I haven’t lived in many places – really, just one – technically, three. Texas when I was small, under three years old small. Alabama until I was six. And North Carolina for the last 17 years. I grew up dreaming with my best friend Elizabeth about how one day we would graduate from college and live in New York City – typical of a girl feeling trapped in a small town.
We both stayed in North Carolina and, while I haven’t talked to Elizabeth in several years, I couldn’t be happier. I’m out of school, engaged, and me and Seth both want to settle in NC. One of the best things about this place is the seasons. While one may last three weeks and another four months, I don’t care – I get four distinct seasons every year and fall is by far the best in my book.
Me and Seth are travelling to his family’s lake house in a few days to celebrate Thanksgiving early. Its one of my favorite places to be this time of year with the leaves changing and the water calm without the noise of jetskis and people yelling at wakeboarders off their pontoon boats. Don’t get me wrong – the summer is fantastic as well, but it just doesn’t beat the stillness of fall. I’m excited to learn some recipes from Seth’s mom who is an amazingggg cook and try the turkey with gravy. (Apparently this gravy is a must have – and with the other holidays I’ve spent eating with them, I have no doubts it will be out of this world.)
I’m still craving pumpkin recipes and having fun making new things so today I’ll share the pumpkin gingerbread cookies I made this past week. I found this recipe on Two Peas & Their Pod and added a little extra spice. They were tasty, doughy and soft – the texture somewhere between a cookie and a muffin – amazing!
Pumpkin Gingerbread Cookies
Ingredients:
1/2 cup softened butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup pumpkin
1 large egg
1/4 cup molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon fresh ginger
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cloves
sugar for rolling cookies
Method:
1. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar together until smooth. Add pumpkin, molasses, egg, vanilla extract, and fresh ginger, mix until well combined.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, spices, and salt. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until combined. Refrigerate the cookie dough for at least 1 hour. The dough can be chilled for 2-3 days.
3. After dough has cooled, preheat oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place sugar in a small bowl. Roll tablespoon-sized balls of dough in sugar until well coated and place on prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10–12 minutes, or until cookies look cracked and set at the edges. The cookies will still be soft. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a 2-3 minutes after removing them from the oven, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
