When you want a pumpkin cookie, you don't want pumpkin cake! That's why when you make these Pumpkin Snickerdoodles, it's important to cook the pumpkin in a skillet. Amy Traverso, who's the Senior Food Editor for Yankee Magazine, came by Tonia's Kitchen to talk about her recipe. She told Tonia that heating the pumpkin in a skillet removes the moisture and lessens the chance you'll end up with a cakey cookie.
Yield:
Ingredients
¾ cup pumpkin puree
1 stick (8 tablespoons) salted butter, softened
1¼ cups granulated sugar
2 large egg yolks
2 cups all-purpose flour
1¼ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1¼ teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
½ teaspoon baking soda
Cinnamon sugar, for rolling
Instructions
Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
In a small frying pan, cook the pumpkin puree over medium heat, stirring often, until the mixture is drier, darker in color, and making crackling sounds, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.
Preheat your oven to 375°F and set your racks to the upper- and lower-third positions.
In a large bowl, using a stand or handheld mixer, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the pumpkin and egg yolks to the butter mixture and stir, scraping down the sides of the bowl a couple of times. Don’t worry if the mixture looks a bit curdled. Add the flour, pumpkin pie spice, salt, cream of tartar, and baking soda; beat until combined.
Pour your cinnamon sugar into a shallow bowl (you’ll need about a cup for this many cookies). Break the dough off into pieces the size of Ping-Pong balls and roll them into balls, then roll in the cinnamon sugar. Arrange the balls on the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between. Bake until the cookies are puffed and golden at the edges, 10 to 12 minutes.
