The first clue was when I started seeing giant orange pumpkins at my local grocery store. Second clue was when the tree leaves started turning red and yellow. The third was when Halloween commercials started running on tv one after another. My very first Fall in the USA is officially here.
And before I engage in this quintessential Fall cliche, let me first say that in my defense, I have never had the opportunity to experience this pumpkin fascination in all my years of living in the other part of the world. The only sweet pumpkin thing I’ve ever had was a Pumpkin latte and pumpkin coffee creamer! Growing up, I was more used to pumpkin curry and pumpkin soup. I once worked as a barista, and when I first heard of a pumpkin latte I actually thought it referred to the size of the cup! You know like small, medium, large… pumpkin. When I eventually found out what it was, I went and bought a small can of pumpkin puree and scooped up a tablespoon and dumped it in my espresso before adding the steamed milk and froth for my cappuccino and then topped it with some cinnamon. Yummylicious!
So here I am, several years later, with a slew of delightful sweet pumpkin recipes on the blog already like pumpkin cheesecake, crustless pumpkin pie, pumpkin scones, pumpkin swiss roll cake, and even pumpkin pancakes!
So, now say hello to my Pumpkin Spice Cookies with Mocha Filling!
It took me two tries to get this right. The first batch of cookies was too hard and not very flavourful. I had to tweak it to make sure the end product was crisp but not hard, perfect as a plain cookie or a filled sandwich cookie, with the flavour of pumpkin and spice shining through!
Baking the cookies was the tricky part. If I took them out when the middle was too soft, they ended up not being crunchy enough. So the trick was to roll them out quite thin so they bake more evenly, and quicker. Plus the crunch you get when biting in to thin cookies is always more satisfying!
I used a mocha ganache for the filling – they need to be filled just before being served, or they become soggy after a few hours. However, I found a way to prevent the cookies from getting soggy – brush some melted bitter sweet chocolate on the cookies (see image below), let it harden and then pipe the filling in to the middle.
This is an optional step, and if anyone has found an easier way… please do let me know! 🙂 Personally I liked the slight bitterness that the bitter sweet chocolate added to the cookie.
I sprinkled extra pumpkin spice on the filling and cookies to intensify the pumpkin flavour. This too is optional but totally recommended as it truly elevated that amazing pumpkin flavour!
Recipe
Pumpkin Spice Cookies
US based cup, teaspoon, tablespoon measurements. Weight measurements are recommended for accurate results whenever available.
Common Measurement ConversionsIngredients:
- 4 tbsp butter
- 4 tbsp pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp pumpkin Spice
- 1 1/4 cup approximately 300g Flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 egg yolk
Instructions:
- Beat the butter, pumpkin puree and sugar until smooth and fluffy.
- Beat the egg yolk and pumpkin spice in to the above mix.
- Sift the flour and baking powder and incorporate it in to the butter mix on low or with a wooden spoon.
- Form the dough in to a flat disc and wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.
- Roll out the dough to approximately 1/8 of an inch thickness between two parchment papers (to prevent sticking) or on a lightly floured countertop.
- Preheat oven to 325°F
- With a 2 inch cookie cutter, cut out cookies and place them gently on a parchment paper an inch apart. Re-roll the dough once to cut more cookies.
- If the cookies get too soft, keep the dough in the freezer for a few minutes to harden so it is easier to handle.
- Bake the cookies 10-15 minutes until the edges are crispy, and the middle is not too soft.
- Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking tray for a few minutes before letting them cool on a wire rack.
- When cookies are cooled completely store them in an air-tight container. These can be served as is, or with a dusting of icing sugar or with a mocha filling (Recipe follows)
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
Recipe
Mocha Ganache for the filling
US based cup, teaspoon, tablespoon measurements. Weight measurements are recommended for accurate results whenever available.
Common Measurement ConversionsIngredients:
- 7 oz Semi Sweet Chocolate or Milk Chocolate
- 2 tbsp corn syrup
- 4 tbsp cream
- 1 tsp instant coffee granules
Instructions:
- In a saucepan or microwave-proof medium bowl, heat the cream and coffee for a few seconds to warm it up. Just warm enough to melt the coffee granules.
- Add the chocolate and corn syrup and gently stir until chocolate is just melted (with a few pieces left over).
- If using a microwave – heat the chocolate cream mix in 30 sec bursts until the chocolate is melted (with a few pieces left over)
- Mix the ganache well until all the chocolate is melted from the residual heat.
- Let it cool completely to room temperature. The ganache thickens as it cools.
- Just before serving the cookies – pipe some ganache between two cookies and make a sandwich.
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
I absolutely loved these cookies. The pumpkin and spice flavours shone through with each bite, and the mocha flavour in the ganache gave a nice balance without making the cookie too sweet.
This was my very first attempt at baking with pumpkin and I think they came out great (If I do say so myself!). And on the flip side, I also made these mocha cookies with pumpkin spice filling which are just as revelatory! 🙂 There are so many creative and yummy ways to use pumpkin.
For now though, I am happy enjoying these amazing cookies, with a warm cup of coffee or tea! 🙂
You can follow me on facebook, twitter, instagram or google-plus for more updates and new recipes. What’s your favourite Fall-inspired go-to recipe/ingredient? Let me know in the comments below! I’m still trying to figure out mine!
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