Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles in...April?

It may not be fall, but who says you can't bake with pumpkin?  Trust us - you'll love the result!



Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Recipe adapted from Baked Perfection 
Photos by Bake Yourself Happy

                                         Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

  • 2 3/4 cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 3/4 cups sugar
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 large egg
  • 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
  • 2 1/2 - 3 tablespoons cinnamon




Directions
  1. PREHEAT oven to 400F.
  2. WHISK together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice in a large bowl.
  3. MIX together butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the egg and beat until combined, then add the pumpkin puree and beat until combined.
  4. ADD the flour mixture and beat slowly, until combined.
  5. COMBINE 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl.  The cookies will be rolled in this mixture.
  6. ROLL dough into 1 or 1 1/2 inch balls and roll in the cinnamon sugar.  Place onto a lightly greased baking sheet.
  7. BAKE for 10-12 minutes, or until edges are just set and begin to brown.  This can be hard to notice, so watch carefully!  Make sure the centers remain soft.
  8. COOL on the baking sheets roughly 5 minutes (less if the cookies start to crisp too much and lose their softness).  Remove from the baking sheet and ENJOY!



Snickerdoodle cookies are a fabulous treat.  There's something about the smell of cinnamon drifting from the oven that makes every mouth water.  And if you love soft cookies like we do, a snickerdoodle done right can be your best first.  Warm, soft, and cinnamony - what more could you want?  Try adding pumpkin - that's what you'll want.  We've found that the pumpkin adds an incredibly smooth texture to the snickerdoodles.  Without overwhelming the cinnamon flavor that snickerdoodles are known for, the addition of pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice add subtle taste variations that will definitely make you smile.  While these are perfect in the fall (and for Thanksgiving!), there is absolutely no need to wait until September, October, or November to whip up a batch.