Pumpkin Spice Cookies — These pumpkin spice cookies are made without pumpkin puree but are full of flavor thanks to the pumpkin pie spice! These are so soft and fluffy!
Table of Contents
Cozy Spiced Pumpkin Cookies
These pumpkin spice cookies are supremely moist, soft, with hints of chewiness at the edges, and their flavor is pure fall.
I used pumpkin pie spice in them, rather than pumpkin puree. I have a recipe for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies which uses pumpkin puree and it was a hard recipe to nail.
In general, baking cookies with pumpkin puree can turn cookies into little pumpkin cakes, unless you’re using a small amount (under 1/4 cup or so).
But at that point, you don’t taste it anyway, and all the flavor comes from the spices. Because on its own, I think pumpkin puree is bland and gross.
So I skipped the puree and went with pumpkin pie spice for all the flavor, and none of the potential for cakey cookies.
The intensity of the pumpkin pie spice, with notes of cinnamon, ginger, and cloves shining brightly, give the cookies such great depth of flavor. The brown sugar helps keeps them soft and adds a richness of caramel-like flavor.
If you’re a fan of spice cake, pumpkin, brown sugar cookies, soft gingersnaps or soft molasses cookies, add these little pumpkiny puffballs to your list.
Ingredients in Pumpkin Spice Cookies
To make these pumpkin spiced cookies, you’ll need:
- Unsalted butter
- Light brown sugar
- Egg
- Honey
- Pumpkin pie spice
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Cornstarch
- Baking soda
- Salt
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
Adjusting the Spice Level
I used 2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice in these cookies, which is a pretty hefty amount, but it flavors the entire batch of cookies very nicely. They’re robustly spiced, without being overdone. If you are more sensitive to spices, you may wish to dial down the amount.
How to Make Pumpkin Spice Cookies
- Cream together the butter, sugar, and egg until light and fluffy.
- Then, add in the vanilla, honey, and pumpkin pie spice and continue mixing until combined.
- Add in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined (be careful not to over work the dough!).
- Scoop the cookie dough into balls and chill for at least 3 hours, and up to 5 days.
- Once the dough has had time to chill, bake the cookies until the edges are set.
Baking Tip
If you prefer softer cookies, don’t bake for more than 9 minutes! For firmer cookies, bake these for roughly 10 minutes.
Recipe FAQs
I added cornstarch to the dough, my workhorse for creating super soft and supple cookies. I’ve used it in at least 15 cookie recipes and it never disappoints. They’re like puffy little pillows. Lightweight, supremely soft, delicate, and just melt in your mouth.
Technically yes, but your pumpkin spice cookies won’t turn out as soft and fluffy as mine did.
I’ve only ever made these cookies as written, but I bet you could add mini chocolate chips or chopped nuts to these pumpkin spice cookies if desired. This is a really soft dough, so you’ll want to be gentle when folding in the mix-ins.
If you can’t find pumpkin pie spice, it’s usually a blend of about 1 part cinnamon, to one-half part allspice, to one-quarter part each of ground ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.
For example, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon allspice, 1/4 teaspoon each of ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Give or take. It’s all personal preference.
Play around with what works for you, and if you already keep those spices on hand, it’s cheaper to DIY than buy pre-made and you can tweak it to your liking.
Yes, this pumpkin spice cookie recipe is easily doubled. Just keep in mind that you’ll need to bake the cookies on multiple baking sheets since you don’t want to overcrowd them!
I’ve only made these pumpkin spice cookies as written, but if you have a gluten-free flour blend that you’ve used before and trust, you can certainly try it in this recipe! If it works out, please leave me a comment down below.
The spicd pumpkin cookie dough must be chilled before baking, no exceptions. It’s a scientific impossibility to take warm dough and have it bake up into thick, puffy cookies. Warm dough is limp and spreads much more while baking. Chill your dough if you want puffy cookies, period.
