Weekly Recipe: Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Holy deliciousness, Batman!  These are some yummy cookies.  If you don't believe me, just look here, here, here, and here!  Same great cookie, same great taste.  With the slight alteration to incorporate some whole grains, I kept this one pretty much as written.  If these other fabulous cooks didn't see the need to make any changes, why should I?

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
adapted from Annie's Eats, originally from dlyn  

Yield: about 3-4 dozen cookies

Ingredients:
For the cookies:
3¾ cups 50/50 white/wheat blended 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:
1/3 cup granulated sugar
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 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 (I made mine in batches over the course of 24 hours).

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.  Mine kept soft for at least 5 days before I finally froze the rest.  They're just as good thawed too!

I'm joining in on the fun over at Mom's Crazy Cooking with her weekly challenges.  This week is your best PUMPKIN recipe.  Head on over and join in the fun.  The party is happening all week!