I’ve told you before that I often bake to alleviate maternal guilt.

When I’ve snapped at the children, or forced them to endure a Mummy melt down on the school run. When I’ve refused to do painting with them purely because I can’t be bothered to clear up afterwards, and if I’ve only half-listened to the lengthy description of what they did at playtime. Somehow I think putting homemade cake or cookies in their lunch box the next day will make up for it.

I baked these on a Sunday evening. I’d been with the children in body, but not in mind, all day, refusing playtime requests and relying on the likes of Disney and Dreamworks to keep them entertained. Regret washed over me once they were in bed, so I set about filling a large tin in anticipation of a week’s worth of packed lunches. They lasted till Tuesday, and I think the children forgave me.

I’d been desperate to bake a pumpkin variant of my snickerdoodle recipe for some time. As soon as I was alerted to the fact that Waitrose now stocks the usually hard to find canned pumpkin puree, I set about anglicising one of the many American recipes I’d drooled over online.

The slightly orange hued cookies are as delicious as their predecessors, but a touch more moist and even more irresistible. I defy you to stop at one! The cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and allspice means they taste a little like Christmas too.

You will need:

{For the cookies}

550g plain flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

220g unsalted butter, at room temperature

225g caster sugar

110g light brown sugar

Approx. 200g pumpkin puree {I used 1/2 a can of libby’s pumpkin puree}

1 large egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

{For the coating}

110g caster sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Dash of allspice

Method:

1. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl and mix well.

2. Beat together the butter and sugars until light light and fluffy. Blend in the pumpkin puree.

3. Beat in the egg and vanilla, before gradually adding the dry ingredients and mixing until just incorporated.

4. Cover and chill the dough for at least 1 hour. Don’t be tempted to skip this step, the pumpkin makes for a very sticky, and therefore messy, dough otherwise.

5. Preheat your oven to 350F/180C/Gas Mark 2 and line a baking sheet with parchment {or do as I did and invest in Lakeland’s amazing Bakingenius range of bakeware so you need never line a baking sheet again}.

6. Combine the sugar and spices for the coating in a bowl. Scoop the dough {about two and half tablespoons} and roll into a ball. Coat in the sugar and spice mixture and place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough to fill the sheet, spacing the dough balls 2-3 inches apart. This mixture yields around 3 dozen cookies and I had to bake them in two batches.

7. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, or until just set and baked through. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Have you tried baking with pumpkin?

Love Audrey xxx

Adapted from an original recipe by Annie’s Eats