Apple & Pumpkin Fall Spiced Cookie

I am so excited to share with everyone my first cookie recipe which I create as part of my online baking class with Christina Tosi.

I am so happy with my final cookie. It is an Apple & Pumpkin Fall Spiced Cookie. It was not exactly what I was going for at the beginning which was a Apple Cider Donut type cookie. 

However as I went through the prototyping process in the class I came across this one and just loved it. I still incorporated apples through extract and pieces but I would never have thought to combine it with pumpkin. I had issues with incorporating caramel but after some research I found the best way was to just put a whole caramel in the middle surrounded by dough.  Overall it’s a wonderfully chewy and flavorful cookie which will have you asking for more.

Apple & Pumpkin Fall Spiced Cookies

This recipe is an adaptation of a Christina Tosi’s base cookie dough.

Dough ingredients 

114g unsalted cultured European style butter at room temperature 

114g pumpkin purée 

250g granulated sugar 

150g light brown sugar

1 room temperature egg

2g vanilla extract 1/2 tsp

4g apple extract 1 tsp 

130g all purpose flour

130g oats ground to a flour state in a food processor 

30g whole oats

2g baking powder 1/2 tsp

2g baking soda 1/2 tsp

5g kosher salt 1 1/2 tsp

Cinnamon 1/2 tsp

Pumpkin pie spice 1/2 tsp

Nutmeg 1/4 tsp

Dough Mix ins 

140g pumpkin spice granola

65g pecans chopped 

120g dehydrated apples cut into small pieces 

20 Whether’s soft caramels 

Directions 

1. Start by placing room temperature butter, pumpkin purée and both sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.  Cream everything together on medium to high speed for 3 minutes.

1. Add the egg, vanilla and apple extracts to the mixture and continue mixing for another 7 minutes so you have mixed for a combined 10 minutes total.  Make sure to check the mixture every few minutes and scrape down the sides of the bowl and paddle as needed to ensure everything is mixed very well.

1. While you are waiting, in a separate bowl mix all the remaining dry ingredients for the dough and stir with whisk until fully combined.  In another bowl measure and prepare your mix ins and set both bowls aside.

1. Add you remaining dough dry ingredients to the wet dough mixture and mix on low speed for 20-30 seconds until everything is just combined.  It may look a little shaggy which is fine, don’t overmix.

1. Remove bowl from mixer and by hand with a spatula fold the granola, pecans and apple pieces into your dough until everything is fully mixed.

1. Unwrap your Wherthers soft caramels candies.

1. Prepare and line cookie sheet with parchment paper.

1. Scoop (1/4 cup scoop)a portion of dough into the palm of you hand.  Take a whole caramel make an indent in the middle of the dough and place the whole caramel and incase it on the dough.  Roll the dough lightly into a ball so the caramel is in the middle and place on prepared cookie sheet.  Repeat the same process 19 more times. Place cookies at least 2 inches apart.

1. Pat the cookies down using the flat part of your hand then wrap cookies sheets with cling film and place in fridge for at least 1 hour so the dough firms up before baking.

1. About 30 minutes before baking preheat your oven to 375F.

1. Bake in oven for 14-16 minutes minutes depending on your oven or until they are golden brown.

1. Leave to cool for 5 minutes on cookie sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool further.

1. Store cookies is a air tight container in a cool place and they should be fresh for at least 5 days.