Pumpkin Molasses Cookies

I developed this recipe from a bunch of different molasses cookie recipes. It's not nearly as pumpkin-y as I'd like, but it's yummy nonetheless.

Pumpkin Molasses Cookies

Ingredients:

2 1/3 C. flour

2 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg, ground

½ tsp cloves, ground

½ tsp ginger, ground

½ tsp rum extract

¼ tsp black pepper

1 tsp orange peel

½ C. butter, room temperature

1 C. brown sugar, packed

¼ C. molasses

2/3 C. pumpkin puree

1 large egg

½ C. sugar, for rolling

Directions

1. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and pepper. Set aside.

2. Cream butter until smooth and creamy. Add the brown sugar, molasses, and pumpkin puree. Mix thoroughly. Add egg. Slowly add in the dry ingredients. You will have a very soft dough.

3. Cover dough with plastic wrap (or Tupperware-type lid.) Freeze for at least 30 minutes, or refrigerate for at least 1 hour. The dough is sticky, so the longer time it can chill the easier it is to work with.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

5. Put the sugar in a small bowl. Roll dough into walnut-sized balles. Roll the balls in the sugar and use a the bottom of a glass to press down on the cookies until they are between ¼ to ½ inch thick. Transfer to cookie sheets. Do not over crowd.

6. Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 12-14 minutes, or until the top feels set to the touch. Remove baking sheets from the oven. Let cookies cool 5 minutes on the sheets before transferring them to a cooling rack.

Moose Tracks:

-It seems like I only take pics when I'm using aluminium foil. It's my backup for when my silpats are otherwise occupied. Weird.

-For a festive touch, I mixed in orange-colored sugar with the rolling sugar. It's the same kind I'd use to sprinkle on cupcakes or whatever.

-Next time I'm going to add some orange zest to the sugar mixture, I think.