October 1st marks the beginning of hayrides, scarecrow sightings, leaf pile tournaments, and everything pumpkin. Pumpkin pie for dessert, pumpkin bread for Sunday brunch, seasonal pumpkin butter sold at your favorite store. It's just a festive time of year. When we lived in Maine, my husband and I attended the pumpkin festival in Keane, NH and let me tell you, those folks know what they are doing with their pumpkins. While we would rather eat them, they would rather decorate them. What a sight! I highly recommend taking a trip to see the millions upon millions of pumpkins on display in that quaint New England town.
Getting back to today's post, I love pumpkin for what it does to desserts. It compensates for some of the butter and creates a super moist product, turning these cookies into soft mini cakes with just a hint of spice. Add some chocolate and/or butterscotch chips and you've got an unforgettable treat. Have fun and dress these cookies up any way you'd like, much like the folks in Keane, NH do with their pumpkins.
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| Rolled in sugar |
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| Chocolate chip |
Pumpkin Molasses Cookies
Slightly adapted from My Baking Addiction
2 1/3 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp black pepper (optional)
8 Tbs butter, room temperature
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup molasses
2/3 cup pumpkin puree
1 large egg
1/2 cup sugar, for rolling
chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, etc
1/2 tsp salt
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp black pepper (optional)
8 Tbs butter, room temperature
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup molasses
2/3 cup pumpkin puree
1 large egg
1/2 cup sugar, for rolling
chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, etc
1. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and pepper if using.
2. Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add the brown sugar, molasses, and pumpkin puree and beat for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the egg and beat for 1 minute more. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing until the flour and spices disappear. If flour remains in the bottom of the bowl, mix the last of the dry ingredients by hand to avoid over beating. You will have a very soft dough.
3. Divide the dough in half and wrap each piece in plastic wrap. Freeze for at least 30 minutes, or refrigerate for at least 1 hour. The dough is sticky, so the longer time it can chill the easier it is to work with.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
5. Put the sugar in a small bowl. Working with one packet of dough at a time, divide it into 12 pieces, and roll each piece into a ball. Roll the balls in the sugar and use the bottom of a glass to press down on the cookies until they are between 1/4 and 1/2 inch thick. Transfer to cookie sheets. Do not over crowd. Press 5-6 chips in the cookies you wish to decorate.
6. Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 12-14 minutes, or until the top feels set to the touch. Remove baking sheets from the oven. Let cookies cool 5 minutes on the sheets before transferring them to a cooling rack.
7. Repeat with second batch of dough.
2. Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add the brown sugar, molasses, and pumpkin puree and beat for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the egg and beat for 1 minute more. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing until the flour and spices disappear. If flour remains in the bottom of the bowl, mix the last of the dry ingredients by hand to avoid over beating. You will have a very soft dough.
3. Divide the dough in half and wrap each piece in plastic wrap. Freeze for at least 30 minutes, or refrigerate for at least 1 hour. The dough is sticky, so the longer time it can chill the easier it is to work with.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
5. Put the sugar in a small bowl. Working with one packet of dough at a time, divide it into 12 pieces, and roll each piece into a ball. Roll the balls in the sugar and use the bottom of a glass to press down on the cookies until they are between 1/4 and 1/2 inch thick. Transfer to cookie sheets. Do not over crowd. Press 5-6 chips in the cookies you wish to decorate.
6. Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 12-14 minutes, or until the top feels set to the touch. Remove baking sheets from the oven. Let cookies cool 5 minutes on the sheets before transferring them to a cooling rack.
7. Repeat with second batch of dough.
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| Butterscotch chip |
Looks good, I just pinned it! :)
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