I love the sparkle of demerara sugar. Rolling the cinnamon pumpkin cookie dough in those big sugar crystals is what makes these cookies special, plus it also makes the dough less sticky and easier to shape.
If you can’t find it in your local supermarket or bakery supply store, you can order it from Amazon. <affiliate link*. I use it on all sorts of baked goods, when a little shine is welcome, like my chili maple bacon cookies and blueberry pie with polenta shortcake crust. It also makes a rich and wonderful simple syrup to use in cocktails like an Irish blackberry cobbler or pomelo margaritas.
But this month for our Creative Cookie Exchange, we are sharing cookies that make an easy, last minute Thanksgiving holiday dessert or treat so I made cinnamon pumpkin cookies. They can be made ahead, frozen, and baked when needed, so you are ready at a moment's notice when unexpected guests arrive. Or you can bake them ahead of time and freeze them after. They thaw almost instantly, always a plus for a busy holiday.
Mix up a batch of these fabulous cookies for your next gathering. I almost called these pumpkindoodles, you know, like snickerdoodles but pumpkin. But there is nothing absent-minded about that crunchy demerara sugar. It's all there.
Cinnamon Pumpkin Cookies
Ingredients for about 2 dozen cookies
1 1/2 cups or 190g flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup or 100g soft dark brown sugar
1/2 cup or 113g butter, softened
2 tablespoons unsulphured molasses
1 large egg
3/4 cup or 150g canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling) or steamed, mashed fresh pumpkin
For rolling the dough:
1 cup or 220g Demerara or other large grained sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Method
Whisk together your flour, salt, baking powder and ground cinnamon in bowl. Set aside.
With your hand beaters or in the bowl of your stand mixer, cream together the brown sugar, butter and molasses.
Tip: The molasses will slide easily off of your measuring spoon if you give it a quick spray with Pam or your favorite non-stick spray first.
Add in the egg and pumpkin and beat for another minute or so, scraping down the bowl halfway through.
With the beaters on low, add in the flour mixture a little at a time, until it is fully incorporated.
Line a baking pan with parchment and use a scoop or a couple of tablespoons to divide the soft dough into about 24-26 portions. Pop the pan into the freezer and set a timer for about 45 minutes, if you are planning to bake the same day.
Meanwhile, mix the demerara sugar with the ground cinnamon in a large mixing bowl.
When the dough is almost finished chilling, preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare your cookie pan by lining it with baking parchment or a silicone liner.
Remove only 12 (or however many cookies your pan can fit) pieces of dough from the freezer.
Roll each into a ball and pop it in the bowl of cinnamon sugar. Shake the bowl to coat. Use your hands to press each ball into a disk shape and press both sides of the disk back into the cinnamon sugar.
Place them on the prepared pan.
Bake in your preheated oven for about 12-14 minutes, or until the cinnamon pumpkin cookies are puffed and set. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely before serving or storing in an airtight container.
Repeat with the remaining dough, until all the cookies are baked.
Alternatively you can completely freeze the dough pieces so they won’t stick together, then transfer them to a Ziploc bag. Keep them frozen until you are ready to bake. Remove just the number you want to bake from the freezer. Let them thaw just enough so you can roll them into balls and continue with the instructions for rolling them in the sugar, shaping and baking.
I’ve tested it both ways and the cookies turn out great either baked the same day or after freezing the dough.
Enjoy!
Are you needing last minute treat recipes for Thanksgiving? Check out all the cookies we’ve got for you today!
- Apple Cranberry Jammers from All That's Left Are The Crumbs
- Cinnamon Pumpkin Cookies from Food Lust People Love
- Cranberry Crumble Bars from Karen's Kitchen Stories
- Cranberry White Chocolate Sugar Cookies from Queenbeebaker
- Maple Walnut Spice Cookies from What Smells So Good?
- Silky Bittersweet Brownies from The Spiced Life
Creative Cookie Exchange is hosted by Laura of The Spiced Life. We get together once a month to bake cookies with a common theme or ingredient so Creative Cookie Exchange is a great resource for cookie recipes. Be sure to check out our Pinterest Board and our monthly posts at The Spiced Life. We post the first Tuesday after the 15th of each month!
*Disclaimer: Amazon affiliate links earn me a few pennies when you make a purchase by following one, even if you don't buy the item I've listed. Your cost remains the same.
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