Soft Pumpkin Cookies (Printable version)

Tender, cake-like cookies with pumpkin and warm spices for autumn comfort.

# What you'll need:

→ Dry Ingredients

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

→ Wet Ingredients

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

→ Optional Add-ins

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

# Directions:

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 combined.
03 - In a large bowl, cream together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and softened butter until light and fluffy.
04 - Beat in the pumpkin purée, egg, and vanilla extract until fully incorporated.
05 - Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing just until incorporated. Do not overmix.
06 - Fold in chocolate chips or nuts if desired.
07 - Drop the dough by rounded tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart.
08 - Bake for 11 to 13 minutes, or until the edges are set and the tops look dry.
09 - Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • Theyre the midpoint between cake and cookie, tender without being dense
  • The pumpkin keeps them moist for days unlike typical cookies that go stale
02 -
  • Pumpkin pie filling is not the same as pumpkin purée and will make your cookies turn out wrong
  • Overmixing the dough makes them tough, so stop as soon as the flour disappears
03 -
  • Room temperature butter creates the right texture so dont shortcut this step
  • Use a cookie scoop for uniform size and even baking every time

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