Tag: pumpkin cookies

Cinnamon Pumpkin Bites

cinnamonpumpkinbitesAhh, fall baking. Time for some of my favorite  flavors, like pumpkin, maple, cinnamon, and ginger. Interesting ingredients like cinnamon chips, which I used in my maple cinnamon scones. But what does one do with leftover cinnamon chips? Whatever she wants…including stirring them into pumpkin cookies.

This recipe is one I’ve made before with butterscotch chips (which was absolutely delicious), and you could use semisweet or dark chocolate chips as well. The end result is a very tender, almost cake-like cookie with great flavor.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon allspice
  • 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 8 tablespoons butter, slightly softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup cinnamon chips

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg; set aside.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add pumpkin puree and vanilla extract and beat until combined. Batter will be clumpy, but this is normal.

Add flour mixture in two batches and beat until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl a few times. Stir in cinnamon chips.

Using a one-inch cookie scoop, drop scoops of dough onto prepared baking sheets.

Bake 8-10 minutes; cookies may look slightly underdone, but they will continue baking as they cool. Remove from oven and cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days; as these cookies are so cakey, they’ll start to get too soft after a few days. Makes about 3 dozen.

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Pumpkin Spice Cookies

pumpkin-spice-cookiesPeople lose their minds for pumpkin spice this time of year. Lattes, muffins, cakes, Oreo cookies, tortilla chips (seriously)…you name it, it’s been pumpkin spiced and put on display at your local coffee shop or market.

When I baked these cookies, I didn’t intend to call them pumpkin spice, partly because everything is pumpkin spice right now. But having tasted one, there’s really nothing else to call them. You could leave them plain if you like, but the icing really adds a nice extra kick of flavor.

Note: this recipe uses half of a 15-ounce can of pumpkin puree, so you could easily double it for a much larger batch.

Ingredients

For the cookies

  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon allspice
  • 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 8 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 7.5 ounces pumpkin (half a 15 ounce can)
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the icing

  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/8 teaspoon allspice
  • dash of nutmeg
  • 1 tablespoon butter, melted
  • 3 tablespoons milk

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugars.

Add pumpkin, egg, and vanilla; mix well.

Slowly add flour mixture and beat until well combined.

Using a one-inch cookie scoop, drop scoops of dough onto prepared baking sheets.

Bake for 14 minutes, until cookies are set; bottoms will be very light golden brown.

Remove from oven and cool on baking sheets for a few minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the icing, combine powdered sugar, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg. Add melted butter and milk, then stir to combine; you want a thick drizzling consistency, kind of like the texture of very soft peanut butter.

Place icing in a zip-top bag and snip off the end; pipe drops of icing onto each cookie, then spread with a knife or small offset spatula.

Allow cookies to set before serving; store in airtight containers in single layers at a cool room temperature for up to 2 days. The icing adds plenty of moisture to an already moist cookie, so if you try to keep them longer they’ll get too gooey.

Makes 36 cookies.

Bryan’s Pumpkin Butterscotch Cookies

bryans-pumpkin-butterscotch-cookiesMy friend Bryan lives in New Mexico, and while I haven’t seen him in person in several years, I’m grateful that social media can keep us in touch. The other evening, he posted that he was baking pumpkin butterscotch cookies, and I simply had to get the recipe.

While pumpkin and butterscotch aren’t flavors that I had ever thought to pair before, their combination is absolutely delicious. Bryan’s recipe is adapted from one on All Recipes; he substituted butter for the shortening in the original, and pumpkin pie spice for the cinnamon alone (which was brilliant, by the way). I make my own pumpkin pie spice, so I’ve included the individual spices that go into it here. You could certainly just use the original if you have it, though.

Thank you for this recipe, Bryan! I miss you!

Ingredients

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon allspice
  • 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 8 tablespoons butter, slightly softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups butterscotch chips

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg; set aside.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add pumpkin puree and vanilla extract and beat until combined. Batter will be clumpy, but this is normal.

Add flour mixture in two batches and beat until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl a few times. Stir in butterscotch chips.

Using a one-inch cookie scoop, drop scoops of dough onto prepared baking sheets.

Bake 8-10 minutes; cookies may look slightly underdone, but they will continue baking as they cool. Remove from oven and cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes about 3 dozen.

 

Pumpkin Sugar Cookies

pumpkin sugar cookiesAt any given time, I have at least one can of pumpkin puree in my pantry cabinet. You never know when the pumpkin mood will strike, whether it’s the middle of October, the middle of March, or the middle of August.

Mike recently tagged me in a Facebook post about these cookies, and of course, they had been on my Pinterest board for some time. The original recipe comes from another blog, Lauren’s Latest, and the end result is a delicious combination of a soft sugar cookie and a pumpkin cookie.  I adapted the recipe slightly in preparation, and because I don’t keep pumpkin pie spice on hand, I made my own – my recipe appears below.

Next time, I’ll use a full teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice in the cookie dough to kick up the flavor a bit. Also, I increased the quantities in the glaze recipe, because the original recipe didn’t produce enough glaze for my batch of 39 cookies.

Ingredients

Pumpkin Pie Spice

  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon allspice
  • 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

Pumpkin Sugar Cookies

  • 4 cups flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 large eggs

Pumpkin Spice Glaze

  • 6 cups powdered sugar
  • About 5 1/2 tablespoons water
  • 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper.

Make pumpkin pie spice: in a small bowl combine cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg. Stir together until very well-combined.

Make cookie dough: in a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt, and pumpkin pie spice; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat butter, vegetable oil, pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, powdered sugar, vanilla, and eggs until smooth; some small lumps of butter will remain, and that’s fine.

Gradually add flour mixture, about 1 cup at a time, beating well between each addition and scraping the sides of your bowl frequently.

Using a 2-inch cookie scoop, scoop dough onto baking sheets. Spray the bottom of a glass with cookie spray, dip bottom into sugar, and flatten cookies to about 1/2 inch thickness. You’ll need to re-coat your glass with sugar between each cookie.

Bake for 9 minutes, until edges are set and tops are just beginning to turn golden. Cool on baking sheets for 3 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to glaze.

Make your glaze while your first batch is baking: in a large bowl, combine powdered sugar and pumpkin pie spice, mixing well to combine. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until your mixture reaches a thick glaze consistency.

Using a teaspoon from your measuring spoons, scoop glaze onto each cookie, allowing to drip over edges. Allow to cool completely before serving.

Store cookies at room temperature in an airtight container between sheets of waxed paper.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies II

pumpkin chocolate chip cookies 2It’s pumpkin season. Today, Pittsburgh is a cool 60 degrees with rain, and the tops of the trees are tinged orange and brown. Fall, my favorite of the seasons, is here.

Last week’s pumpkin ginger cookies left me with about a cup of unused pumpkin, and there were so many possibilities for its use. Tomorrow I’ll be baking another pumpkin-themed treat, but today, because Mike was able to come home early from work, I decided to whip up a batch of pumpkin chocolate chip cookies for him. These differ slightly from pumpkin chocolate chip cookies i, in that they have a combination of semisweet and bittersweet chocolate chips and no nuts.

Incidentally, pumpkin is quite good for you. It contains vitamins A and C, magnesium, iron, and potassium and is low in both fat and cholesterol. Granted, mixing it with sugar and chocolate chips changes things, but let’s focus on the positives, eh?

Ingredients

  • 2 1/4 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ginger
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 15 ounces pumpkin
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Line several baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugars.

Add pumpkin, eggs, and vanilla; mix well.

Slowly add flour mixture and beat until well combined.

Stir in chocolate chips.

Using a two-inch cookie scoop, drop scoops of dough about two inches apart on the baking sheet.

Bake 17 minutes, until edges are lightly browned.

Cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet, then cool completely on a wire rack.

Pumpkin Molasses Cookies

pumpkin molasses cookiesMy kitchen smells so amazing right now that if the Yankee Candle folks could be here they’d create a candle based on it. I almost called these treats Pumpkin Dreams, because their original title didn’t quite seem to capture their aromatic deliciousness; I also considered calling them Septembers, because they’re an excellent combination of fall ingredients.

I will readily admit that I ate one the moment it was cool enough to consume without burning my mouth, and they are among my favorites, ever, which is really saying something.The perfect marriage of a pumpkin cookie and a gingersnap, they are spicy and sweet with a crunchy outer edge and soft, pillowy center.

The triple threat in these treats is the combination of pumpkin, molasses, and the spice blend of cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Each ingredient highlights the next, so you get layers of flavor; the spicy sweetness of the cinnamon and the pumpkin, the rich and slightly bitter molasses and cloves, and the light zing of the ginger. This cookie is an excellent example of how certain flavors can bring others out, in the best of senses. Next time, I may toss in a bit of nutmeg into the mix and see what happens.

Ingredients

  • 2 1/3 cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ginger
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 8 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup canned pumpkin (not pie filling)
  • 1/4 cup molasses
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup sugar, for rolling

Preparation

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy.

Add pumpkin, molasses, egg, and vanilla and beat until combined.

Add flour in two batches, mixing well.

Cover and chill dough for about 1 hour, until easier to handle.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line several baking sheets with parchment paper.

Using a 2-inch cookie scoop, scoop dough and roll into balls, then coat each ball very well in sugar and place about 2 inches apart on the baking sheets.

Bake for 13-15 minutes, until edges are set and centers are puffy. Remove from oven and cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

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Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies I

This time of year, I wonder about the first colonial woman who, at a loss for traditional British baking ingredients, thought to cut up a pumpkin, roast it, scrape out its flesh, and mix it with sugar and spices for pumpkin pie. Whoever she was, I applaud her ingenuity. Without her, we might not have canned pumpkin. And without canned pumpkin, we probably wouldn’t have pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.

As these baked, I told Mike that someone should make a pumpkin chocolate chip cookie-scented candle, because they filled our house with a sweet, spicy aroma that was not unlike something you’d inhale at the Yankee Candle shop. Fortunately, these cookies taste as good as they smell.

Ingredients

  • 2 1/4 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ginger
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 15 ounces pumpkin
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Line several baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugars.

Add pumpkin, eggs, and vanilla; mix well.

Slowly add flour mixture and beat until well combined.

Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts.

Using a two-inch cookie scoop, drop scoops of dough about two inches apart on the baking sheet.

Bake 18 minutes, until edges are lightly browned.

Cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet, then cool completely on a wire rack.