Spiced Pumpkin Cookies
E
By Emma
Certified Culinary Professional
•
Recipe tested & approved
Soft pumpkin cookies with a tangy cream cheese frosting. Adjusted spices, swapped half butter for olive oil to keep chewiness balanced and introduce subtle earthiness. Baked at slightly shifted temps for an edge caramelized crust. Frosting whipped with clear vanilla and a splash of buttermilk for tang, dusted with extra pumpkin pie spice for warmth. Lessons from past batches: don’t overmix flour or mix dry in too fast. Texture’s everything here — a crackled top means good bake. Use homemade pumpkin puree when you can, feels richer. Frost after complete cool down or risk melting mess.
Prep:
15 min
Cook:
18 min
Total:
33 min
Servings:
40 servings
#pumpkin
#fall baking
#cookies
#cream cheese frosting
#olive oil
#home baking
#seasonal spices
Pumpkin in cookies isn’t new but the balance always tricky. Too much pumpkin? Soggy mess. Fat ratio off? Dry like cardboard. Tried various oils; olive oil tames dryness, tasting faintly grassy but subtle here. Cream cheese frosting? Needed a tune-up—too sweet, or too heavy? Clear vanilla keeps frosting bright without muddy bits. Baking times fluctuate with humidity, ingredient freshness, oven oddities. Key is watch the edges firming up, tiny cracks forming, soft middle still jiggles a touch—as I found the sweet spot. These cookies break the ’too cake’ or ’too cracker’ cookie stereotype. They bring that tender chew, rounded spice pop, and creamy tang frosting that slides on, not overwhelms. Dusting that spice on top? Aroma wakes the senses before first bite. The kitchen smells like fall; quiet moments waiting make the best anticipation. With tweaks here, past failures reworked into this batch, patience pays.
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1/4 cup olive oil substitute for half vegetable oil
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
For frosting ===
- 12 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 teaspoon clear vanilla flavoring
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar sifted
- 2 tablespoons buttermilk or milk
- Pumpkin pie spice for dusting
About the ingredients
Flour — well sifted or no smooth dough. Spices? Fresh ground pumpkin pie spice beats bottled hands down — that hit of clove, cinnamon, and nutmeg lifts. If pumpkin puree homemade, drain excess moisture or adjust oil downward. Butter softened at room temperature aids creaming and flavor, substitute olive oil for vegetable oil changes texture—gooey but not oily, plus subtle fruit notes. Sugars split in two for caramel depth; brown sugar packs moisture, granulated sugar gives crunch. Vanilla clear flavoring in frosting keeps color pristine but can swap with pure vanilla extract for complexity if no staining worry. Cream cheese softened—not melted—is key for pipable frost. Powdered sugar sifted for smooth blend; if milk too thin, use cream or buttermilk for tangy notes and body. Dusting spices final touch, fresh grind preferred. For allergy swaps, coconut oil replaces butter but shifts flavor; egg replacer for binders if vegan. Watch salt balance to counter sugar and pumpkin mildness.
Method
Cookie Dough
- Heat oven to 345°F, parchment ready on sheet. Watch for that faint buttered aroma before dough hits. Sounds: gentle whirr. Mix dry: flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon — taxonomy of flavor, don’t rush cut corners.
- Cream butter and olive oil till pale, fluffy, just over a minute; signals aeration crucial for bite. Then slow-speed add sugars—granulated for snap, brown sugar for molasses chew—beat till grainy smooth mash-up, scrape sides or risk dry pockets.
- Slowly pour in pumpkin puree, low speed to avoid splatter, mix until blended, check bowl sidewalls — uniform orange glow means life.
- Add vanilla and eggs, one at a time. Eggs bind, building dough muscle. Mix medium low; too whipped means cakey cookie, flat flavor.
- Fold in dry mix slowly — quick inclusion clogs gluten overwork risk, denser cookie nightmare. Scrape sides mid-way, consult spatula for stubborn clumps.
- Scoop dough by tablespoon, little mounds, two inches apart — will spread, but not fight neighbors. Shoulder tap to settle dough. Bake close to 18 mins, watch for edges set but center soft. Tap top lightly; spring means just right.
- Cooling at least 30 mins mandatory. Hot cookie + frosting = meltdown, rug mess.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Beat cream cheese, butter, clear vanilla 1 to 1.5 minutes. Silky smooth. Stops gooey clumps.
- On low, sift in powdered sugar to avoid cloud storm. Increase speed medium-high to fluff, a minute or so. Add buttermilk gradually; too much=runny failure, too little=dry bites.
- Once cookies cooled, spread about a tablespoon frosting — thin edges, center scoop for luscious bite ratio. Dust gingered cinnamon or leftover pumpkin spice on top.
- Store in fridge loosely covered. Bring to room temp before serving or frosting stiffens like brick.
