Beautiful cookies with a soft and chewy center and a crackly crust. Made with pumpkin puree and warm spices, the dough can be made ahead, and you can bake fresh cookies when the craving hits! They make wonderful holiday gifts.
You're in for a treat if you're a fan of soft and chewy cookies with a hint of spice.
Beyond the trendy lattes and old-fashioned pies, pumpkin adds a subtle sweetness and moistness to baked goods.
In these cookies, it's used with pumpkin pie spice, creating a cozy, fall-inspired flavor that pairs perfectly with the powdered sugar coating.
So whip up a batch of these delicious seasonal cookies. They're super easy, use basic pantry staples and render a dough that benefits from chilling in the fridge so that you can plan ahead.
Ingredient list
- Pumpkin puree: store-bought or homemade pumpkin puree. Not pumpkin pie filling.
- Unsalted butter.
- White granulated sugar.
- Vanilla extract.
- Egg.
- All-purpose flour.
- Baking soda and baking powder: make sure they're not expired.
- Pumpkin pie spice: store-bought or homemade pumpkin spice mix.
- Salt.
- Powdered sugar.
See the recipe card towards the end of this post for quantities. You can check the Ingredients page for more details and the brands we use.
Variations & substitutions
- Sweet potato cookies: use sweet potato puree and apple pie spice mix.
- Chocolate chips: add semisweet mini chocolate chips to the batter.
- Glaze: don't roll them in powdered sugar. Bake them plain, let cool completely and cover them with a simple powdered sugar glaze (like we do with the pistachio snowballs).
Can I use fresh pumpkin instead of canned puree?
Yes, you can use fresh pumpkin puree. Simply roast or boil a small pie pumpkin, remove the skin, and puree the flesh until smooth. Make sure to drain any excess liquid to achieve a consistency similar to canned pumpkin.
Yes, you can freeze the cookie dough. After preparing the dough, shape it into balls and place them on a baking sheet. Freeze until solid, then transfer the dough balls to a freezer bag. When ready to bake, simply thaw the dough balls in the refrigerator and proceed with coating and baking.
How to make pumpkin crinkles
The cookie dough is simple, a one-bowl recipe that can be made with an electric mixer (easier and my recommendation) or by hand (a little more laborious and requiring some arm muscle to fully integrate).
If making a large batch, the stand mixer with paddle attachment is a great option.
Make balls the size of walnuts with the chilled dough and roll them in powdered sugar.
Don't shake them to remove excess sugar; they must be thickly coated. Place them with some space in between so they can expand as they bake.
Vintage Kitchen tip: this pumpkin cookie dough is great to make ahead and chill for up to 3 days. That way, you can plan ahead and have freshly baked cookies.
Storage
- Room temperature: store the cooled cookies in an airtight container for up to a week.
- Freezing: for longer storage, freeze the cookies in a single layer and then transfer them to a freezer bag. Thaw frozen cookies at room temperature before serving.
- Cookie dough: it can be kept in the fridge for 3-5 days before baking. Cover the bowl well with plastic wrap.
- Frozen dough: you can form the balls, place them on a cookie sheet and freeze them until rock solid. Bake directly from the freezer.
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PrintPumpkin Crinkle Cookies
Beautiful pumpkin spice crinkle cookies with a chewy texture. A simple recipe for soft cookies covered in sweet powdered sugar that make a delicious treat for the holidays. A great idea to add to your fall season and pumpkin recipes file.
- Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
- Yield: 24 cookies
Ingredients
- ¼ cup (2 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¼ cup brown sugar, firmly packed
- ½ cup granulated white sugar
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1 and ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 and ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup powdered sugar to roll the cookies
Instructions
- In a large bowl, cream the softened butter together with the sugars for 2 minutes.
- Add the egg and beat until well incorporated. Add the pumpkin puree and vanilla and mix. It will look curdled and that is fine.
- Add the sifted dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pumpkin spice) to the wet ingredients in 2 parts, stirring until just combined. Don't skimp on the spices, or the cookies will not have that deep flavor we love. You can use up to 2 teaspoons. Avoid overmixing. You can sift them before or have the ingredients measured and sift them directly over the butter mixture (my choice).
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill the cookie dough in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or up to 3 days.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Scoop out walnut-sized portions of the chilled dough and roll them into balls. The dough might still be somewhat soft and sometimes the balls will be slightly irregular. That is fine.
- Roll each ball in powdered sugar, coating it generously, and place on the prepared baking sheets, leaving 1 inch or more between them.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are set, but the centers are still soft.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes on a cooling rack before transferring them to the wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have enough workspace, the ingredients at the correct temperature and other equipment you need. This will make the process so much easier.
- Baking time: consider that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer (like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
- Storage:
Room temperature: store the cooled cookies in an airtight container for up to a week.
Freezing: for longer storage, freeze the cookies in a single layer and then transfer them to a freezer bag. Thaw frozen cookies at room temperature before serving.
Cookie dough: it can be kept in the fridge for 3-5 days before baking. Cover the bowl well with plastic wrap.
Frozen dough: you can form the balls, place them on a cookie sheet and freeze them until rock solid. Bake directly from the freezer.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Refrigeration time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
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