Yes! You can freeze the cookie dough AFTER you’ve scooped and shaped it, and bake off these cookies one by one if desired. You’ll likely need to add a minute or two to the total bake time if using frozen cookie dough, but otherwise you won’t have to alter the recipe at all.
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Soft and Puffy Pumpkin Spice Cookies
These pumpkin spice cookies are made without pumpkin puree but are full of flavor thanks to the pumpkin pie spice! These are so soft and fluffy!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup honey (I used clover from TJs)
- 2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice (yes tablespoons, not teaspoons)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons corn starch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- pinch salt, optional and to taste
Instructions
- To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, sugar, egg, and beat on medium-high speed until well-creamed, light and fluffy, about 5 minutes (or use a hand mixer and beat for at least 7 minutes). Do not shortcut the creaming process; make sure dough is very light in color and fluffy, stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the honey, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until combined and smooth, about 2 minutes.
- Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, optional salt, and mix until just combined, about 1 minute.
- Using a medium 2-inch cookie scoop, form heaping two tablespoon mounds (I made 17). Place mounds on a large plate, flatten mounds very slightly with your palm, cover with plasticwrap, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or up to 5 days, before baking. Do not bake with warm dough because cookies will spread and bake thinner and flatter.
- Preheat oven to 350F, line baking sheets with Silpats, or spray with cooking spray.
- Place mounds on baking sheets, spaced at least 2 inches apart (I bake 8 cookies per sheet). Bake for 8 to 9 minutes, or until edges have set and tops are just beginning to set, even if undercooked, pale, and glossy in the center. Do not bake longer than 9 minutes for soft cookies because they firm up as they cool; bake for 9-10 minutes if you like firmer cookies (The cookies shown in the photos were baked with dough that had been chilled overnight, allowed to come to room temp for 10 minutes while oven preheated, and were baked for 8 minutes).
- Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before removing and transferring to a rack to finish cooling.
Notes
Store cookies airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 4 months. Alternatively, unbaked cookie dough can be stored airtight in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
17Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 112Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 92mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 1gSugar: 12gProtein: 2g
More Pumpkin Cookie Recipes:
The pumpkin spices cookies are made with NO pumpkin puree, but the cookie recipes shared below DO use pumpkin puree.
Soft and Chewy Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies — These pumpkin oatmeal cookies are bursting with chocolate chips in every bite! They’re thick, hearty, perfectly chewy, and not at all cakey.
Pumpkin White Chocolate Chip Cookies — Soft, chewy, loads of white chocolate, and so much pumpkin flavor!! A pinch of salt balances the sweet white chocolate for a salty-and-sweet treat!!
Soft and Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies — No cakey cookies here! Soft, chewy, thick, loaded with chocolate and bold pumpkin flavor! Your new favorite pumpkin cookies!
Iced Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies — Soft and pillowy pumpkin cookies that are chock full of pumpkin spice and everything nice! The icing takes these cookies over the top.
Buttery Pecan Pumpkin Spice Cookies – Buttery soft dough with big chunky pecans in every bite! Salty-and-sweet and so hard to resist!
Soft and Chewy Pumpkin Snickerdoodles — Soft and pillowy in the middle, chewy around the edges, and ever so slightly crisp on the bottom! Classic snickerdoodles get a makeover with the addition of pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spices!
Hi I haven’t made the recipe yet, but I was wondering what nuts do you think would go best in these? I’m going to make them exactly as the recipe is the first time I make them. But for the next time I’m thinking I’ll add some nuts. So what nut do you think would pair nicely with these cookies? Thank you in advance! I’ll also leave a comment as to what I think of them once I’ve made them :)Â
Maybe like a chopped pecans, walnuts, or slivered almonds. I think any of those would work fine.
My pumpkin spice cookies turned out nice and tasty. I always use organic eggs so I can lick the batter!Â
Hi Averie, These cookies look so good. I do have a question. Could you make the cookie dough and freeze it? Trying to get all my cookie doughs done and frozen, so I can just pull out thaw and bake for Christmas. Thanks for any help you can give me. Have a wonderful and blessed weekend. :)
Yes no problem, make the dough, form into ball shapes, freeze balls, and bake off when you are ready.
