For Thanksgiving dessert this year I thought I would do something a little different and make a pumpkin dip served with gingerbread cookies, apples and pears.

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Gingerbread Cookies

3 cups flour (half whole wheat & half all-purpose)

¾ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

2 tsp ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp cloves

¼ tsp nutmeg

½ cup butter, room temperature

½ cup brown sugar

⅔ cup molasses

In a small bowl, sift or whisk together the dry ingredients; Set aside.

In the large bowl of your electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the molasses and beat until well combined. Gradually add the flour mixture until incorporated. The batter will be very stiff and you may need to knead in the last cup full by hand.

Divide the dough in half, and wrap each half in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place rack in center of oven. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper (or butter them) and set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1/8-inch. Roll out the dough quickly, as the more you roll it the softer it becomes. Use a floured cookie cutter to cut out the cookies. With an offset spatula lift the cut out cookies onto the baking sheet, placing the cookies about 1 inch apart. Reserve the scrap dough.

Bake for about 8 - 12 minutes depending on the size of the cookies. Small ones will take about 8 minutes, larger cookies will take about 12 minutes. They are done when they are firm and the edges are just beginning to brown.

Remove the cookies from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for about 1 minute. When they are firm enough to move, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Combine the two sets of scrap dough and use a cookie spoon to divide the room-temperature dough into about 10 cookies. Place dough on one of the used parchment covered cookie sheets, dip the bottom of a glass in sugar and press down on the dough to flatten to about 1/2".

Bake these thicker cookies for about 12 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for one minute on cookie sheet before removing to cooling rack.

Pumpkin Dessert Dip

1 3-oz pkg cream cheese, room temperature

½ cup sifted confectioner's sugar, + 1 T

⅔ cup pumpkin

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp ginger

¼ tsp nutmeg

¼ cloves

pinch salt

Cream together cream cheese and confectioners' sugar in small bowl with electric mixer until smooth. Add pumpkin and remaining ingredients; mix well.

Refrigerate 30 minutes or until ready to serve.

Serve with - gingersnaps, vanilla wafers, apples, pears

Note: This is a "I do it different every time" recipe so use it as a guide line and make it your own.  Start with less spices and adjust to your taste.  Same goes for the amount of sugar.

Most muffin recipes call for 1 cup pumpkin, that leaves a little more then ⅔ cup left in the can.  This is a great way to use it up!  If there is a little more then ⅔ cup pumpkin left, use it all as a little more won't matter.