Spiced Pumpkin Cookies
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With warm fall spices like cinnamon, ginger and cloves, these pumpkin cookies are soft inside and slightly crisp on the outside.
These little pumpkin are imbued with warm autumn spices, like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. They have a cakey texture with a bit of crunch from the raw sugar sprinkled on top. My family flocks to the kitchen as soon as I pull them out of the oven, and the first batch disappears before the second trays are even done. Because of their soft and tender texture, they’re best enjoyed fresh out of the oven, so I recommend chilling (or freezing) the dough and baking as needed.
Table of Contents
What You’ll Need to Make Spiced Pumpkin Cookies
Step-by-Step Instructions
To begin, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves in a bowl.
Whisk well and set aside.
Next, in the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar.
Beat until light and fluffy.
Beat in the eggs one at a time.
Then add the vanilla extract and pumpkin purée.
Beat to combine. The mixture will look a little curdled at this point — that’s okay.
Add the dry ingredients.
Mix on low speed to combine.
Scoop heaping tablespoons of cookie dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets. It’s easiest to use a 1-1/2 tablespoon ice cream scoop (and it will make your cookies will be prettier).
Sprinkle the cookie dough with turbinado sugar. This is just a large crystal, natural brown sugar; most grocery stores carry it but you can always use the “Sugar in the Raw” brown packets found at coffee shops. Then bake until puffed and slightly browned around the edges, about 20 minutes.
Let the cookies cool on the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Note that these cookies are best fresh out of the oven, so I suggest refrigerating the dough and baking as needed. It will keep for up to four days in the fridge.
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Spiced Pumpkin Cookies
With warm fall spices like cinnamon, ginger and cloves, these pumpkin cookies are soft inside and slightly crisp on the outside.
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off with back edge of knife
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¾ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1¼ cups canned pumpkin purée (from one 15-ounce can, though you'll have some left over)
- 2 to 3 tablespoons turbinado (or demerara) sugar
Instructions
- Arrange oven racks in upper and middle thirds and preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter with the granulated sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy, a few minutes. Scrape down the bowl, then beat in the eggs one at a time. Beat in the vanilla and pumpkin puree. The mixture will look somewhat curdled at this point -- that's okay. Scrape down the bowl, then mix in the flour mixture on low speed. Scoop the dough by heaping tablespoons (it's easiest to use a 1½ tablespoon ice cream scoop) onto the prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle cookies evenly with turbinado sugar and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, rotating pans midway through, until puffed and slightly browned around the edges. Remove from the oven and let rest for a few minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer with a spatula to a wire rack. These cookies are best enjoyed warm out of the oven, or on the same day.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The Cookie Dough can be Frozen for up to 3 Months: Roll the dough into balls, let set on a baking sheet in the freezer, then place in a sealable bag and press out as much air as possible. Bake as needed directly from the freezer. (Allow 1 to 2 minutes longer in the oven.) To Freeze After Baking: Let the cookies cool completely and store in an airtight container separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Before serving, remove the cookies from the container and let them come to room temperature.
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 2 cookies
- Calories: 173
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated fat: 4 g
- Carbohydrates: 26 g
- Sugar: 16 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Sodium: 105 mg
- Cholesterol: 30 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Hi there, how do I make pumpkin puree? I can’t find canned pumpkin puree in France.
These cookie’s look yum and perfect to share on a wintery evening.
Love your recipes! They’ve always worked perfectly.
Prema
Thank you, Prema. Glad you are enjoying the recipes! Here’s a link to a good tutorial: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/10/make-your-own-pumpkin-puree/
I grew up in Towson, MD, but I married a Kiwi in ’72 and have been in NZ since ’73. I remember the beautiful Autumn in MD. We can’t get pureed pumpkin in NZ but we have plenty of pumpkins. I can’t remember if that canned puree is raw or cooked. I’ll have to make my own to use in your inspiring recipe. Thanks very much
I made these cookies with my granddaughter last fall and plan on doing it again. She loved helping and the cookies are soft and delicious.
I’ve made these several times and I adore them! Great recipe! With the abundance of zucchini this time of year, have you ever substituted zucchini for the pumpkin? I’m not sure whether or not that’s a crazy idea, but please advise! Thanks!
I made these cookies and pretty much stuck to your recipe. I bought a cookie scooper which helps make uniform cookies. (Well worth the price.) The cookies are very moist and cakey. Great flavor for the fall.
I have now made these cookies 5 times since you posted this recipe! My husband is obsessed with the fluffy, cakey texture of the cookies. He is now requesting I try to change the recipe to make sugar cookies or snickerdoodles. Will the cookies come out similarly even without the pumpkin added?
Hi Kathryn, So glad you and your husband are enjoying the cookies! Unfortunately, I don’t think the recipe would work without the pumpkin — the cookies would come out very dry.
I made these for the kids last weekend and they were delicious! They tasted like pumpkin bread cookies! If you like pumpkin you’ll love these. They’ve requested them again this weekend 🙂
Is it okay to use pureed pumpkin from Whole Foods and not Libby’s? I see Libby’s in the picture and I’m wondering if there are some pumpkin pie spices in the Libby’s, which will add flavor to the cookies. I don’t think Whole Foods has the extra flavors, it’s just pureed pumpkin.
Hi Erin, You can definitely use the Whole Foods brand. Libby’s is pure pumpkin.
Has anyone made this with gluten free flour
I made these tonight they are great! I think I will make some icing and make them into whoopie pies .