Pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies

Equipment

• 2 Large baking sheets
• Cooling Rack
• Parchment Paper
• Large Mixing Bowl
• 2 Medium Bowls
• Small Bowl
• Electric mixer necessary for frosting
• Whisk only necessary if not using an electric/stand mixer
• Measuring Cups
• Tablespoon & Teaspoon Measurements
• #50 Cookie Scoop optional
• 2 Tablespoon spoons necessary if not using cookie scoop
• Piping Bag (Plastic bag works too or can use an offset spatula to spread frosting)
• Rubber Spatula or fork
• Paper Towels

Ingredients

Dough

• 2 Cups Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour
• 1 Cup Plant Butter softened
• 1½ Cup Brown Sugar
• ¾ Pumpkin Puree
• 2 Egg Yolks
• 2 Tbsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 Tsp Pumpkin Spice
• 2 Tsp Baking Powder
• ½ Tsp Baking Soda
• 1 Tsp Kosher Salt

Cinnamon Sugar

• ½ Cup Granulated Sugar
• 2 Tsp Cinnamon
• ¼ Tsp Kosher Salt

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 8oz Dairy-Free Cream Cheese
• ½ Cup Dairy-Free Butter softened
• 3 Cups Powdered Sugar
• 1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract
• ¼ Tsp Kosher Salt

Instructions

Prepare Ingredients

1. Set out dairy-free butter and cream cheese to soften.
2. Measure out pumpkin puree, spread over folded paper towels, and pat dry with additional paper towels. Set aside.
3. Separate the yolks of two eggs and set aside.

Prepare Cookie Dough

1. In a medium bowl, use whisk or fork to gently com gluten-free flour, pumpkin spice, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, use a whisk or electric/stand mixer to cream together granulated, brown sugar, dried pumpkin puree, vanilla extract and salt until thoroughly combined.
3. Add egg yolks to the butter and sugar and mix until combined.
4. Pour dry ingredients into the large bowl and gently mix using a rubber spatula until the dry ingredients are completely incorporated. (If using an electric/stand mixer, make sure to mix in dry ingredients on a low setting and scrape the bottom of the bowl). Set aside.
5. At this time, preheat the oven to 350ºF and line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Roll the Cookies in Cinnamon Sugar

6. In a small bowl, use a fork to evenly combine granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside two tablespoons of the sugar mixture for topping the frosted cookies.
7. Using a #50 cookie scoop, scoop the cookie dough and place in cinnamon sugar.
8. Roll the scoop of dough in cinnamon sugar until a ball forms and is evenly coated in cinnamon sugar.
9. Place rolled cookie dough on lined baking sheet and repeat.
10. Make sure to place the rolled cookie dough balls approximately 2-3 inches apart on the baking sheet. (I like to limit my baking sheets to 6-8 balls of dough).
11. Bake at 350ºF for 12 minutes or until cookies spread, cracks form on top and the edges show a slight golden color.
12. Let cookies cool for 5 minutes, then transfer cookies to a wired rack to cool for 10 minutes. repeat the previous 3 steps with remaining dough.
13. In the meantime, use the following steps to prepare the diary-free cream cheese frosting.

Prepare Cream Cheese Frosting

14. In the second medium bowl, use an electric mixture to beat together cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter, vanilla extract, and salt. Begin on slow speed and increase speed once ingredients are incorporated. Beat on medium-high speed for 5 minutes or until frosting increases in size and develops a lighter color and fluffy texture.
15. Place in refrigerator and enjoy within three days for best results!
16. Place frosting in a piping bag , cut off about 1/2 inch of the tip and pipe in a zig zag direction on the cooled cookies.
17. Sprinkle remaining sugar mixture over frosted cookies and serve.
    Enjoy!

Tips

• Dry the pumpkin puree. This is a crucial step in this recipe. Drying out the pumpkin puree removes the excess water which yield crispy edges and a chewy center. Simply layer a couple paper towels onto a plate and spread the measured amount of pumpkin puree onto the folded towels. Take an additional two paper towels and press onto the puree until the towels soak upmost of the moisture. From there, use a spoon to scrape the dried puree into the bowl with wet ingredients.
• Use egg yolks. I tried this recipe multiple times and found that the egg yolks add richness and contribute to creating the quintessential cookie texture. The addition of pumpkin puree binds the cookie similar to egg whites, so just use the yolks!
• Add the salt to wet ingredients. Most recipes add salt to dry ingredients, however I think adding salt to the wet ingredients ensures an even distribution.
• If you don’t have pumpkin spice, you can make your own! Simply combine 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/8 teaspoon cloves, and 1/8 teaspoon ginger.
• Use a #50 Cookie Scoop. Personally, I find using a cookie scoop helps make the cookies even in size and speeds up the process.
• Use any dairy-free cream cheese. I recommend using whichever dairy-free cream cheese you enjoy. In this recipe, I used the one sold at Trader Joe’s. It’s not the absolute best but it does the job!
• Make sure to let the dairy-free cream cheese soften. Set out the cream cheese sometime before making the recipe so that it’s easy to whip with the vegan butter.
• Use an electric mixer. An electric mixer is necessary to achieve the desired whipped consistency. This way, there won’t be any lumps in the frosting and it won’t taste too rich.