Description
Delightful pumpkin sugar cookies capture autumn’s warmth with a perfect blend of spices and sweetness. Crumbly edges and tender centers invite cookie lovers to savor seasonal comfort in each delectable bite.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 1 cup (226 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (120 grams) pumpkin puree
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 ½ cups (313 grams) all-purpose flour
Spices and Seasonings:
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅓ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ginger
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Finishing and Frosting:
- ⅓ cup (67 grams) granulated sugar (for rolling)
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon (for rolling)
- 8 ounces (226 grams) cream cheese, softened
- 4 tablespoons (57 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 ½ cups (300 grams) powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prepare the oven environment by positioning the rack in the middle and heating to 350°F. Cover two baking trays with parchment paper.
- Cream butter and sugar together using an electric mixer until the texture becomes airy and pale, approximately 2-3 minutes.
- Incorporate pumpkin puree, egg, and vanilla extract into the butter mixture, blending thoroughly on low speed.
- Sift flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, ginger, and nutmeg into a separate container, ensuring even distribution of spices.
- Merge dry ingredients into wet mixture gradually, mixing gently to prevent overmixing and maintaining a smooth consistency.
- Chill the dough in the refrigerator for half an hour to firm up and enhance flavor development.
- Create a coating mixture by combining granulated sugar and cinnamon in a shallow dish.
- Portion dough into small rounds, rolling each into a perfect sphere and generously coating with cinnamon-sugar mixture.
- Arrange cookie spheres on prepared baking sheets, leaving minimal space between them, and gently flatten each slightly.
- Bake cookies until edges transform to a delicate golden brown, approximately 10-12 minutes.
- Allow cookies to cool completely on baking sheets, preserving their tender texture.
- Whip cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and salt until achieving a silky, uniform consistency.
- Gradually fold powdered sugar into the mixture, beating until frosting becomes light and fluffy.
- Once cookies have reached room temperature, lavish each with a generous layer of cream cheese frosting.
- Dust frosted cookies with an additional sprinkle of cinnamon for enhanced visual appeal.
- Preserve leftover cookies in a sealed container within the refrigerator, maintaining freshness for up to five days.
Notes
- Chilling the dough helps prevent spreading and ensures a soft, tender cookie texture during baking.
- Rolling cookies in cinnamon-sugar adds a delightful sweet crunch and extra flavor dimension before baking.
- Cream cheese frosting transforms these pumpkin cookies from simple to spectacular with its creamy, tangy richness.
- Gentle flattening of dough balls creates uniform cookies that bake evenly and look professionally made.
- Cooling cookies completely on the baking sheet prevents breaking and helps them set perfectly before frosting.
- Storing in the refrigerator maintains freshness and preserves the cream cheese frosting’s smooth consistency.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 24
- Calories: 236
- Sugar: 15 g
- Sodium: 138 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 35 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 2.5 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg