A recipe for a soft and chewy ginger cookie with pumpkin puree.
Source: Maria at Two Peas and Their Pod, a JFC favorite.
Yield: 2-3 dozen
I’m kind of a summer person. I like fall okay, but the main problem with it is that it reminds me that winter is coming. And I hate winter. Sometimes, though, fall is all warm and sunny, which I really like because it feels like an extended summer rather than a pre-winter. Either way, one of my favorite things about fall is the cooking. When it gets cool, I start making soups and chili, I put apples and pumpkin in all my breakfast recipes, I can applesauce, and I get to start making ginger cookies. Mmmmm.
I look at the Two Peas and Their Pod site regularly. There are always lots of fun seasonal recipes there, and I almost always find something I can’t live without. This week was no exception. I saw the Pumpkin Gingersnap recipe, and thought to myself, “Just give me a reason.” The reason wasn’t long in coming. I hosted a jewelry open house last night, and these cookies were just the refreshment item I needed. (I also make a second batch of cookies, the Peanut Butter Stuffed, which were also a hit, with me more than anyone!)
I think my favorite moment in the whole cookie making process is not the moment the cookies come out of the oven, or the first taste of a warm cookie, or the reaction of the family when they first walk in the door, although I do love all those things. My favorite moment is the first taste of the cookie dough. When it is finally all mixed up, and I don’t know yet what the cookie will taste like, I sample the dough to get an idea. It’s like the joy of discovery. This particular cookie makes an amazing dough. It is all creamy and gingery and seriously delicious. I almost turned the oven off and went after the dough with a spoon.
You do have to chill this dough for at least an hour, on account of its first ingredient, butter. You can chill it for several hours or even a couple days before baking, if you want. I was impatient, and only chilled mine just over an hour, but if I had it to do over, I would plan ahead a chill for longer. The dough got kind of soft and sticky while I was rolling it in sugar, and I think it would have turned out better if I had done more chilling.
These cookies are just perfect for a fall day. Serve them with a big glass of milk for the best effect!
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar, plus more for rolling
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- ¼ cup molasses
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 2⅓ cup flour
- 2 tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1½ tsp. ginger
- 1 tsp. ground cloves
- Cream butter and sugar. Add molasses, pumpkin, egg, and vanilla and mix well.
- In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients. Add to pumpkin mixture, and mix until just incorporated.
- Wrap dough tightly in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour to 3 days.
- Place sugar in a small bowl. Roll tablespoon-size balls of dough in sugar, and place on baking sheet.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.
If you like this recipe, you might also like:
Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies from Two Peas and Their Pod
Chocolate Gingersnaps from Jen’s Favorite Cookies
Chewy-ish Pumpkin Molasses Cookies from Craving Chronicles
Ginger Spice Cookies from Our Best Bites
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