Pumpkin Cookies
Pumpkin Cookies
Everyday around 4pm, children across France participate in a sacred ritual known as le goûter. Pronounced “luh goo tay”, this disciplined snack time is an opportunity for kids to enjoy a sweet treat which will tide them over until dinnertime. It may be a bar of chocolate nestled between a baguette, a piece of toast with Nutella spread on top, a homemade cake or something bought at the bakery. No bags of chips or veggies and hummus here. Le goûter is always sweet, never savory.
Like their adult counterparts, French kids do not snack in between meals. So I think of le goûter as less of a snack and more of an opportunity to savor a moment each afternoon with some sugar and un café. The majority of the work day is behind us and evening is near. Let’s enjoy that in-between time.
While le goûter is almost exclusively for kids in France, this American can’t help but find an excuse to nibble on baked goods or chocolate covered bread in the afternoon. But for the sake of keeping up appearances, we’ll say I made pumpkin cookies just for my kids to enjoy their version of le goûter in North Carolina.
Growing up my mom made these pumpkin cookies every autumn. I crave pumpkin cookies in November the same way we pine for pumpkin and pecan pie at Thanksgiving. It’s not fall season without them. My kids love eating these pumpkin cookies at my mom’s house, so I wanted to bake them as a way to kick off the Thanksgiving season in our new home.
These cookies are so soft and pillowy. They simply melt in your mouth with notes of pumpkin and cinnamon lingering on your taste buds. You can top the cookies with powdered sugar icing or leave them plane. Powdered sugar icing is more of a glaze and is comprised of just three ingredients: butter, powdered sugar and milk. It’s a simple way to drizzle a little sweetness on top of things like bundt cakes, quick breads and pound cakes. The glaze will harden quickly, so keep it warm as you’re putting icing on the cookies. You can also add more milk until you get your desired glaze consistency.
Icing or non, I’ll enjoy these pumpkin cookies for my inner child’s le goûter any day of the week.
Pumpkin Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 2 cups shortening
- 2 cups canned pumpkin
- Note: I use Libby's pure pumpkin; do not use canned pumpkin pie filling
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F. Use silpats or parchment paper to line your cookie sheets.
- Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl using a handheld mixer, combine the shortening, pumpkin, eggs and vanilla on medium-high speed until creamy. This may take about 4 minutes or so.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and baking soda.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mix in two to three portions. Mix until the dry ingredients are fully incorporated.
- Using a 1 tablespoon measuring spoon, scoop the dough into balls and place onto the cookie sheet. Bake one cookie sheet at a time for 15 minutes - rotating the cookie sheet at the halfway point.
- Move cookies onto a cooling rack until they’ve completely cooled.
- In the meantime, melt the butter for the icing in a pot over low heat. Once melted, remove the pot from the heat.
- Add the milk and the powdered sugar to the pan and whisk together until all ingredients are completely incorporated and form the icing.
- Drizzle icing on top or spread over each cookie using the back of a spoon.
