These small batch pumpkin cookies might just be my new favorite fall dessert. In this recipe, we'll use a trick I learned in pastry school to remove extra water from the pumpkin which makes these cookies thick, soft, chewy, and never cake-y! Roll them in a little spiced sugar and you'll have just 6 sparkly, autumn cookies for you and your friends.
It's that time of the year where I perpetually have a container of leftover pumpkin in my fridge. It's basically a tradition around here from September through December.
While some people hate a recipe that calls for just half a can of pumpkin, I secretly love it. Those leftovers give me the perfect excuse to whip up a batch of my small batch pumpkin muffins. Or, these soft, chewy, perfectly spiced cookies!
The recipe itself is based on my small batch snickerdoodles, but don't worry, there's no cream of tartar. Just basic ingredients plus a little pumpkin spice. Of course, you can use any warm spices here, they're all good.
Hope you make them, hope you love them, let me know how it goes! xx.
What kind of pumpkin to buy
Like I already established, this recipe is amazing because it uses up leftover canned pumpkin. But, it's absolutely key that you're using 100% pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling! The filling will definitely not work.
Personally, I'm a Libby's girl cause it has so much less water than other brands. But use what you have because the water is about to be a non-issue!
Squeeze out the water
Pumpkin purée has lots of liquid, which will make the cookies cake-y instead of soft and chewy. If you want those chewy, borderline fudgy cookies, then you have to press some of the water out.
You can use a piece of cheesecloth to squeeze the water out, or use this paper towel trick I learned in pastry school! Just don't skip this step or the recipe won't work.
How to bake the cookies
Most of my small batch cookie recipes are no-chill, but you really do need to chill this dough. It's way too runny as-is, so please don't skip this step!
The cookies might puff up
This is just a thing with pumpkin desserts. Pumpkin can act as an egg replacement in some recipes, so it might make these cookies puff up a bit. It won't affect the texture, just the aesthetic!
If you want to make them more crinkly like I did, just use a rubber spatula to very gently press them back down after they come out of the oven. 🙂
When it comes to small batch baking, I always recommend using a scale to measure the ingredients. Just a small amount of flour can make or break an entire recipe. But if you don't have a scale, use the fluff, spoon, & level method to measure flour, cocoa, & other dry ingredients. Here is a whole guide on how I measure ingredients for small batch baking!
If you try this recipe, I would love if you left a star rating and review. I read every comment and love hearing what you think about my recipes. Thanks so much for supporting Midnight Bake Club!
Easy Small Batch Pumpkin Cookies
Equipment
- Paper towels or cheesecloth
- Mixing bowl
- Whisk
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cookies
- 60 grams canned pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling (¼ cup)
- 60 grams unsalted butter, melted (¼ cup)
- 75 grams brown sugar, dark or light (6 Tablespoons, packed)
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 70 grams all purpose flour (½ cup + 1 Tablespoon)
- 10 grams cornstarch (1 Tablespoon)
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt, I use Diamond
Spiced Sugar
- 25 grams granulated sugar (2 Tablespoons)
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon
Instructions
Cookie Dough
- For chewy cookies, you'll want to remove as much water from the pumpkin purée as possible - please don't skip this step or the recipe won't work! Start by spreading the pumpkin purée into a thin layer on a small plate. Then, press a paper towel to the top of the pumpkin purée to soak up as much liquid as possible. Repeat this process 2-3 more times, until the pumpkin is dry and reduced by half. You should have 30 grams (2 Tablespoons) of dried pumpkin purée.
- Then, add the melted butter and brown sugar to a medium mixing bowl. Whisk until the mixture starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl, about 1 minute. Mix in the egg yolk, vanilla extract, and dried pumpkin purée until smooth.
- Add the flour, cornstarch, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice, baking soda, and salt. Mix just until there are no more streaks of flour. The dough will be loose. Cover the bowl and freeze or refrigerate the dough for 30-60 minutes, until it's cold enough to scoop.
Assemble & Bake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Then, combine the granulated sugar and pumpkin spice or cinnamon in a small, shallow bowl to make the spiced sugar.
- Once the dough is chilled, use a scoop to divide the dough into 6 balls. Roll each cookie dough ball in the spiced sugar. Pat the cookie dough balls into thick puck shapes (this will help the cookies spread).
- Place the cookies 2-3 inches apart on the prepared sheet pan. Bake for 12-14 minutes, until the edges are set and the centers are still a bit under-done. Let the cookies cool on the sheet pan for 5 minutes and then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Did you make this recipe? I'd love to hear what you think!