Yes, it's that time of year again. Tonia's Kitchen is proud to walk down Christmas Cookie Lane in the runup to the big holiday. And this year, we have something extra special for you to try in your oven. They're called Pumpkin Snicker Cringles, kind of like a gingerbread with the warm winter spices that you might associate with the holiday, but with a different flavor profile involving pumpkin. The trick here, says Fabulous Modern Cookies co-authors Chris Taylor and Paul Arguin, is to make the sure the pumpkin doesn't turn the cookie you're making into more of a cake. Pumpkin, and other wet ingredients tend to do that. That's where their innovations come in. They studied something called Tangzhong Technique. It's a Japanese baking method by which you can trap the moisture of a wet ingredient, and allow the flavor to be more chewy, like a cookie, instead of soft like a cake. It's a great Christmas Cookie!
Ingredients (makes about 3 dozen cookies):
- 2 1/4 cups flour, divided
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 2/3 cup pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
- 3 large egg yolks, at room temperature
- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together 2 cups flour, the baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
Add your butter to a small saucepan over medium heat. Let melt and continue to heat undisturbed until it begins bubbling.
Once the bubbling begins to quiet down, start swirling the pan constantly for about 1 minute, or until you start seeing the solids at the bottom of the pan turning golden brown and the butter has a nutty aroma (this can go from seeing nothing to being quite golden brown in a matter of seconds, just as a heads up.)
Remove the pan from heat and stir in the brown sugar along with 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, scraping at the bottom of the pan to fully incorporate all of the browned bits.
Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.
In a separate small, microwave-safe bowl, stir together the remaining 1/4 cup flour and the pumpkin puree.
Add the mixture to your microwave and heat in 30 second increments, stirring in between each one, until the mixture has thickened into a paste (about 2 minutes total). This is called the Tangzhong Technique
Add the pumpkin mixture to the large bowl with the brown sugar mixture.
Using an electric mixer, beat the mixtures together on medium speed to fully combine. Let set for 15 minutes, or until fully cool.
Once cool, mix in the egg yolks and the vanilla extract on medium speed.
Reduce the speed to low and mix in your flour mixture a little at a time, being sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl from time to time to make sure everything is fully combined.
In a separate small, shallow bowl, whisk together the remaining teaspoon and cinnamon and the confectioners’ sugar.
Use a cookie scoop to portion out a ball of the dough and drop it into the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
Gently roll the ball around to completely coat and then place on your baking sheet.
Repeat, adding the coated dough two inches apart on your baking sheet.
Add to your oven and bake until the cookies are puffy and the tops are cracked, about 11 to 15 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Let cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheets then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Repeat with your remaining dough and cinnamon-sugar mixture. You can store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for several days.
