Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

 Fall is officially here and I couldn't be more happy! I kind of feel like a little kid when the weather starts to get cooler and the leaves start to change. It reminds me of when I was young and we'd be so happy to have a change from all the heat in the summers of Louisiana. Cooler weather meant my brother's birthday (which was yesterday by the way, Happy 25th Michael!), then my birthday in October. And you know what came right after my birthday? The fair would come to town! We'd go in the evening and ride so many rides, we'd get sick. We'd eat cotton candy, run through the fun house and mirror maze, ride the Ferris Wheel, and always finish the night with a caramel apple on our way out of the fairgrounds. It was a pretty magical time. 

So these cookies remind me of my childhood because anything with pumpkin and cinnamon makes me feel like Autumn! They're pretty magical themselves. Plus my mother would always seem to make snickerdoodles around this time of year. These cookies make me think of apple cider, wassail, and walking through the seasonal aisles in various stores throughout town. The smell is intoxicating. You should really make these. Like right now. 

Because this recipe makes so many cookies, I'm about to head over to share some with a neighbor a couple of houses down. Because that's the kind of cookies these are. Simple, yummy, and waiting to be shared with friends.

Have a fabulous beginning-of-fall weekend and enjoy your football Saturday. Geaux Tigers and Hail the Utah State Aggies! (Who says I can't love both teams?)


Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
(adapted from Annie's Eats)

Ingredients:

For the cookies
3 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar

3/4 cup pumpkin puree

1 large egg

2 tsp. vanilla extract

For the coating
1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

Dash of allspice

Directions:

1. 
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, but preferably overnight.
2. Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Grease your baking sheets. 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.  
3. 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.
4. 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.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies