Description
These soft pumpkin cookies are a delightful autumn treat combining moist pumpkin puree with warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Enhanced with brown sugar and your choice of chocolate chips, nuts, or dried cranberries, these cookies offer a tender texture and rich flavors perfect for cozy fall afternoons or holiday gatherings.
Ingredients
Scale
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (or gluten-free all-purpose flour blend for GF version)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
Add-ins
- 1/2 to 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts) or dried cranberries
Instructions
- Preparation: Gather all ingredients to ensure a smooth baking process. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy. This creates a tender crumb and evenly distributes the sweetness.
- Add Pumpkin and Egg: Add the pumpkin puree and egg to the butter-sugar mixture, stirring well until fully combined and smooth.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt to create a fragrant, spiced dry mixture.
- Combine Wet and Dry: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet pumpkin mixture, folding gently until just combined. Avoid overmixing to keep cookies soft and tender.
- Portion Dough and Bake: Using a cookie scoop or spoon, drop portions of dough onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing cookies about two inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes until edges are set but centers remain soft.
- Cool: Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. This resting time helps them firm up while staying soft inside.
Notes
- For gluten-free version, substitute with a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend.
- You can customize add-ins with semi-sweet chocolate chips, chopped pecans, walnuts, or dried cranberries.
- Do not overmix the dough to maintain the soft texture of the cookies.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- These cookies can be frozen after baking for up to 2 months.
