I always make too much food for Thanksgiving even if it’s not a large gathering. We had a small group this year so I have lots of ways to use the leftovers. I started with a partial can of pumpkin and made a batch of cookies again using my new favorite pumpkin cookbook, Pumpkin It Up from my previous blog of a pumpkin cake.
My granddaughter Eliza is a little cookie monster. She loves a classic snickerdoodle especially because it has cinnamon, one of her favorite flavors. This is a snickerdoodle using pumpkin and an extra amount of cinnamon along with pumpkin pie spice. She went crazy for them.
I’ll be making them year-round now. The dough has to chill at least a few hours, but overnight is even better. It also keeps well for a couple days so you don’t even have to make the full batch all at once. These are a keeper!
- 1-1/4 cups granulated sugar, divided
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, divided
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup solid vegetable shortening (Crisco)
- ½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- ¾ cup canned pumpkin purée
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1-1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- In a small bowl stir together the ¼ cup of the sugar, 1 teaspoon of the pumpkin pie spice, and the cinnamon. Set aside.
- In large bowl of electric mixer combine the butter, shortening, remaining 1 cup granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. Mix in the pumpkin and vanilla.
- In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, baking powder, the remaining 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Gradually add to the pumpkin mixture, stirring until well combined. Cover and refrigerate the dough at least 3 hours, or overnight. Dough will also keep for several days.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Use a nonstick pan or line baking sheet with parchment. Roll dough into 1-inch balls or use a cookie scoop. Toss each ball in the reserved cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place coated cookie balls 2-inches apart on baking sheet. Bake until edges are just brown, about 8 to 9 minutes. Cool cookies on baking sheet for 2 minutes before removing to a cool rack and cool completely.
I’ll have a couple more recipes coming up for using leftover mashed potatoes, and gravy!
Yum! Tis the season for pumpkin! Enjoy sharing those holiday treats with your special cookie monster, Eliza. Bet you get an extra hug!!
Extra hugs are always welcome!