Marie Saba

From My Kitchen To Yours

Pumpkin Cookies

While there are plenty of pumpkin cookies on the Internet, there are equally as many complaints. People complain that pumpkin cookies are too cakey or muffin-like, too wet or sticky, too bland with very little actual pumpkin flavor, and so on.

The reason for most of theses issues is that pumpkin puree contains so much moisture that it throws off the balance of a standard cookie. That extra moisture leads to the cake-like, sticky cookie. If you then reduce the pumpkin to reduce the moisture, the cookies loses all of that good pumpkin flavor.

This recipe solves those problems with one simple step: Dry out the pumpkin by absorbing excess liquid with paper towels. The result is concentrated pumpkin puree that adds flavor without the stickiness. I can’t wait for you to try these cookies!

Looking for some other foolproof cookie recipes? Try our peanut butter cookies, oatmeal raisin cookies, cowboy cookies, m olasses cookies, or bakery-style chocolate chip.

Pumpkin Cookies

Ingredients

½ cup (112 g) pumpkin puree
2 cups (280 g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon Kosher salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
¾ cup (165 g) light brown sugar, packed
¼ cup (50 g) white granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large egg yolks

For Rolling:

¼ cup (50 g) white granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Instructions

Spread the pumpkin puree on a plate in a thin layer. Place two to three flat paper towels on the puree for 5 minutes to soak up excess liquid. Repeat with two more paper towels for 5 minutes more, or until puree is reduced by about half: from ½ cup (112 g) to ¼ cup (60 g).
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, spices, salt, baking soda and black pepper. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, mix together butter, brown sugar, white sugar, pumpkin puree (reduced to ¼ cup), vanilla and egg yolks.
Add flour mixture to wet ingredients and mix just to combine. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
For rolling, mix ¼ cup (50 g) white sugar, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg in a shallow bowl.
Preheat oven to 350 F (176 F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a cookie scoop, scoop and then roll 2 Tablespoons of dough into smooth round balls. Roll the balls in the sugar and spice mixture; then place on lined baking sheet, about 3 inches apart, and slightly flatten the tops.
Bake 14-16 minutes, until edges are golden and centers are set but still soft. Let cookies sit on baking sheet for 5-10 minutes; then transfer to a wire rack and finish cooling.

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