This is the site I clicked on that brought me to this site and it is the site with the photo I described in my previous email: https://www.smartschoolhouse.com/easy-recipe/homemade-pumpkin-spice-recipes
Mine are item #5 on the roundup. There is also an item #4 which are cookies with pudding in them but mine (#5) do not have pudding mix.
Your picture of this recipe on Facebook shows a box of Jello Pumpkin Spice Pudding but it’s not in the recipe.???
People steal photos, recipes, etc. and republish/repost on FB so if you have a link to the FB post, that would be helpful. It does not sound like my recipe but they probably stole my photos.
I wanted to know if anyone, including you, have ever tried making these with gluten free flour and if they came out close to the same. So many recipes I want to try but I need to be gluten free. Pillsbury makes a great GF flour. Thank you!
No I have not personally tried so really cannot speak from experience. If you have a good GF flour you like for other baking, I don’t see why it wouldn’t work here if it normally works well in conventional recipes as a swap.
I made one batch with and one without and both were a huge success! I had to add a minute to the walnut ones but otherwise didn’t change anything.
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad they came out great – and with walnuts, too!
Would walnuts be a good addition to these? And would I need to change anything else?
Thanks!
You could add them if you’re a walnut fan. I have only made them as written.
I finally discovered why these cookies came out too flat! The dough is very soft straight out of the mixer so they easily get somewhat thin when lightly pressed by hand. To fix this I scooped them onto a pan, placed it in the freezer for 20ish minutes and then rolled them into balls. At this point, they’re much firmer and can be lightly pressed while staying thick. Simply chilling the dough before scooping would probably work just as well. Perfect puffy cookies!
Yes this is a very soft dough and getting it to your perfect consistency for you in order to work with it via the freezer for 20 mins sounds like a plan if it works great for you!
I was so excited about this recipe!! I don’t know what happened…I followed everything exactly as the recipe says, but they came out super flat and gooey.  Basically tasted like a gingersnap, only super soft in texture and no glorious puff :(  The only thing I did to deviate from your recipe was sift the flour  – but I don’t see how that could have been the problem, since sifting aerates flour and would only help…right?
Hmmm I think the sifting did you in. It’s finer and just sort of ‘absorbs’ more into the dough and you can wind up with a looser dough, hence cookies that flatten. I really recommend King Arthur Brand flour for baking, so so much. Makes a huge difference. Also Silpats are KEY. Dough chilling, too. Read this post for all my tips and tricks to puffy cookies! https://www.averiecooks.com/the-best-soft-and-chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies/
These look so yummy! You take the best pictures…so tempting! I am wondering if I can replace the cornstarch with the same amount of dry jello vanilla instant pudding mix??Â
I think that would be okay because I have made plenty of pudding cookies and know how pudding mix generally behaves, but again, haven’t personally tried it. Make sure not to use sugarfree pudding mix. That doesn’t behave well upon baking it. Use the regular instant (with sugar).
Thank you! I decided to just buy some corn starch and make the original recipe, just to be safe! I made the dough last night, and am letting them chill in the fridge. I tried a sample of the cookie dough and it was very good–the honey flavor really stands out. I will bake them tonight! Something to look forward to!
Hope you enjoy them!
Yum! Very good! They are moist and chewy and soft, and remind me of gingerbread or oatmeal cookies for some reason.Â
Glad you’re enjoying them! I love both gingerbread and oatmeal cookies and perhaps the honey + the pumpkin pie spice creates a certain flavor you associate with gingerbread or oatmeal cookies.
These cookies are absolutely delicious! I ate 3 before I even realized it! I did cut down on the pumpkin spice a little (I used about 1.5 tbsp), which allowed the honey flavor to come through a little more. The taste is so rich and warm, but light all at the same time, and the TEXTURE of these cookies is divine!! I always know I can count on your recipes to be great, and I always love to see your photography! I made the cinnamon sugar pumpkin mini muffins for work potluck and they were a complete hit!! Thanks for another wonderful recipe!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! I love the texture on these cookies too!
