Easy Small Batch Pumpkin Cookies
If you can't get enough pumpkin spice, make sure to try these small batch pumpkin cookies before fall ends! They're amazing for using up leftover pumpkin purée, and you'll end up with just 6 soft and chewy cookies. This is definitely one of my favorite desserts for autumn!
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!
Notes
For small-batch baking, I always recommend using a scale to measure the ingredients. If you don't have a scale, here's how to measure the flour. First, whisk the flour until it's light and fluffy. Then, spoon the fluffed flour into a measuring cup until it's overflowing. Lastly, use a straight edge to level it off without packing the flour into the cup.
I like and recommend Libby's pumpkin purée, because it has less water than other brands.
Feel free to swap the spices in the cookie dough with 1 ½ teaspoons of pumpkin spice. The extra spices just give the cookies a deeper flavor!
Please don't skip drying out the pumpkin purée or chilling the dough. These are key steps for this recipe.
The pumpkin in this recipe might make the cookies puff up a bit. This won't affect the texture, just the look of the cookies! For the crinkly texture in the photos, very gently press the tops of the cookies with a rubber spatula right as they come out of the oven.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cookieCalories: 193kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 2gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 54mgSodium: 150mgPotassium: 61mgFiber: 1gSugar: 15gVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 26mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!