Drunken Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

These are not your grandma's snickerdoodles!  Our cocktail twist on an old fashioned favorite: Drunken Pumpkin Snickerdoodles.  You've seen my "Old Fashioned" Snickerdoodles from a few years ago.  This time around, I used the same vintage cocktail flavors and brought them more modern and swingin' with the addition of that fall baking favorite, Pumpkin.  

Jacqueline shared some snickerdoodles with me last week and I loved how her addition of applesauce made them soft and not thin and crumbly like in some snickerdoodle recipes.  The apple was so subtle, but just a nice nuance.  I have wanted to make a pumpkin version of my "old fashioned" snickerdoodles, so the time was right with the cooler temperatures and the age-old hankerin' for the smell of cinnamon and pumpkin in the kitchen.  

These are light and fluffy and almost cakey.  If you like your snickerdoodles more chewy, you can reduce the number of eggs.  There are lots pumpkin snickerdoodle recipes on the Internet that have no eggs and the result is very chewy.  Also, as these have less cream of tartar than more traditional snickerdoodles, they won't have that distinctive taste...Something for which I was down graded on my entry to last year's state fair.  The judges just didn't get my play on words, either, noting the name "Old Fashioned" meaning my twist on cocktail meets cookie.

A combination that's sure to please both young and young at heart...The addition of the pumpkin makes them almost feel 'healthy,' while the addition of the white chocolate chips makes them a bit more elegant. 

Who doesn't enjoy a good oldie but goody, right?

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Step-by-Step

Preheat your oven and get your pans all prepped. Next rustle up all your other ingredients and zest your orange.

In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients and set aside. 

In a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  About 3 minutes.  Scrape the bowl.  

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well each time.  Scrape the bowl.  

Add the pumpkin, bourbon, Grand Marnier, maple syrup, bitters and orange zest*, and beat to combine.  

Gradually add the flour mixture until combined.*

Add the white chocolate chips with the last bit of flour and finish by hand.  

Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.  You want it just to hold together. 

For the coating, combine the sugar and spices in a small, shallow bowl.  

Using a #40 scoop (1 1/2 tbsp), gently roll the dough into balls (about 1 inch) in the palms of your hands.  

Roll the balls in the sugar & spice mixture.  I have found that if I drop the portioned-out balls in the cinnamon sugar mixture before I roll them into balls, then I get more control and less compaction of the dough.  Why it has taken me 30 yrs to figure out...Who knows!

Place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.  I placed 3 white chocolate chips on top of each cookie just to make them pretty...I see the other bloggers doing this and it really does make them photograph better. Press down a bit to flatten slightly.  You can use the bottom of a flat glass.  I use my fingers...Works just fine. 

Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes or until just set and still soft in the middle.**   

Let sit on the sheet for about a minute or until just firm enough to transfer.  Too long and they will overcook.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  

These are light and fluffy, almost cakey.  I like them like this as a nice change from the traditional cream of tartar-flavored, thin and slightly chewy snickerdoodles of yore.  Plus, I think the bourbon adds to the cakie-ness. I think you'll like this new cocktail twist on an 'old-fashioned' cookie classic!

Drunken Pumpkin Snickerdooodles

Adapted from Annie’s Eats

Makes about 4 1/2 dozen cookies

Ingredients

For the cookies:

4 cups flour (3 3/4 to 4 cups depending on the size of your eggs)

2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

1/2 tsp salt (regular, not kosher)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temp

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup dark brown sugar (can use light)

2 large eggs

2 tbsp Bourbon (I use Jim Beam)

2 tsp Grand Marnier

1 tsp maple syrup (do not use pancake syrup), optional

4 or 5 dashes bitters

1 tbsp freshly grated orange zest (not substitution)

1 cup white chocolate chips, plus more for top of each cookie

For the coating:

1/2 cup sugar

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.  Set aside.

2.  In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, sod, spice, cream of tartar, salt and cinnamon.  Set aside. 

3.  In a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  About 3 minutes.  Scrape the bowl.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well each time.  Scrape the bowl.  Add the bourbon, Grand Marnier, maple syrup, bitters and orange zest,* and beat to combine.  
4. Gradually add the flour mixture until combined, add the white chocolate chips and finish by hand.  Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.  You want the dough to just hold together. 

5. For the coating, combine the sugar and spices in a small, shallow bowl.  Using a #40 scoop (1 1/2 tbsp) portion out the dough, then gently roll the dough into balls (about 1 inch) in the palms of your hands.  Roll the balls in the sugar & spice mixture.  
6. Place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.  Place 3 white chocolate chips on top of each cookie (optional). Press down a bit to flatten slightly.  You can use the bottom of a flat glass.  Fingers work too. 

7. Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes or until just set and still soft in the middle.**  Let sit on the sheet for about a minute or until just firm enough to transfer.  Too long and they will overcook.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  Store between sheets of wax paper in a container with a tight fitting lid. 

*  I always put any citrus zest in towards the end of adding the wet ingredients; sometimes I put it in with the last of the flour which I did for these cookies.  I do this so that the zest doesn't get stuck all over the beater.  This is just one of my baking idiosyncrasies.
**  I always rotate my pans at the half way time mark.  

Happy Autumn!

Ellen