And glad the cinn-sugar pumpkin mini muffins were a potluck hit! Keep me posted if you try other recipes!
So I really did want to make something with pumpkin puree in it so I added some anyway. Maybe half a cup? I added a 3/4 cup more flour to balance it out and a handful of cranberries. I also used dark brown sugar instead of light. The bake time was longer about 11 minutes, and I couldn’t leave them glossy in the centre. Long story short they came out fantastic anyway. A little cakey, a little chewy; like a muffin and a cookie had a baby.
like a muffin and a cookie had a baby <--- that's a cute way to put it :) I always love what people do and how they change things up. Glad that you compensated with the extra flour and I bet the cranberries were a nice touch! I have two new pumpkin cookie recipes that use pumpkin puree if you still want to make more cookies https://www.averiecooks.com/2015/09/soft-and-chewy-pumpkin-oatmeal-chocolate-chip-cookies.html
https://www.averiecooks.com/soft-and-chewy-pumpkin-chocolate-chip-cookies/
These did not spread at all. I feel like the cornstarch is why and unnecessary. The best thing about these cookies is they are not very sweet. I would not make again :/
The cornstarch makes them soft but if you feel you don’t want it, then you could omit it. When you say the cookies did not spread at all, in my experience that generally means the dough was over-floured. When measuring flour make sure you use a very light hand. I have a feeling that you may have used a bit too much flour and the dough was stiff, therefore they didn’t spread. Thanks for trying the recipe.
LOVE THIS RECIPE!! nothing goes wrong with this, my family love it! and I love it more! thanks for sharing!! :)
Thanks for the compliments and so glad everyone is happy!
I was curious if you’ve ever used cake flour in this recipe, or the Reese’s Pieces Soft Peanut Butter Cookies? If you have, do you have to change the amount of flour that is called for in the recipe? Thanks!
I was curious if you’ve ever used cake flour in this recipe, or the Reese’s Pieces Soft Peanut Butter Cookies? = No and no.
If you have, do you have to change the amount of flour that is called for in the recipe? = Yes, you will. You will need more. How much more, I don’t know and the texture isn’t what I prefer in cookies. I like AP flour (or even a bit of bread flour) in cookies, but not cake flour. The texture it produces in cookies isn’t for me.
Just found this recipe on pinterest and I can’t wait to find it! Your blog is my go-to resource for cookie recipes, and every single one has been amazing. I can’t wait to try this!
Thanks for the great compliments on my recipes!
I made these yesterday and doubled the recipe (good thing because that dough is addictive!!). Your recipe nails the flavor–they channel the pure essence of autumn! Mine turned out flat as pancakes, unfortunately–I thoroughly chilled the dough (and added more flour to the remaining dough, which helped somewhat, but I definitely did not achieve the chunky loft of your cookies!) I’m committed to getting the consistency right on these, so may have to tweak things for our elevation (about 5000 ft), and will buy the King Arthur flour to see if that gives me a different result.
It would be so helpful if you could put the *weight* measurement of the flour (I went to culinary school in Europe where recipes are always measured by weight, instead of volume, and it really makes for more precise and successful replications of baked products). Thank you!
https://www.averiecooks.com/2014/02/the-best-soft-and-chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies.html In that post I gave my tips, tricks, and secrets for the perfect cookies. Silpat, chilled dough, KA flour, and more. All of those 3 things are instrumental. After that, you may need to play around with things since you’re baking at elevation and I’m not. And with cookies, if you ever have to error, over-flouring is better than under-flouring (with bread/yeast, no way) so I think you made the right call!
The dough is cooling in my fridge right now! I just wanted to leave a comment saying how happy I am that I got exactly 17 cookies as well. There are so many recipes out there that make less than expected and this is spot on. Thank you!
Glad we got the same number and with me and my measurements, people usually get MORE because when I say use a 1/4-cup measure or cookie scoop, when I pack my scoop, it’s usually overflowing and so if you were to truly just do 1/4 c on the nose, you could probably get easily 1-2 cookies more per batch than I do…and most home bakers have a habit of making pretty small cookies, like 2 tbsp or less of dough. Whereas I am 4-5 tbsp girl…so most people get more if anything with my recipes. You’re safe with mine not getting less, that’s for sure!
One quick question! The cookies came out puffy but deflated while cooling. They appear thinner than yours look. Do you know what might cause that? Either way, they are delicious! :)
Please read this post for all my cookie baking tips & tricks!
https://www.averiecooks.com/the-best-soft-and-chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies/
Just made these and they were absolutely delicious! My friends also loved them but thought they were a little dry so I made a pumpkin maple glaze (just icing sugar, pumpkin puree, maple extract and some water). I drizzled a generous amount on top and my friends all agreed it added a nice twist to the cookies. Thanks for the recipe I will definitely add it to my fall collection! :)
Great call on the glaze and next time you can either bake a minute or two less, or maybe add 2 tbsp less flour, that should do it. Glad they’re going into your fall collection!
I just made the dough! They are in the fridge now. Two quick questions: The dough tastes yummy, but it has a slight gritty texture because of (I think) all the pumpkin spice. thats OK, right? Also, is the dough pre-chilling supposed to be a little wet and sticky? I don’t have a cookie scoop so I used a 2 tbsp measure and my hands to roll the dough balls, and it stuck to my palms a bit. Just wondering! can’t wait till the three hours are up so I can pop these babies in the oven.
It isn’t the pumpkin spice that’s making it gritty and more than likely, it’s the natural fiber that’s in pumpkin. It’s pretty fibrous and isn’t always super smooth. But any grittiness should smooth out after baking.
Sticky dough – well anytime you work with pumpkin it can be sticky. If you thought it needed it, another 1 to 4 tbsp of flour would have fixed that (next time). Enjoy the cookies!
When you say it’s the pumpkin fibers that are making Sam’s dough gritty, do you mean from actual pumpkin? I read there isn’t any actual pumpkin in the cookie dough recipe but only pumpkin pie spice, which consists of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and allspice, depending on brand. So what could be causing the grittiness in Sam’s dough?
So want to make these, but have not on stick of butter. Going to try it with coconut oil. Fingers crossed!
Hope it worked out for you!
Just made these today and they turned out WONDERFUL. So thick and soft and delicious. My favorite kind of cookie. I was worried they wouldn’t turn out right, because my power went out and the oven shut off mid-baking, but it actually just made them have this really beautiful, crackle-y top, so that was a nice surprise. Thanks for the lovely recipe. :)
Sounds like your oven literally held up just with a minute to spare! Well thank goodness it waited just long enough for them to bake and so happy you’re pleased – I love crinkly crackly topped cookies too :)
I wonder if maple syrup could be substituted for honey. It would change the flavor, but would it change the consistency too greatly as well?
Although I havent tried it, I think the consistency would be very similar and the recipe would ‘work’; however, yes you’re right, a totally different flavor profile. Maple is much bolder than honey and the cookies will taste different. Still good but different. LMK if you try!
Averie, I loved these cookies! Sadly, I’ve had issues with other cookies that are supposed to turn out thick (I think it has something to do with my extremely inefficient oven, or just that I haven’t figured out how to adjust recipes since moving to a completely different part of the world recently), but these held up quite well! They were nice and chewy but not so much that I got tired, and I loved the amount of spice! They reminded me a bit of gingersnaps, but a bit lightened up since there was no molasses. Definitely writing this out for the recipe box!
So glad to hear they stayed thick and puffy for you and that you loved the level of spice. They remind me of a pumpkin-ey version of a gingersnap in a way too, minus the molasses. Glad the recipe is a keeper for you!