Cooking tips
Start with dry components, whisking spices ensures even flavor distribution—don’t dump all at once or get clumps that bite unexpectedly. Cream fats thoroughly for aeration, that’s how you catch lightness in dense pumpkin dough. Adding sugars in two increments prevents grainy sugar pockets. Pumpkin folded gently keeps moisture in check — overmixing introduces tiresome gluten development, tougher bite. Eggs join one by one—build structure, emulsify fat and liquids. Dry mix in slowly, scrape sides to avoid flour clusters. Cookie dough should hold shape but be soft; scoop carefully using a cooled or lightly greased scoop for even sizes. Oven heat varies; start checking cookies a minute or two before 18 mins, look for edges set but center with little jiggle, slight cracks on top a good sign. Cooling critical; frosting on warm cookies runs off, foiling neatness. Cream cheese frosting needs soft ingredients, mixed till silk but still pipeable. Add powdered sugar gradually at low speed to dodge cloud bursts in kitchen. Buttermilk thickens frosting, adds tang, substitute with milk but less flavor pop. Spread frosting after total cooling, dust with spice for aroma and gentle bite contrast. Store chilled to maintain texture or room temp before serving for creamy softness.
Chef's notes
- 💡 Start with dry ingredients, sift flour well avoid lumps. Fresh ground pumpkin pie spice beats bottled. Adding all dry at once? Clumps happen, uneven flavor. Cream softened butter plus olive oil till pale, air whipped in; makes chewiness work. Brown sugar adds moisture, granulated sugar keeps crunch balance. Pumpkin puree folded slow; overmix gluten spikes toughness. Eggs added one at a time; helps bind, build dough muscle. Scrape bowl edges mid-mix — dry patches hide there. Dough a bit soft, scoop chilled or lightly greased spoon for uniform shapes. Bake at 345°F. Watch edges firm, slight cracking top, center still jiggles. Too firm means overbake, dry cookie. Cooling long, 30 minutes at least, crucial or frosting melts.
- 💡 For frosting, soft cream cheese and butter key—don’t melt or cold lumps form. Beat till silky, no clumps. Powdered sugar sifted to avoid cloud burst in bowl; add slowly low speed, then speed up to fluff. Buttermilk adds tang plus body; too much thins frosting, too little dry patchy bites. Vanilla clear flavor lets frosting stay white but swap pure vanilla if staining not a worry. Spread onto fully cooled cookies only; warm cookie equals mess. Dust with cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice last step, aroma wakes senses, adds gentle bite contrast. Fridge storage keeps frosting firm, room temp brings creamy softness back.
- 💡 Olive oil swap for half butter changes texture quite a bit. Keeps chew, drops greasiness but adds subtle grassy notes that fit pumpkin’s earthiness. Homemade pumpkin puree better. Drain excess water or cut oil down or dough too loose. Spices fresh or grinding your own clove, cinnamon, nutmeg combo lifts cookies — stale powders dead flavor. Baking temp shifted slightly lower than typical cookie temps to get caramelized edges without burning. Oven temp varies; check cookies before 18 mins if unsure. Texture is balance between edge crisp and chewy center. Timing trumping exact numbers here.
- 💡 Don’t rush dry component mixing. Toss spices with flour, baking powder, soda, salt, cinnamon first. Dumping all at once leads to clumping, uneven spice shot. Folding dry in slow stops gluten from ramping up tough bite. If dough feels too sticky, refrigerate before scooping; shape holds better. Tapping dough mounds before baking helps flatten slightly for even rise, avoid mountain tops that crack too hard. When cream cheese frosting clumps, usually butter or cheese not softened enough or mixing speed too fast naked lumps form. Sift sugar to stop gritty mouthfeel. Buttermilk adds funk, milk thins. Frost only on complete cool down—any warmth melts frosting into mess.
- 💡 Storage important. Loose cover in fridge keeps cookies fresh few days. Leave out 20 mins pre-serve to soften frosting if firmed up. To rescue dry cookies a bit, microwave 5-7 seconds with moist paper towel wrapped. Frosting tweaks include swapping milk for buttermilk for tang, or heavy cream for richness. Allergies put coconut oil for butter in dough; changes flavors but works. Egg replacer binds if vegan—expect slightly different texture, less rise. Salt balances sugar and pumpkin mildness; don’t skip or cookies taste flat or just sweet without depth.
Common questions
Why add olive oil with butter?
Olive oil keeps chewiness plus subtle grassy notes. Half instead of full butter stops dryness. Texture shifts but not oily. Flavor earthier. Works best with pumpkin’s natural flavors.
What if dough feels too wet?
Drain pumpkin puree’s excess water or chill dough. Chilling firms dough, stops spreading too thin. Excess moisture messes with structure. Reducing oil a bit also helps if puree wetter.
How to tell cookies done?
Watch edges set, slight cracking top good sign. Center jiggles lightly but not raw. Tap top gently; spring back means done. Oven temps vary so start peek early. Too hard = overbaked dry cookie.
Storing cookies - best way?
Fridge loose-covered stops frosting melting or cookie drying. Room temp makes frosting creamy but can get sticky in heat. Freezer works too, wrap tightly. Thaw in fridge then room temp before serving.
