December 13, 2012

Day 4: Pumpkin Snickerdoodles


Another cold and possibly rainy weekend coming up. Another reason to just stay in bed all day.

Last night's downpour and this morning's drizzle made me think of how much I used to love the rain as a kid. Thunderstorms were the best and if there was lots of lightning, even better. Those were the perfect times to huddle in your blanket fort and read ghost stories.

However, the on-again-off-again scatter of rain these past few weeks were more of an inconvenience. Driving in heavy rain, at night, on the freeway, with my less-than-great eyesight (I do have up-to-date contacts/glasses! But this astigmatism is just killing me...) is one of the scariest feats ever. I am forever grateful whenever I manage to get home in one piece. I know, my exaggeration is ridiculous, but somewhat recently it was really scary when the rain was coming down in sheets and I realized then that I really needed to get my windshield wipers replaced. From that point, I didn't like the rain that much anymore. It slows everything and everyone down. I then end up not being able to do things as efficiently. I guess that totally makes me an adult now.

Another thing that made me realize I'm a grown-up? The change in my palate. I was never a picky eater, but there were just some foods that I could not stand as a kid, as much as I tried. I really disliked onions (so pungent!), and don't even get me started on mushrooms. How in the world can you get yourself to eat a fungus, something that grows in rot? I've seen that episode of The Magic School Bus and the Rot Squad, so please don't judge me. However, I've just about completely overcome my aversion to onions now, and I'm slowly working on the mushrooms.


I also didn't like pumpkins. Not. At. All. Not even if it was tempura pumpkin and especially not when it was in a pie. I don't know. It was just...mushy and gross. But who would have thought? Now, I really can't get enough of it. I want to put pumpkin in everything. It smells absolutely delicious. If seasons had scents assigned to them, then pumpkin would obviously be fall (my favorite!). And so I almost went down the route of making good old classic snickerdoodles, until I discovered pumpkin snickerdoodles. Jackpot.

You know how some flavors just go good together? Well, adding pumpkin to the already cinnamon sugar-coated snickerdoodle, with an additional pinch of nutmeg, just pulls this all together. It's like having a mini pumpkin pie, in a cookie, in semi-bite size form, without all the guilt. Because pumpkin is healthy, right? Welcome to Day 4 of my 12 Days of Christmas Cookies.




Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Makes about 5 dozen cookies

ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup ground nutmeg

for cookie coating
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

make the dough
1. Cream together the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy.
2. Add the pumpkin puree until well combined.
3. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until well incorporated.
4. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, ground cinnamon, and ground nutmeg. Slowly add this dry ingredients combo to your butter mixture and mix until everything is just incorporated. Make sure you do not over-mix your dough.
5. Cover your bowl of dough with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before rolling and baking.
6. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and ground cinnamon and set aside.

equipment prep
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Line your baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.

bake
1. Roll 2 teaspoons of dough into a ball. Then roll the ball into the cinnamon sugar until completely coated and place on your prepared baking sheet. Slightly flatten your ball of dough. Be sure to space your cookies about 3 inches apart.
2. Bake the cookies at 350°F for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly browned and the cookies are set.
3. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheets for about 5 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely.

*** ENJOY!



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