This takes the cake, or I mean cookie. I’ve seen a lot of pumpkin this week and this one is a winner. GREG
Awww, thanks Greg! Tis the season for pumpkin overload out there on blogs, that’s for sure :)
I was dying to try this, because I wanted a thick, puffy cookie, and these looked amazing!
However… after following the instructions (I was NOT going to let these be ruined), they did NOT turn out light & fluffy. The taste is great, but they still flattened quite a bit and are much more dense. (The top is fairly shiny, too, if that means anything.)
I creamed them for as long as you recommended, making sure it was light & fluffy. I put them in the fridge overnight, and took them out when I turned the oven on to pre-heat. I baked them for 8 minutes. I have an oven thermometer, so I know my temp isn’t off. As far as I can tell, the only thing I did different was put them in a large tupperware dish in the fridge vs plastic wrap. (Hubby works second shift, and I don’t want him accidentally putting something on them in the middle of the night when he gets home!)
Any idea on what I may have done wrong?? Do you think that overmixing after adding the flour could’ve done it?
I was so disappointed when these didn’t turn out like yours. :(
Ok so my cookies are not ‘lightweight’ like an airy sugar cookie in terms of taste. They are not like ‘lofthouse’ cookies that you’d get at the grocery store bakery with frosting on them – that real light, almost cakey-ish texture. They are not like that. They do have some density so when you say yours aren’t light and fluffy, I don’t necessarily know if they’re different than mine. It’s hard to tell without actually seeing them but you say they flattened quite a bit. I would make sure your baking soda is 100% fresh and your flour – what are you using? If you are using anything other than King Arthur unbleached all-purpose ($5.69 for 5 lb bag with a red stripe at my groc store and at Target), you may want to try some KA flour. It’s the best. It has a higher protein content than Gold Medal, Pillsbury, etc. and gives baked goods some extra rise and puff. That could help you out. Sounds like you really followed the directions…glossy in the middle – could it be that they are a tad underbaked (even by my standards, and I do love underbaked…) but maybe an extra 45 seconds or so could have helped them to rise better and stay puffed? If you have any unbaked dough left, try baking a couple cookies for maybe 9 mins and see what happens. And switch our your flour. I swear by KA. Given everything else – I think that’s your best call. Please LMK how this pans out!
Averie,
I’m an avid follower of Ambitious Kitchen and she highly recommended your blog. I am so excited that she did because I am excited to try so many of your recipes! These cookies are going to be the first of many, I’m sure. They’re going to my husband and best friend in Afghanistan, as it’s not so much “Fall” out there. Hopefully these get them in the right spirit :)
Monique is a great girl and friend! I remember when she started blogging and quickly knew she’d have great success. Thanks for saying you popped over based on her recommendation and I hope you enjoy these cookies and anything else you try. Would love to hear how things go for you after you’ve made them. Stop on back!
Hi Averie,
Thanks for all of the advice. My final question is will that concoction harden up, cream cheese and confectioners sugar with the maple extract, I’m sure I can replicate the taste, I just need to know what firms up frosting so that it is not loose, so that it hardens on the outside slightly so that it is not crunchy like some frosting can be on the top of cookies but has a somewhat soft consistency on the inside. I appreciate all of your help and suggestions!
Kathy
Since I haven’t tried it, I don’t know. That’s your job to play around with it and come up with the answers to your own questions :)
ok…..
This pumpkin-orange flan is pretty yummy…http://lizthechef.com/2012/10/25/pumpkin-orange-flan/
I love all things pumpkin – and it is THE flavor of fall for me…
These look absolutely amazing!!! :)
Thanks Kelly and hope you’re doing great! :)
Hmm… I wonder what the pH of honey is? Maybe it’s more acidic, but so it reacted with the baking soda more vigorously. That would cause puffiness, I’d think. These cookies sound delightful. I can’t wait to try them with my Big Island mac nut honey.
I was wondering if you had a frosting that will compliment these pumpkin cookies. I have had them with a maple cream cheese frosting but it’s a frosting that needs to harden so it doesn’t get all over the cookies and I can’t see to get it to work with any of the recipes that I have tried. Any thoughts?
