Ingredients:

  • 2 cups (250g) White whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 cup (115g) Unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/3 cup (80ml) Pure maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup (60g) Pumpkin puree
  • 1 tsp (5g) Baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp (3g) Ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp (1g) Ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp (1g) Salt
  • 1 tsp (5ml) Pure vanilla extract
  • 2 tbsp (30ml) Melted dark chocolate (70% cocoa or higher)

Instructions:

  1. Cream the softened butter and maple syrup together until the mixture is pale and fluffy.
  2. Fold in the pumpkin puree and vanilla extract, stirring until the batter is a smooth orange color.
  3. Sift together the white whole wheat flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, and salt, then gradually incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet batter until a soft dough forms.
  4. Wrap the dough in parchment paper and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to firm up the fats.
  5. Roll the chilled dough out on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of 1/4 inch.
  6. Use a pumpkin cutter to stamp out shapes, then use the stamp tool to press Jack-O-Lantern faces firmly into the dough.
  7. Place cookies on a parchment-lined sheet with 2 inches of space between them and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 8–10 minutes.
  8. Remove cookies when edges are set but not browned and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
  9. Once cool, use melted dark chocolate or black icing to fill in the stamped facial features.