A Healthier Autumn Cookie (Recipe: Pumpkin Spice Snaps)

When developing this particular recipe I had two goals in mind: to create a healthy cookie as equally desirable to my children as their beloved (yet overly sugar-filled) gingersnap, and to make a prettier pumpkin cookie than the standard lumpy brown drop cookie versions.

These pumpkin spice snaps are a success on both accounts.

I’ve eliminated the white sugar, reduced the butter, added whole-wheat flour and incorporated pumpkin for extra flavor and beta carotene. Raw ginger and freshly ground cinnamon kick in to make these spice snaps live up to their name.

These cookies are soft on the inside, thanks to the pumpkin purée, but are not cakey; they still have that chewy factor that is always desirable in a cookie. Still, don’t expect the same texture as a traditional gingersnap, as the caramelizing of all that white sugar is what give the gingersnap its ‘chew’.

Still, these cookies snap with flavor, and most importantly, my kids are crazy about them. As a bonus? They’re kind of pretty in an old-fashioned way.

Do Ahead: Here’s an interesting observation about these pumpkin spice snaps – they were better on the second day. Warm from the oven, I didn’t love the flavor of the whole wheat flour that came through. But after several hours in an airtight container, the spices and the pumpkin really took over the cookie.

The cookies remained moist for up to three days after baking, and also froze beautifully. So go ahead, make a big batch and store them for a snowy day. After all, winter is just around the corner.

Recipe: Pumpkin Spice Snaps

If you’re really crazy about spicing up your cookies, replace the cinnamon in the recipe with 1 1/2 teaspoons of Pumpkin Spice Blend – a homemade mix of ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and allspice.

Yields: 3 dozen, 2-inch cookies.

ingredients:

• 1/3 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup organic cane sugar plus 1/4 cup for rolling the cookies
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1/2 cup pumpkin purée
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1 inch cube of fresh ginger root, peeled
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

method:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Sift together flours, baking soda, sea salt and cinnamon and whisk to combine.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until creamy, about three minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula a few times to be sure that everything is incorporated.
4. To the butter mixture add: molasses, pumpkin purée, white vinegar, and egg. Beat well.
5. Using a microplane or rasp, grate cube of fresh ginger over the wet ingredients so the pulp and juices fall into the bowl. Mix batter to combine.
6. Add dry ingredients and stir on low speed to combine. Turn off mixer and remove paddle.
7. Roll the dough into 36 1-inch balls. Roll each ball in whole cane sugar and place on a baking sheet, 12 per tray. (This is a good job for kids.)
8. Bake for 8 minutes on the middle and lower shelves of the oven, rotating the pans once midway though the baking time. Cool on a wire rack.

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Are you thinking about holiday baking yet?

Tagged as: cookies, cooking for kids, Dessert, pumpkin, pumpkin puree, spices