Soft Pumpkin Cookies (Printable Version)

Tender, cake-like cookies with pumpkin and warm spices, ready in under 30 minutes.

# What You Need:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 tsp baking powder
03 - 1 tsp baking soda
04 - 1/2 tsp salt
05 - 2 tsp ground cinnamon
06 - 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
07 - 1/2 tsp ground ginger
08 - 1/4 tsp ground cloves

→ Wet Ingredients

09 - 1 cup granulated sugar
10 - 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
11 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
12 - 1 cup pumpkin purée
13 - 1 large egg
14 - 1 tsp vanilla extract

→ Optional Add-ins

15 - 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or chopped nuts

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves until well blended.
03 - In a large bowl, cream together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and softened butter until light and fluffy, approximately 2-3 minutes.
04 - Beat in the pumpkin purée, egg, and vanilla extract until the mixture is smooth and well combined.
05 - Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing just until incorporated. Be careful not to overmix.
06 - Gently fold in chocolate chips or nuts if using.
07 - Drop the dough by rounded tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart to allow for spreading.
08 - Bake for 11-13 minutes, or until the edges are set and the tops look dry. The centers should still be slightly soft.
09 - Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • These cookies strike that perfect balance between cake and cookie texture that somehow makes them feel more special than either alone.
  • The warm spice blend fills your whole kitchen while they bake, which might be the real reason everyone keeps coming back for more.
02 -
  • Overbaking is the enemy here these cookies continue cooking on the hot baking sheet so pull them out when they still look slightly underdone.
  • Using pumpkin pie filling instead of purée will give you a completely different texture and overly sweet results.
03 -
  • Scoop your flour with the spoon and level method instead of dipping the measuring cup directly into the flour to avoid packing it down.
  • Let your butter soften naturally on the counter rather than microwaving it which can cause uneven mixing.

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