Pumpkin spice snickerdoodles

These cookies were made as a snack for our annual family apple picking outing this past weekend. Every October for a few years now we go apple picking with a bunch of our family members, and I always bring some sort of autumn-themed baked treat. I have been seeing a lot of pumpkin snickerdoodle recipes popping up lately and I knew I wanted to try them out, but I also wanted to incorporate pumpkin pie spices in them instead of mainly cinnamon. Perhaps this makes them not quite a snickerdoodle anymore, but that's okay... I used a couple different recipes as a guide, but mainly this one from Sally's Baking Addiction. I changed up a few things, including the spices for the below recipe which made about 3-1/2 dozen cookies. 

 Golden russet apples - our favorite eating apple since discovering them last autumn at LynOaken Farms.

The cookies ended up being very well-received. My ten year old cousin pocketed a few before our tractor/wagon ride around the orchard. I'm glad that I made them the day before because the flavors were more prominent the next day.  

Pumpkin spice snickerdoodles
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1-1/2 cups sugar, preferably unbleached, divided
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, (I like to use the real stuff), divided
3/4 teaspoon clove, divided
1 teaspoon allspice, divided
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg, divided

In one bowl, whisk together the butter, brown sugar, 1 cup sugar, pumpkin, and vanilla until well combined.

In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon clove, 1/2 teaspoon allspice, and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg until well combined.

Using a wooden spoon, stir the wet ingredients into the dry until combined. Then cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes, or overnight.

When ready to bake, line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar with the remaining spices (1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon clove, 1/4 teaspoon allspice, and 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg) in a shallow bowl. Stir well and set aside.

Using a scoop or your hands, take the dough about 1 tablespoon at a time, roll into a ball, and then gently press/flatten the cookies into the sugar and spice mixture. Place the cookies, spice side up, on the cookie sheets about 1-inch apart. Continue until the sheets are filled. Put the remaining dough back into the refrigerator.

Bake the cookies for about 9-11 minutes, until the bottoms are just golden. They may appear slightly underdone. Cool the cookies on a wire rack and repeat the process with the remaining dough.

Let the cookies cool completely and store in an airtight container. The pumpkin and spice flavors become more prominent the next day.

What was I cooking one year ago?: cabbage roll soup 
Two years ago?: chocolate chip pumpkin blondies 
Three?: curried butternut squash & yellow pea soup
4?: grilled apple salad with maple-mustard vinaigrette