Chewy Homemade Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

PULL OUT OF FRIDGE TO LET SOFTEN (to room temp):

• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 2 eggs 

*Quick life hack: If you forget to pull out refrigerated ingredients ahead of time, like me, just put them on your stove top as it’s preheating (except for whenever you have to chill the dough…then this information is useless, sorry)

Together in the mixer:

• softened butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup white sugar
• the eggs
• 2/3 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 tsp vanilla

Together in separate bowl:

• 3 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice** if you don’t have this, sub 1/4 tsp cloves + 1/2 tsp nutmeg instead.
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp cream of tartar

While You’re waiting for that shit to chill out:

• 1/4 cup white sugar (“granulated” sugar…but like…it’s white so let’s just be honest here)
• 1 Tbsp cinnamon 

1. Don’t preheat the oven yet, these babies have to chill for 30 mins post-assembly
2. Have your beautiful and amazing sous chef (your KitchenAid mixer) combine the sugars and fats (the room temp butter) until light and fluffy (~1 minute)
3. In separate bowl, combine all dry ingredients.
4. Add the (room temp) eggs and vanilla to the sugar butter mixture.
5. Add the pumpkin puree to the mixture.
6. Add dry ingredients to your mixer mixture. Mix until completely combined. 
7. Put a lid on your mixing bowl and stick it in the fridge for half an hour! 
8. Prepare two large baking sheets with parchment paper, or, do yourself a solid and buy silicone baking sheets to save some trees.
9. USE A COOKIE SCOOPER. Seriously. Drop each scoop into a little bowl of 1/4 cup of sugar + 1 Tbsp of cinnamon and shake it around until it’s completely covered.
10. Place each cookie on your pre-lined cookie tray (parchment paper) and GENTLY flatten with the palm of your hand. I like flat doodles, not puffy ones. Don’t slam your hand down, just make it 10% flatter than it’s natural post-scooper ball shape.
11. Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes or until they start getting little tiny holes and cracks in them. Sounds weird, but that’s how I judge mine. The middle should still be doughy looking. Pull them out of the oven and let them chill on the sheet until they “deflate” (~2 mins) before moving them to a cooling rack. 

That’s it! Fun Fact: These freeze REALLY WELL. Once they’re completely cooled, put them in a plastic Tupperware container lined with parchment paper and freeze them the day you make them. Pull them out every time you have a party or whenever you’re going somewhere and forgot to make an app…