Pumpkin Blossom Cookies with Milk Chocolate Kisses
I love pumpkin. Whether in coffee, a soup, bread or dessert, I will eat or drink almost anything that has pumpkin flavor. Sometimes I wonder...do I like the pumpkin? Or do I like the pumpkin spice? With most of the pumpkin recipes I have there is as much pumpkin flavor as there is spice.
I have been especially fond of pumpkin with a hint of chocolate. A friend of mine makes a great pumpkin cake and she puts mini-chocolate chips in it. But it not only has a delicious pumpkin flavor but a wonderful balance of spice and chocolate. So, with that in mind, I was looking to make a pumpkin cookie with a milk chocolate kiss. I was looking to capture that Peanut Butter Blossom feel. A nice moist cookie, rolled in sugar with a chocolate kiss on top.
I found this recipe for a Pumpkin Snickerdoodle from Center Cut Cook. It was a unique recipe, but it didn't have any spices in the cookie recipe. Granted, you do roll the cookies in cinnamon and sugar but there wasn't any pumpkin spice. For those who don't know the combination - pumpkin spice is made with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and allspice. I decided I would add a small amount of pumpkin spice to both the cookie and the rolling sugar. I wanted to add a little kick to the cookie. Then I would add the chocolate kiss so I could put my creation, or should I call it, my craving together.
The recipe was fairly easy but the dough needs to be refrigerated for at least 90 minutes. My suggestion would be to make the dough and while it is freezing make a batch of Andria's Chocolate Chip Cookies. (Because they are so good.)
I made these pumpkin blossoms on a Sunday afternoon and had friends over to watch the football game later that evening. I had eaten a cookie piping hot out of the oven and it was delicious but sometimes it's hard to get a read on the true flavor of the cookie. Later that evening people were going crazy over the cookies. They were light and chewy and had great flavor. Pumpkin + Pumpkin Spice + Chocolate = Amazing Cookies. The best comments I got were:
"These are the BEST cookies I've ever tasted." (I love that one!)
"These are amazing!"
"Can I have the recipe?" (Here you go!)
So, I'm over due with the recipe, but here it is. Try out a batch before the holidays because you may find that these will be your new holiday cookies. I know I will be adding these to my 12 Cookies of Christmas for 2014. If you make a batch, leave a comment and tell me how you liked them!
Ingredients for Pumpkin Blossom Cookies with Milk Chocolate Kisses:
- 1/2 cup of butter, softened
- 1/2 cup of shortening
- 1-1/2 cup of sugar
- 3/4 cup of pumpkin puree
- 2 eggs
- 2-3/4 cups of flour
- 2 teaspoons of cream of tartar
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice
- 1 small bag of milk chocolate kisses
Rolling mix:
- 1/2 cup of sugar
- 2 teaspoons of cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
1. In a medium sized bowl, mix together the dry ingredients of flour, salt, cream of tartar, baking soda and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside.
2. In a mixer, using the paddle, cream together the shortening and butter. Once blended (about 1-2 minutes), add the sugar and cream until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
3. Add the 2 eggs and once incorporated, add the pumkin puree.
4. When all wet ingredients are together, add the flour mixture in two parts. When the mixture is fully mixed, it will be wet and sticky.
5. Place the dough in the freezer for 90 minutes or until firm to the touch.
6. In a small bowl, mix the rolling ingredients of sugar, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice.
7. Roll dough into 1 inch balls and then roll in the sugar mixture. Place on cookie sheet 2 inches apart.
8. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until slightly golden and the tops are dry and slightly cracked.
9. Remove from oven and place a milk chocolate kiss on the top. Press slightly into place and as it begins to melt you can push it down until you create a flattened, swirled appearance.
10. Cool on cookie racks.
Makes about 4 dozen cookies.
