Recipe: Peppermint Crinkles and Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Are you guys as confused as I am.

Where are we?  How did we get here?

AND FOR THE LOVE OF COOKIE SEASON why the HECK is there a dessert here on Wednesday?!?!?!?




We shouldn't even be DREAMING of partying like it's hot, saying to hell with you to our skinny jeans, and throwing all of our good eating habits to the wayside until at least Friday at 7AM.

And yet. Here we are.

The holiday spirit works in funny ways sometimes. Let's just go with it.



The.Boy. and I made these "together" two weekends ago.  By which I mean he spent the afternoon staring(cursing) at his fantasy football league app while I snuck samples of cookie dough every time he wasn't paying attention.

And then he ate approximately five of them, all the while congratulating himself on a job well done.  Sigh.  He's so cute with his delusions of grandeur, don't you think?



The peppermint crinkle cookies were supposed to be for the NYC Food Blogger Cookie Swap the next day. which I didn't actually end up going to because I took a children's dose of Benadryl that morning and within a half hour couldn't stand upright.  I wish I were joking. I really do.

So then after doing a little taste testing myself, I made the executive decision that they were way too good to keep in my apartment.  And so I shipped off the remainders, along with a dozen pumpkin snickerdoodles each, to my Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap recipients - Lindsay of Life and Kitchen, Sara of Nubcakes, and Courtney of CourtneyFos.com!  (Hope you guys liked 'em!)  Because the only thing better than receiving a box full of cookies in the mail...is receiving a box full of two types of cookies!

And in return, I received some fabulous cookies from three other (great) new-to-me bloggers - totally addictive eggnog snickerdoodles from Chopsticks and Measuring Cups, sweet and nutty Moroccan Sesame Cookies from MarocMama, and some kind of amazing almond spice cookie from Espresso and Cream! I can't wait to check out their posts today to get the recipes!

This is the second year I've taken part in the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap and I love it not only because I get cookies in the mail, but also because I get introduced to new bloggers all while baking in the name of fighting cancer! This year the proceeds from the cookie swap are going to Cookies for Kids' Cancer, which was founded by two OXO employees who were inspired by their son's battle with pediatric cancer.  Honestly, I can't think of a better reason to get in the kitchen and start baking (even on a Wednesday!) than that.  To further support this cause, this year OXO will donating 50% of the profits that it makes from the sale of it's totally adorable "Good Cookie" spatula to Cookies for Kids' Cancer. In addition, for every donation or bake sale registered at www.cookiesforkidscancer.org, OXO will match the funds up to $100,000.  So if you feel so inspired, host a bake sale or cookie swap in honor of this great cause and know that your contribution will actually be double what you put in.



Now that I've bantered on about nothing for long enough. Here's the lowdown on these cookies.  The peppermint crinkles are kind of like peppermint brownies in cookie form. With nutella in them. Seriously, you can't go wrong there.  The pumpkin snickerdoodles, on the other hand, are more cakey than chewy, but between the pumpkin spice cookies themselves and the fact that they are smothered in cinnamon-ginger sugar...they are pretty much pillows of heaven.

Peppermint Crinkle Cookies
Makes about 24, adapted from Bakers Royale

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 2 tbsp natural unsweetened cocoa powder
• 7 oz chocolate, 65% cacao
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup nutella
• 2 large eggs
• 1 egg white
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp peppermint extract
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar

Instructions

1. Place flour and cocoa powder in a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
2. Place the chocolate, butter, and nutella in a heavy-bottomed pan over low heat and stir until ingredients are melted and well-combined. Set aside.
3. Place the eggs, egg white, and sugar in a bowl and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy with large air bubbles. Add in the peppermint extract and beat to combine. 
4. Gently fold the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture until combined. Gently fold in the flour mixture until no streaks appear. Chill dough for 20 minutes.
5. Place the confectioners' sugar in a large bowl. Remove the dough from the freezer. Using a medium cookie scoop (1 1/2 tbsp) or a tablespoon, drop the dough into the bowl with the confectioners' sugar and roll it around until it is coated in the sugar. Place dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet one inch apart. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.  Let cool on cookie sheet for 1-2 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Makes 3-4 dozen cookies, adapted from Annie's Eats

Ingredients
For the cookies

• 3 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 large egg
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

For the cinnamon-sugar coating

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, ground cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.
2. In a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Blend in the pumpkin puree. Beat in the egg and vanilla until well incorporated. With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated. Cover and chill for 1 hour.
3. Preheat the oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat. Combine the sugar and spices for the cinnamon-sugar coating in a small bowl. Scoop the dough using a medium cookie scoop (about 1 1/2 tbsp)  and roll into a ball. Coat the dough ball in the sugar-spice mixture and place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough to fill in the sheet, spacing the dough balls 2-3 inches apart. Dip the bottom of a flat, heavy-bottomed drinking glass in the cinnamon-sugar mix and then use it to flatten out the cookies slightly.
4. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes or until just set and baked through. Let cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack. Repeat with the remaining dough.