There's a chill in the air, snow on the ground (but rain coming down to wash it away) and the woolly hats are out along with a rain jacket. It's that in-between time when fall is still here but winter is coming. We're fighting runny noses and coughs around here, desperately trying to get rid of them so we can get ready for the holiday season. Did I really write that? That's right, Christmas is around the corner and for many of us that means extra of a whole lot of things - extra shopping, cooking, entertaining, socializing - and of course, eating.
These cookies were inspired by more than a few recipes I found online (like this one and this one, the fact that I have a good bunch of homemade pumpkin purée just waiting to be used, and the perfect gingersnaps my aunt gave us a few weeks ago. I just couldn't wait to make a version of gingersnaps that used my lovely homemade pumpkin mix. I spiced them up a bit more than some might and highly recommend using homemade pumpkin purée if you can get ahold of a pumpkin and roast it for this purpose. It's so light compared to the canned variety that I usually use. So good with a nice cup of coffee or tea. Here's to a little taste of autumn going into winter!
Makes 3 dozen, depending on the size you roll the balls in
Cook time: 10 -12 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) butter, room temperature (unsalted or salted)
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (50 ml) granulated sugar, plus more for rolling the cookies
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) pumpkin purée (homemade or canned)
- 1/4 cup (50 ml) molasses
- 1 egg
- 1 inch ginger root - 1 to 2 tablespoons (30 to 45 ml), peeled and grated (microplane works best)
- OR 1 teaspoon (5 ml) ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) ground cloves
- 1 tablespoon (30 ml) cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon (1 ml) nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon (2 ml) salt
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups (350 ml) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (250 ml) whole wheat flour
Method:
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone sheet.
Beat the butter and sugar together until creamy and smooth, about 3 minutes.
Add the pumpkin, molasses, egg, and vanilla extract, mix until well combined.
Grate the ginger root into the wet ingredients if using fresh ginger.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, spices (including ground ginger if not using fresh ginger), and salt.
Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until combined.
Refrigerate the cookie dough for at least 1 hour if you have time (makes it easier to work with). You can even refrigerate it a day or two ahead of when you plan to bake.
Place a bit of granulated sugar in a small bowl. Roll tablespoon-sized balls of dough in sugar until well coated and place on prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. I like to press down in the middle of the cookie just slightly after placing them on the baking sheet.
Bake for 10–12 minutes, or until cookies look cracked and set at the edges. I rolled my cookies a bit bigger so they needed a little longer in the oven.
The cookies will still be soft.
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes after removing them from the oven, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.







