{Pumpkindoodle Cookies}

My dog is adorable. She really is.

She's also dumb. I'm sorry, you people are getting your feathers all ruffled because I'm saying my pet is dumb. Please believe me when I tell you, SHE IS DUMB.

I love her, but... dumb.

You know that test where you throw the blanket over your dog and the quicker they get out from under it, the smarter they are? She just stands there. Endlessly. Stands. Until we take the blanket off.

She is afraid. Of EVERYTHING. A rustling bag, a piece of paper, leaves falling from the sky. Everything is terrifying. We live in the country and are surrounded by woods. There are very often hunters. Gun fire is THE MOST TERRIFYING thing ever. Well, that and fireworks. She has actual little doggy panic attacks.

Then, there is the screen. If the screen gets pulled and then the sliding door, well, she's gonna run into it. Not once. Not every once in a while. Every. Time.  We try to tell her to wait. She does not listen.

Bam! Luna, full force, into the screen. We try very hard not to pull the screen for this reason, but sometimes.. it happens. Luna face smash follows. Every. Time.

This story is pretty funny, right? Allow me to entertain you with the fact that my 16 year old, highly intelligent Honor Student has done the exact same thing. Open the sliding door, walk straight into the screen. He's done it with a glass door out in public once too.

I'm sorry, but funniest thing ever in ever.

Maybe I'm a bad doggie parent. Maybe I'm a bad parent. Funny.

You know what else is funny? The name of these cookies. You know what's NOT funny? The taste...
Cause yum.

Snickerdoodles are my favorite cookie. I love them so much, that I only make them once or twice a year. The other day I was thinking about how soft and lovely Snickerdoodles were, when I came up with the idea to add pumpkin and fall spices. I wasn't even sure if it would work, but ya know what?

DID. They are pretty perfectly fall too. I love the tiny taste of pumpkin combined with the cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.

Bean loves them. My husband, who doesn't like Snickerdoodles (seriously, he even made up a 'recipe' for his own, which you can see here) OR pumpkin loves them.

One of my youth groupers, (I took cookies to church), even said that this was the perfect companion to a Pumpkin Spice Latte. Really now, who can say no to that??

This recipe, much like my dumb dog, and my... door challenged son, is a keeper.

Tina



Pumpkindoodle Cookies
by Tina @ Sugar Bean Bakers
yield: 4 dozen 2 1/2" cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening (I prefer Crisco)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup pumpkin 
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Coating:

3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger

Preheat oven to 400 F

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or use an ungreased sheet).

Cream together butter and shortening. Beat in sugars until fluffy. Add egg, vanilla, and pumpkin.
Mix in cream of tartar, soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Slowly beat in flour.

In a small bowl, stir the 3 tablespoons sugar, teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon ginger together.

Shape dough into 1 tablespoon sized balls, then roll into the coating mix. 

Place on baking sheet, and lightly flatten with the bottom of a cup. (Don't press down too hard, just enough to get the ball shape down a little.)

Bake at 400 for 8-10 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool.