Soft and chewy, cinnamon sugar-coated Soft Pumpkin Cookies, is a delicious indulgence for a season filled with comfort and heartwarming scents. Baking a batch of these will leave your kitchen swirling with seasonal scents.
Other delicious fall pumpkin recipes to indulge in this season are this pumpkin monkey bread, classic pumpkin bread, or these pumpkin spice waffles.
Soft Pumpkin Cookies
Each year I purchase all the fall and seasonal holiday food magazines that hit the shelf and this year was no different. My kitchen has been swirling with scents of cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove and even the neighborhood kids have noticed and commented. One main ingredient throughout most of my recipe preparation is pumpkin.
From pumpkin soup to pumpkin bread these Soft Pumpkin Cookies are a fabulous fall treat I can’t seem to stop eating. The soft and chewy inside of this cookie with its cinnamon sugar outer layer is absolutely delicious.
How to Make Soft Pumpkin Cookies
These cookies are almost identical to prepare as snickerdoodle cookies and I could easily name them pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies. Either way, the main ingredients that make all the difference are the cream of tartar and baking soda. Together these two slightly small additions make a bit impact. They’re responsible for the soft cookie interior.
- Simply whisk the first 8 ingredients together and set aside.
- Using an electric mixer beat the butter and sugars together until fluffy. Add the egg yolk, vanilla, and pumpkin.
- Chill the dough.
- Scoop out the cookies and roll into a cinnamon-sugar mixture and place on a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Bake for 12 minutes at 350 degrees.
Tips for Making the Perfect Cookie
- This dough works best once it has time to chill and harden a little. This allows helps to decrease the cookies from spreading during the baking process.
- Use a 1 or 2-inch cookie scoop. This will save you time and ensure each cookie is the exact same size.
- If you forget to leave the butter out then you can easily place it on a microwave-safe dish and warm in the microwave. Do 3 seconds for each side for a total of 12 seconds. Don’t warm the butter for 12 seconds total though. You’ll want to do 3 seconds and flip it to the next side, and repeat until you hit each side. If the butter isn’t the soft consistency you need then add another 3 second round.
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Ingredients
- 2½ cups Flour
- 2 teaspoons Cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon Cream of Tartar
- 3/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 2 teaspoons Cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon Ground Clove
- 3/4 cup Unsalted Butter room temperature
- 3/4 cup Brown Sugar
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 1 large Egg Yolk
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla
- 1/3 cup Pumpkin Puree
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- 1/4 cup Sugar
- 2 teaspoons Cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ and line 2 baking trays with parchment paper, set aside.
- In a large bowl whisk the flour, cornstarch, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves together.
- Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a handheld mixer, beat, on medium speed, the butter, and both sugars together until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Turn the speed down to low and add the egg yolk, vanilla, and pumpkin making sure to scrape down the edges. With the speed still on low slowly add the flour mixture and mix until fully combined.
- Cover the bowl and store in the fridge for 30 minutes before scooping out onto the prepared trays (this step is options, however, it ensures the cookies don't spread too much during the baking process).
- In a small bowl combine the sugar and cinnamon for the cookie coating.
- Using a cookie scoop or a large spoon measure out about 2 tablespoons for each cookie and form into a ball shape. Roll into the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Place each cookie on the sheet with room in between. Cook for 12 minutes and let cool on the pan for 10 before moving to a cookie rack to finish cooling.
Everyone loved these and the soft texture is perfect. Great recipe!
Do you have any tips for making this gluten and dairy free?
Hey Karen, the only thing you would need to swap out would be the flour. I highly recommend using the King Arthur brand measure-for-measure gluten-free flour. That way all the measurements remain the same.