Description
These soft and chewy pumpkin cookies are a delightful fall treat that combine the warm spices of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves with the moist richness of pumpkin puree. Enhanced with optional semi-sweet chocolate chips, these cookies offer a perfect balance of sweetness and spice, ideal for cozying up during cooler months or sharing at festive gatherings.
Ingredients
Scale
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients
- 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Optional
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and prepare two baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until the mixture is light in color and fluffy in texture, which should take about 2-3 minutes.
- Add Pumpkin Mixture: Beat in the pumpkin puree, egg, and vanilla extract into the creamed butter and sugars until the mixture is smooth and well combined.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground ginger, ground cloves, and salt to evenly distribute the spices and leavening agents.
- Mix Dry Ingredients Into Wet: Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture into the wet ingredients, mixing gently until just combined. Avoid overmixing to ensure the cookies remain tender.
- Fold in Chocolate Chips: If using, fold the semi-sweet chocolate chips into the dough evenly using a spatula.
- Portion Dough: Using a tablespoon or cookie scoop, drop rounded spoonfuls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing each about 2 inches apart to allow room for spreading.
- Bake Cookies: Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden and the centers appear set but still soft.
- Cool Cookies: Remove the baking sheets from the oven and let the cookies cool on the sheets for 5 minutes. Then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before serving or storing.
Notes
- For a dairy-free version, substitute butter with coconut oil or a vegan butter alternative.
- You can omit the chocolate chips for a more traditional spiced pumpkin cookie.
- Ensure not to overmix the dough once the dry ingredients are added to keep the cookies tender.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
