Pumpkin Spice isn’t really my favorite. I mean, it’s ok, but I am not gah gah over it, the way that some people are. That said, I do try to make a new pumpkin recipe every few years … even if I try to “hide” it by calling them “autumn spice” in this case. 🙂 I think they look a little like giraffe pattern too. Either which way, they turned out well for an experiment. Lighter and fluffier than I expected too.
Ingredients
2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs room temperature?
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (unsweetened – not pie filling)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2/3 cup granulated sugar for rolling
1 cup powdered sugar for rolling
Directions
Preheat oven to 325F. Prepare cookie sheets with silpat or parchment paper for baking. Prepare another baking sheet or two with wax paper.
Melt the butter and set aside to cool. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, eggs, pumpkin and vanilla until smooth. Add the butter and whisk until combined. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the flour mixture just until no dry ingredients remain visible. Let the cookie dough rest for 15 minutes.
While the dough is resting, place the 2/3 cup granulated sugar in a shallow bowl. Place the powdered sugar in a separate shallow bowl.
Using a small (1 tablespoon) cookie scoop, drop 1 heaping scoop of cookie dough directly into the bowl with the granulated sugar. The dough is super soft so it won’t be like other sturdy cookie dough balls. Scoop some of the granulated sugar over the dough and gently push it around the bowl until covered. Place the sugared dough ball in the palm of your hand. Form your hand into a cup and gently roll the dough around until it forms a ball. Place the ball of cookie dough in the powdered sugar and roll to coat. Place the dough balls on the parchment lined baking sheets, at least 2-inches apart. Once you have filled your sheets, keep rolling until you have all the cookies done, placing the “extra” ones on the wax-paper lined sheets until they are ready to be baked (point being, they all should be rolled ASAP and can sit as balls whilst the others are in the oven.)
Bake for 14 minutes or until the cookies are puffy, and cracks have formed. The cookies will still be soft and look a little raw in-between the cracks. Allow the cookies to cool for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
