neat Pumpkin Ginger Cookies

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk or sift together the flour, baking soda, spices, and salt. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a mixing bowl using a hand beater), cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the pumpkin, molasses, neat egg, and vanilla.
3. Add the dry ingredients, half at a time, to the wet ingredients. Mix until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Do not over-mix.
4. Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour or up to 2-3 days. Chilling the dough will firm it and make scooping or forming balls easier. If in a hurry, place the dough in the freezer for about 30 minutes. (In this case, you may wish to set a timer so you don’t forget about it.)
5. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. For jumbo cookies, form golfball size balls and place them on the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
6. Pour a few tablespoons of coarse sugar onto a small plate and gently roll the top half of the cookies in the sugar before placing them on the baking sheet. The sugar can also be sprinkled, but a gentle roll will allow the sugar to coat more evenly. If you have an ice cream scoop with a release, this makes the job of forming the cookies really easy. A leveled-off scoop will produce jumbo cookies that are all uniform in size.
7. Bake for 11-13 minutes, or until the cookies look cracked and set at the edges. The cookies should still be a little soft in the center for chewy cookies. (For crisp gingersnaps, bake until the center is fully set.) After removing the cookies from the oven, allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
8. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for several days, or refrigerate to maintain freshness for a week or more. These cookies also freeze well.
9. Use the ice cream scoop method and do not flatten the cookies before baking. When rolling into balls, you may wish to flatten ever so slightly. We recommend trying your first batch without flattening, as the final shape of the cookie may be preferable this way. The cookies will flatten and crinkle slightly as they cool.
10. For smaller cookies, roll tablespoon-size balls and adjust the cooking time down to approximately 8 minutes. All ovens vary, so watch the first batch closely to find the perfect time for your oven.