I thought of our little adventure when I discovered this recipe on Annie's Eats.

These pumpkin delights are a nice twist on the standard snickerdoodle.  The pumpkin taste is not overpowering which is why I think I like them.  I am a big fan of pumpkin, but I was pleasantly surprised to find the pumpkin flavor so subtle.  This is an easy recipe to follow and many of you may already have all the ingredients on hand.

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

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.

ENJOY!