Soft Pumpkin Molasses Cookies

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A few days ago my dad emailed me asking if I had any goodies laying around that he could bring to a work meeting the next day.  Sadly, I didn't, but heck, that wasn't going to stop me from sending him well armed!  I made some of my pumpkin cinnamon rolls and while they were rising, I was trolling my favorite blogger's facebook posts and saw that Sweet Pea's Kitchen had just minutes before put up a recipe for pumpkin gingersnap cookies.  They looked amazing, and I had exactly the amount of pumpkin left over from the rolls, so I decided "what the heck!" I'll throw these in for good measure too if they turn out.  Well, Sweet Pea's Kitchen has yet to disappoint, they were out of this world amazing!!  I sent them to work with my dad the next day, and from what I hear, they were well received :) (As in, there were none left to bring home). Here is my take on hers, with just a few tweaks.  Hope you enjoy!

Oh yea, they were so good, I have made three total batches this week :)

Soft Pumpkin Molasses Cookies
(Adapted from Sweet Pea's Kitchen's Pumpkin Gingersnap Cookies)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of butter (1 stick), softened 
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1/2 cup of pure pumpkin 
1/4 cup of molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1-1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt

Coating:

1 1/2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
1/4 cup granulated sugar 


Directions:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg and salt; set aside. 
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer, cream the butter and the brown and granulated sugars at medium speed until light and fluffy.
3. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the egg and beat at medium speed until combined, about 30 seconds.
4. Add the pumpkin puree, molasses and vanilla and beat at medium speed until combined, about 30 seconds.
5. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds, scraping down the bowl as needed. Refrigerate the cookie dough for at least 1 hour. The dough can be chilled for 2-3 days.
6. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
7. Place the 1/4 cup sugar and pumpkin pie spice for rolling in a shallow bowl, mix well to combine. 
8. Roll a heaping tablespoon of dough into a 1½-inch ball (I use a 1-1/2 tablespoon cookie dough scoop), roll the ball in the sugar mixture, and place it on the prepared baking sheet.  
9. Repeat with the remaining dough, spacing the balls about 2 inches apart.  Using your fingers or a spoon or fork, gently flatten the dough balls to about 1/2-3/4 inch thick, as they do not spread much.  Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, until the edges are set and cookies look cracked, 10 to 12 minutes.
10. The cookies will come out flatter and denser the warmer they get, so for the most fluffy, pretty cookies, try to keep the dough chilled between batches.
11. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets about 3 minutes; using a wide metal spatula, transfer the cookies to a wire rack and cool to room temperature.