These pumpkin cookies are the real deal – soft and cakey, rich with pumpkin and generously spiced for a cinnamon tingle. Without chocolate chips, the cookies are a pure pumpkin delight, supermoist and melting in your mouth with the sweet taste of fall. But once you’ve had the counterpoint of chocolate, with its dark silky sweetness, it’s hard to go without it.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (1/4 if using salted butter)
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened at room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 15-ounce can pumpkin (about 1 3/4 cups)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup chocolate chips (optional)
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Use a fork or whisk to combine. Set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, combine softened butter with white and brown sugars. Use a fork or electric mixer to mix butter and sugar until well combined. Add egg and mix until light and fluffy.
- Add pumpkin and vanilla extract. Mix well.
- Add flour mixture 2-3 batches, mixing after each addition until just combined. Mix in chocolate chips, if using.
- Drop rounded tablespoons of batter onto ungreased baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between cookies. Bake for 13-15 minutes, until surface looks dry and toothpick tester comes out clean.
Makes about 3 dozen cookies.
Notes
- I’ve made these with 1/2 whole wheat flour, which the kids don’t even notice when chocolate chips are in the picture.
- Feel free to add other pumpkiny spices, eg cloves, ginger or allspice.
Here’s a link back to the post and pictures.
