Magnifico!: Pumpkin spice cookies

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October 9, 2007

Pumpkin spice cookies

This recipe is one that's been near and dear to me for nearly my whole life. My Mom originally clipped it out of a newspaper and it's grown up with me, going through different changes as I changed too.

Originally we made these cookies huge and round with little pumpkin stems and lavished icing and sprinkles upon them like festive, sweet, sticky jack-o-lanterns. Needless to say they never lasted long.

The photocopy of the much-loved recipe that my Mom gave me when I moved out

Nikon D50

Years later as my brother and I grew out of the whole Halloween thing, these cookies stuck around (of course!) Now that having a good smooth icing canvas was no longer necessary, chocolate chips made their way into the cookies. They marred the formerly glasslike (well, for a cookie) surface but dude, it was chocolate. Yum! My parents would send these cookies to me in my care packages at college, and they brought back memories of childhood the way that only really good comfort foods can do.

Now that I'm all old, non-pumpkin-decorating, and out of college, it's up to me to keep this yummy tradition alive. I've made them every year over the last couple autumns, but this year I discovered my favorite addition: The Squash Quad of Power. As in the Turkey Trifecta, this blend of flavors complements the flavors it's enhancing so perfectly that I wouldn't ever consider excluding them. Unsurprisingly, when you add cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger, and cloves to the cookies, they're, well, uhm, wow.

They just might be the best cookie ever.

Nikon D50

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Pumpkin spice cookies
Adapted from a Libby's canned pumpkin ad from the 80s

This is a double batch and makes 40-50 cookies

Note: by happy accident I once discovered that if you want a less sweet, more pronounced spice flavor, you can use half the prescribed sugars and you will still get a perfectly delicious cookie. The dough will not spread as much during baking, so you may need to increase the cooking time as they'll come out shaped more like boulders than discs.

4 cups flour

2 cups raw old-fashioned oats

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon each ground nutmeg, ginger, and cloves

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cup butter

1 1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 eggs, slightly beaten

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups canned unsweetened pumpkin

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (omit if decorating)

(If decorating) assorted icing, peanut butter, candies, sprinkles, raisins, or nuts

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and salt. In a separate bowl, cream butter. Gradually add sugars, beating until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and mix well.

Alternate adding flour mixture with adding pumpkin, mixing well after each addition. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop a generous spoonful onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets. If you want to shape the cookies like pumpkins, use 1/4 cup of dough for each cookie and add a bit more to form a stem. Bake 15 minutes (if the cookies are smaller) or 20-25 minutes (if cookies are larger). If you take them out just as they are barely beginning to brown, they will be extremely soft and chewy. Leave them in for another minute or two if you like your cookies less soft, but do not let them start to firm up while they are still in the oven. Cool on racks. When cool, store or decorate.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I have throughout my life!

See more pictures of pumpkin spice cookies here

Posted by Jitterbean Girl at 8:52 PM | fall & winter, family tradition, favorites, holiday, oats, sweet | Printer-friendly version | Comments (1)

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Comments

This brings back SO MANY memories. Happy, silly, joyful times.......the essence of comfort food! I love that the tradition continues!
Mom

Posted by: Mom | October 11, 2007 9:47 AM