Pumpkin Ginger Cookies

These cookies are FABULOUS.  They are chewy, moist, and spicy - the top three things I love about a cookie.  They are essentially a chewy gingersnap with a pumpkin twist.  My husband and daughter can't stop eating them and neither can I, frankly.

This recipe comes from Two Peas & Their Pod; a blog full of fantastic cookie recipes (you should definitely check it out).  Maria calls them Soft Pumpkin Gingersnaps, but I'm a weirdo and have a hard time naming a soft cookie a "snap."  So I'm going with Pumpkin Ginger Cookies.  I've only made one alteration and that is to reduce the amount of ground cloves.  Cloves are a delicious but strong spice and I felt that a full teaspoon kind of covered up the pumpkin flavor too much, so I've reduced the amount to half a teaspoon.

The molasses makes the cookies chewy, the pumpkin makes them soft.  And they STAY soft - up to a week (though they usually don't last past the first day or two).

And stay tuned:  these cookies only use 1/2 cup canned pumpkin.  I'll be posting more recipes soon to use up the rest of the can.  :)

PUMPKIN GINGER COOKIES
slightly adapted from Soft Pumpkin Gingersnaps on Two Peas & Their Pod

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
1 cup sugar (plus more for rolling)
1/2 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. salt

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy.  Add the pumpkin, molasses, egg, and vanilla; mix until well combined. Add remaining dry ingredients and mix until completely combined (dough will be very sticky).  Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate dough at least one hour.

When ready to make cookies, preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment or Silpat.  Add about 1/2 cup of sugar to a small bowl.  Roll tablespoon-size balls of dough (I used a medium-sized cookie scoop) in sugar until well coated and place about 2 inches apart on cookie sheet.  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges are set and cookies look cracked.  Let cool for 2-3 minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring to a wire rack.  Makes about 3 dozen, depending on size.