Autumn Pumpkin Butter Kiss Cookies, #ChocolateParty

Autumn kisses Japan with vermilion maple leaves, scents of charcoal-grilled matsutake mushrooms, and sweater weather. Cold spells and exquisite colors also embrace foliage in New England and other parts of the U.S. On both sides of the Pacific, pumpkin is a harbinger of the changing seasons. Japanese kabocha pumpkin squash leans towards more savory presentations. Its American cousin is a bit sweeter.

The Ninja Baker's Pumpkin Butter Kiss Cookies

Roxana’s Home Baking challenge to those attending the #ChocolateParty
was to combine pumpkin and chocolate into one delicious dessert. Riffing on the classic peanut butter surprise cookie, I created the Ninja Baker’s Pumpkin Butter Kiss Cookie. California temps may still be climbing into the 80s but one bite into this subtly spiced cookie (sprinkled with Demerara sugar) and garnished with dark chocolate, you know autumn has kissed your lips.

Pumpkin Butter Kiss Cookies

Pumpkin butter spices mingle with dark chocolate in a moist cookie sprinkled with Demerara sugar.

Ingredients:

2 heaping tablespoons of ground freeze dried organic corn (available at Whole Foods or online)
1 ten-ounce jar of pumpkin butter
½ cup butter, softened
1/3 cup organic cane sugar
1/3 cup organic brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ½ cups flour
2 tablespoons corn flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
Demerara sugar
1 bag of dark chocolate kisses

Directions:

In a blender, pulse freeze dried corn to powder.

Blend the corn powder, pumpkin butter and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer.
Add in the sugars.

Lightly beat the egg and vanilla together in a separate bowl. Pour into the butter and sugar mixture. Blend on medium speed for 5 minutes.

Mix in the flours, baking soda and salt until well combined.

Chill the dough overnight.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

With a mini ice cream scoop create mini balls of cookie dough. (Spray the scoop and the dough will release easily.) Roll the cookie dough balls in Demerara sugar. Place the balls onto the prepared cookie sheets.

Bake for 10 minutes. As soon as the cookie sheets touchdown on the cooling racks, press unwrapped chocolate kisses into the center of the warm cookies.

Want an invite to the #ChocolateParty?

Here are Roxana’s party rules.

1.) Blog about your chocolate treat. Your recipe must include the two ingredients we choose. It can be a simple no bake treat or a sophisticated layer cake, the complexity level of the recipe is totally up to you.
2.) Include a link back to the Chocolate party page. Optionally, add the Chocolate Party logo in your blog post or on your sidebar.
3.) Your recipe must be published during the current month. Please do not link old recipes, they will be deleted. Do add the linky code at the bottom of your post.

Celebrate the rich gifts of autumn with chocolate and pumpkin.

Wishing you an autumn kissed with rich blessings.

The Ninja Baker

The Ninja Baker has guest blogged and contributed recipes to numerous food sites. These additional recipes can be found here.

Tags:

pumpkin cookies #recipe

dark chocolate kisses

#ChocolateParty