Pumpkin Gingersnaps

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!

Pumpkin Gingersnaps
 
Cook time
Total time
 
A recipe for a soft and chewy ginger cookie with pumpkin puree.
Serves: 2-3 dozen
Ingredients
  • 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
Instructions
  1. Cream butter and sugar. Add molasses, pumpkin, egg, and vanilla and mix well.
  2. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients. Add to pumpkin mixture, and mix until just incorporated.
  3. Wrap dough tightly in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour to 3 days.
  4. Place sugar in a small bowl. Roll tablespoon-size balls of dough in sugar, and place on baking sheet.
  5. 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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2 thoughts on “Pumpkin Gingersnaps

  1. Pingback: Very Chewy Molasses Cookies :: In The Devil's Kitchen

  2. Pingback: Pumpkin Cream Cheese Turnovers | Jen's Favorite Cookies

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