Soft Pumpkin Cookies

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These delicious and soft pumpkin cookies are infused with brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice, and glazed in the most delightful maple butter glaze. With their perfectly spiced flavour and melt-in-your-mouth texture, these cookies are everything. They are so perfect for fall!

Close up of a soft pumpkin cookie with a bite missing.

I whip up at least a batch of these every autumn. They are quick and easy to make; not to mention super yummy and tender. What makes these soft pumpkin cookies the best for me is the beautiful fall spiced maple butter glaze that graces the top of each one.

I also recommend that you check out these delicious apple blondies drizzled in a brown butter glaze. Between the two of these recipes, your kitchen will smell like autumn heaven! Or, these chocolate hazelnut cookies are wonderful for another tasty fall cookie.

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Ingredients
Instructions
Substitutions
Variations
Equipment
Storage
Tips for success
FAQ
📖 Recipe

Ingredients

Pumpkin purée - You can use fresh pumpkin to make this purée or use canned pumpkin purée. Note that this is different from pumpkin pie filling, which you should not use.
Unsalted butter - You will want to ensure that the butter is left out long enough to come completely to room temperature before using. It should be very soft.
Vegetable oil
Brown sugar
Granulated sugar
Pure vanilla extract
Egg
All purpose flour
Pumpkin pie spice - I make my own pumpkin pie spice by mixing together a blend of 2 tablespoons cinnamon, ½ tablespoon allspice, 2 teaspoons ginger, and 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg. You can make extra to store for all of your later baking needs.
Salt
Cream of tartar
Baking soda
Powdered sugar
Maple syrup

See the recipe card below for quantities.

Soft pumpkin cookies on a countertop; one is missing a bite.

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F / 177°C and prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper.

First you have to remove some liquid from the pumpkin purée by placing it into a paper towel-lined bowl and gently blotting it. Some pumpkin purées have a soupier consistency than others. This step will help prevent the cookies from turning out too cakey from excess moisture. Measure out the pumpkin that you need after this step.

In a large bowl, mix together the butter, vegetable oil, pumpkin purée, brown sugar, sugar, vanilla extract, and egg. You will want the butter to be very soft for this. Whisk until it is smooth and well blended.

Egg, butter, pumpkin purée, and sugars in a mixing bowl.

In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, salt, cream of tartar, and baking soda.

Slowly stir the dry ingredients into the large bowl with the pumpkin mixture. Be very careful to not overmix or the cookies will not be as soft and fluffy.

A wooden spoon mixing dry ingredients into the dough.

The pumpkin cookie dough will begin to form. Using a tablespoon measurer slightly rounded with dough, scoop out even amounts (about 1 ½ tablespoon size scoops of dough) into balls and place them on the prepared cookie sheet.

Use the bottom of a glass, or another instrument, to flatten out the cookie dough balls into one centimetre thick rounds. Bake them for about 8-9 minutes (oven times vary).

Flattened cookie dough balls on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.

Once they have finished baking, remove the baking sheet from the oven. Cool on the sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. They will cook slightly more on their own during this time.

Baked cookies cooling on a baking sheet.

Maple butter glaze

Sift the powdered sugar and pumpkin pie spice into a small bowl. This will help to keep your glaze nice and smooth. Stir in the melted butter (not too hot) and maple syrup. Then add a tiny bit of water in ⅛ teaspoon increments until you get the consistency to be just runny enough for a glaze.

Spoon the glaze onto the cookies and enjoy them warm and gooey. Or, leave them sitting out for a few hours so that the glaze has time to set and harden a bit before storing.

Substitutions

Pumpkin - The pumpkin purée in this recipe can be substituted with another type of puréed squash, such as butternut squash, acorn squash, or kabocha.

Variations

These soft pumpkin cookies also taste amazing when topped with a cream cheese frosting! Please note: if using a cream cheese frosting instead of a glaze, the cookies will have to be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator rather than at room temperature.

Equipment

To make this recipe, you will need a baking sheet, parchment paper, mixing bowls, a whisk, a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, measuring spoons, and a measuring cup set or a kitchen scale for weighing ingredients.

baking sheet

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glass mixing bowls

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A hand holding a soft pumpkin cookie with a bite missing.

Storage

Once the glaze has had time to set, store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Although these cookies have a dairy-based glaze, refrigeration isn't necessary if you allow the glaze to dry completely before storing. The glaze will no longer contain liquid, much like powdered milk; which will allow it to last at room temperature for the life of the cookies.

If you intend to freeze the cookies, allow the unglazed cookies to cool before storing in an airtight, freezer-safe bag or container for up to 2 months. To thaw, set frozen cookies on a countertop overnight to come back to room temperature. Wait until the cookies have thawed to glaze them.

A close up of a stack of soft pumpkin cookies.

Tips for success

Removing some of the moisture from the pumpkin purée is crucial for the best flavour and texture outcome in these pumpkin cookies.
Ensure that your butter and egg have come to room temperature and the butter is quite soft.
When mixing in the dry ingredients, be very careful not to overmix. Only keep stirring until the flour is just blended in. Otherwise, the cookies will turn out dense and firm, not soft and fluffy.

FAQ

What is the difference between pumpkin purée and pumpkin pie filling?

Pumpkin purée is simply cooked and puréed pumpkin, while on the other hand, pumpkin pie filling contains added spices and sweeteners.

Is pumpkin purée the same as 100% pure pumpkin?

Yes, these are the same things. Just check the label to ensure that there are no added spices or sugars and you will have pure pumpkin.

📖 Recipe