Description
Soft pumpkin cookies are a cozy fall treat featuring tender, chewy texture and warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Made with simple, pantry-friendly ingredients including pumpkin puree and brown sugar, these cookies are perfect for enjoying the flavors of autumn. They’re easy to customize with mix-ins like nuts or chocolate chips and work well for all ages and dietary preferences.
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
Sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
Optional Mix-ins
- 1/2 to 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts) or dried cranberries
Instructions
- Prep Your Ingredients: 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.
- Mix in Pumpkin and Egg: Add the pumpkin puree and egg to the butter-sugar mixture, stirring well until fully combined and smooth.
- Combine 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.
- Incorporate Dry into Wet: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet pumpkin mixture, folding gently until just combined. Avoid overmixing to keep cookies soft and tender.
- Scoop 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 and Enjoy: 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
- Use room temperature butter to cream properly for fluffy cookies.
- Do not overmix the dough to avoid tough cookies.
- Pull cookies out of the oven when centers are slightly underbaked for maximum softness.
- Measure flour carefully by spooning and leveling to prevent dry cookies.
- For enhanced flavor and reduced spread, chill dough for 30 minutes before baking.
- Optional: Add ½ to 1 cup of your favorite mix-ins like chocolate chips, nuts, or dried fruit.
- To make vegan, substitute butter with coconut oil and use a flax egg in place of the egg.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10-12 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 120
- Sugar: 10g
- Sodium: 95mg
- Fat: 5g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1.5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 18g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 25mg