Chewy Pumpkin Molasses Cookies

Ingredients

½ cup unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
¼ cup molasses
2¼ cup all purpose flour
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon ground ginger
1½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
For rolling:
½ cup of granulated sugar

Directions

In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, beat butter, sugar, pumpkin puree, and molasses until combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cloves, ginger, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and beat on low speed until just combined.

Cover dough and refrigerate until very cold – preferably overnight, but at least for a few hours. It will be hard.

When the dough has chilled, scoop out about 1½ tablespoons at a time, and roll into round balls of dough. Place the balls back in the fridge for another 30 minutes.

While the balls are chilling, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray two cookie sheets with nonstick cooking spray.

When you’re ready to bake, pour ½ cup granulated sugar in a small bowl. Take the dough balls one at a time and roll in the sugar. Place the dough balls on the cookie sheets, leaving at least three inches between each cookie. They will spread while baking.

Bake cookies until edges are set and starting to brown, but cookies are still soft. Total time will depend on your oven, but they should take around 7 – 10 minutes.

Let cookies cool for about five minutes on the cookie sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.