I quit my job today.
I spent the last several years in Organic Chemistry. Six days a week, I buttoned up my long white lab coat, strapped on my bug-eyed safety goggles, and pulled on a pair of bright purple nitrile gloves. I stood at a fume hood more often than I sat at a desk, measuring liquids with syringes and weighing solids on a scale accurate to a tenth of a milligram. (I want that in my kitchen!)
During the last year, I attempted to produce a molecule with the potential to cure cancer. After abandoning three routes, staring at something that boiled at -20°C (-4°F), and magically evaporating one intermediate into thin air, I finally acknowledged two facts as I squirted acetone and chloroform into my flask:
(1) A particular plant in Brazil grew that compound faster than I could synthesize it.
(2) I thought about cooking more than chemistry. And I daydreamed about baking almost constantly.
I dragged my feet for a while, but I walked into the office this afternoon and handed my forms to the secretary. She wished me luck, and I floated out on Cloud 9.
I was free!
To celebrate at home, I consumed dark chocolate and cookie dough bites. Lots of cookie dough bites.
I know I told you that these Double Chocolate Cookie Dough Bites were my all-time favorites, but my new Pumpkin Cookie Dough Bites definitely give them a run for their money!
To make these bites, you’ll first whisk together flour (measured correctly!) and spices. For pumpkin treats, I always turn to the “Holy Trinity”: cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. (You can never have too much cinnamon!)
Next you’ll mix together melted butter and pumpkin. The pumpkin does double duty: it adds flavor and acts as the egg to bind the cookie dough together, which makes it safe to eat raw! Stir in a little vanilla and sugar—brown, to give the cookie dough a subtle molasses undertone—and pop it in the fridge. You need to chill the cookie dough before shaping it into balls because that reduces its stickiness and stiffens it up so it’s much easier to roll!
I’ve been storing a batch of these in my fridge for a week and sneak one almost every time I open the door. The chewy texture and comforting cinnamon taste of these Pumpkin Cookie Dough Bites are absolutely addictive and perfect for fall!
These taste like little bites of pumpkin pie! Store in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for up to one week.
- Whisk together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt in a small bowl. In a medium bowl, stir together the butter, pumpkin, and vanilla until thoroughly combined. Mix in the brown sugar, smearing any clumps along the side of the bowl. Add in the dry flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Cover the cookie dough with plastic wrap, and chill for at least 1 hour.
- Line a baking sheet or large plate with wax paper. Roll the cookie dough into 32 little balls, using between 1 – 1½ teaspoons of dough in each ball. Place on the wax paper and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Note: Do NOT try to bake these as cookies! They’ll turn out dense and flat because the recipe doesn’t use any baking powder.
These sound delicious!
Thanks Tammela! They tasted like little balls of pumpkin pie (and even had the right texture). They’re so addictive!
These look sooooo good. I love anything that starts with the word pumpkin. This also makes it hard for me to not eat them all. lol
Thanks Cornelius! I’m going through a pumpkin addiction phase myself, so I had to give away most of these little bites. It’s the only way I won’t eat them all by myself!
I loved these, but had some complaints about the “flour-y” taste, so I added a little more pumpkin and used oat flour instead. AMAZING!! Also because I am not as committed to my less sugar journey yet, I added 1 tsp real maple syrup, and rolled mine in shredded coconut. The second batch I added sun dried cranberries and walnuts to the mix. THOSE didn’t make it a half hour out of the fridge! I have seen the rest of the recipes and can’t wait to make them ALL! Or at least try…thanks for saving snack time, and “it’s your turn to bring desert” times!
I’m really glad you enjoyed the bites Katie, and thank you for including your modifications. They sound fabulous, especially the cranberries and walnuts! I’ve been meaning to start baking more with oat flour, and your comment just might be the inspiration I needed. 🙂 I hope you like the rest of my cookie dough bites too — I still can’t decide whether the double chocolate or peanut butter ones are my favorite!
Aww, thank YOU! I vote for chocolate because, it’s chocolate! Plus my boy is allergic to peanuts…
Exactly — you can never go wrong with chocolate! Is basically treat it like its own food group. 😉 I’m sorry to hear that your boy is allergic to peanuts! If he isn’t allergic to almonds, maybe you could substitute almond butter and almond flour instead. Or just make twice as many double chocolate ones!
Where did you learn all these yummy recipes ? I ‘d marry you right on the spot hun 🙂 Continue bringing us joy to our belly, and no I am not an over weight person 🙂
Thanks Peter! I’m self-taught, so they’re all just a result of me experimenting in the kitchen. 🙂