Pumpkin Sugar Cookies

We’re about halfway through the “all things pumpkin spice” season.  My Pinterest feed is full of pumpkin spice this and pumpkin spice that.  I won’t be surprised to see a pumpkin spice turkey recipe next.  Don’t get me wrong, I love me some pumpkin; just not pumpkin everything.

Except for these cookies.  These cookies are the bomb.  I stumbled across them last year when Mark asked for pumpkin butter.  After making him the pumpkin butter I had one cup of pumpkin leftover.  I looked in my cookbooks for a pumpkin dessert and nothing said, “Make me!” so I looked in my favorite recipe folder, Pinterest, where I found this recipe from Wine and Glue.

These cookies have just the right amount of crunch on the outside and the perfect amount of soft on the inside.  After tasting that first cookie, still warm from the oven, I was immediately in cookie heaven.  This was a cookie I’d be making again and again.

The recipe calls for 1/2 cup of pumpkin so I doubled the batch and it was a snap to do.  I have a KitchenAid stand mixer and it all fit just fine.  The original recipe states one batch will make 18 or so cookies.  I like my cookies smaller (so I don’t feel guilty when I eat six) and I get about 45 in a single batch and 90 in a double batch.

Begin by whisking together the dry ingredients.  Mix the butter and sugar until light and creamy then add the pumpkin, egg yolk and vanilla.  Slowly add the dry ingredients, I have the mixer on the slowest speed to not have flour wafting through the kitchen.  Lesson learned a long time ago on that one.  The dough is sticky and I popped the entire bowl into the fridge for 15-20 minutes.  It made handling the dough easier.  While the first three cookie sheets were in the oven, I kept rolling dough in sugar and lined them up on a piece of parchment paper.  It’s key to rotate the cookie sheets halfway through baking and leave them on the cookie sheets for two minutes after pulling them from the oven as she instructs.

I have zero willpower when faced with yummy desserts.  It’s like they call my name from the pantry, “Maureen, we’re yummy and right in here.  You better run an extra mile today.”  I have Halloween candy locked in a cabinet in Mark’s office right now.  They were on sale and I had great coupons so I had to buy them a week early.  Had to, I tell ya. Because of this willpower issue, I like to bake things I can freeze and these babies freeze just fine.  In fact, they are almost as good straight out of the freezer.  That can be bad, very bad, so I put the container of frozen deliciousness in the very back of a drawer in said freezer.

I’m sure these are going to vault to the top of your cookie list and will be a great addition to your Thanksgiving or Christmas dessert tray.

Print Recipe

Pumpkin Sugar Cookies

Recipe Credit:  Wine & Glue

• 1 1/2 cups sugar + more for rolling
• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 14 Tablespoons unsalted butter (1 3/4 sticks) at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 cup 100% pure pumpkin puree

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
2. With your mixer on medium, mix together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Mix in the egg yolk, then vanilla, then pumpkin until well combined.
4. Slowly mix in the flour mixture until well combined, with your mixer set to low. Scrape down the paddle and the sides of the bowl as necessary.
5. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and refrigerate the cookie dough for 20 minutes.
6. Roll the dough into one inch sized balls. Roll in sugar. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet or silicon mat and press down slightly. Space the cookies about two inches apart.
7. Bake for 15 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking.
8. Let cool on the pan for about two minutes before moving to a cooling rack to cool completely.