This was a new, original recipe from my so when you say you’re had them with a maple cream cheese frosting, you mean you already made them and tried them with that? I hope you enjoyed them!
I personally didn’t frost them but if you’re looking for a runnier frosting, or you can just tweak it to taste, I would use 1/4 cup unsalted butter softened, about 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice, tiny drizzle of vanilla and beat until smooth. AS NECESSARY drizzle in milk/cream til you get the desired consistency. LMK what you end up doing!
Actually, I should have been a bit more clear when I first spoke. I have NOT tried your recipe but have tried similar cookies made by a mom in my subdivision who started her own cookie delivery business when her kids when to college. She has since stopped making them and I am trying to replicate the recipe because my family LOVES the cookies. These look and sound very similar, I am going to make them tonight and will report back to you. She frosted them with a maple, cream cheese frosting that was to die for. She stacked them in a beautiful wire basket that was wrapped in cellophane. I’m sure these cookies will be delicious, it’s the frosting that is my issue. We travel to Door County every year for the Fall as a family and she made them for us every year and has since stopped making them. We are leaving in 2 weeks and I am desperate to get this recipe down. I have tried to replicate the frosting but mine never firms up so the frosting ends up getting on the cookies after they have been stacked. It was not a wet frosting, it dried on the outside but has some creaminess on the inside. I will try your frosting and will add some maple extract as well. I will try the recipe as you state and use the frosting that you suggested above. I will post a comment after I have made them. THANK YOU!
Hi Kathy – okay thanks for the details. The info you just gave me with the woman with a cream cheese/maple frosting and what I suggested for you, off the cuff, they are not going to taste the same – butter based vs. cream cheese based. Frosting is one of those things it’s really best ‘developed’ in the mixing bowl. Start with what you know you need to have, i.e. cream cheese, confectioners sugar, maple syrup or extract, and then adjust ratios of things, to taste.
The cookie recipe I developed on my own as a hybrid of many of my other cookies and glad you think it will remind you of the cookies you have such fond memories of! Keep me posted how things go!
I love pumpkin pie spice, and I love how puffy these are!!
Oh, but I do love a plump, fluffy cookie! You’re so right about pumpkin purée, it’s unbearably bland (I was always afraid to admit that fact!). :D Brill idea to use actual spices!!
These look so perfect! Love the honey, pumpkin, spice combo!
These sound so good! I love a puffy cookie, for sure. What an interesting idea to just use pumpkin spice instead of actual pumpkin!
Much chewier and less cakey results that way!
Hi! Made the pumpkin spice cookies last night. Didn’t chill the dough. Added 1/2 cup of oats, 3/4 cup pecans, and placed raisins on top of each cookie in the shape of a star. Cookies came out great!
I love that you added oats (good call if you didn’t chill – bulked up the dough I bet) and then the raisins in a star shape. Cute! So glad they came out great for you!
Hey Averie! Since FB doesn’t like leaving notifications when pages are tagged, I thought I would let you know I featured these on my page yesterday. They look amazing!! https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151822826253070&set=a.174654903069.124188.163690253069&type=1
Thanks again! Been traveling today and very limited email so sorry for my delay :)
mmm… Thank you for not using pumpkin puree! You’re probably the only one in the million that has popped up this week. I cannot find pumpkin puree in Malaysia. Just a sad fact. We only have kabocha… which in essence is a squash, not pumpkin. I am normally not a soft cookie fan but in my unwell state, this looks toooo inviting. I kinda want one right now.
Most American canned pumpkin puree is actually a blend of winter squashes, it’s not really pumpkin. Pumpkin is hard to find (except once a year) and expensive, compared to squash. So the avg can of pumpkin puree IS squash…thus, that’s why I find ‘canned pumpkin puree’ so gloppy and almost gross. It’s canned squash! I like squash, but not in that form—which is where the spices, massively, must come into play to doctor it up :)
All your recipes are fantastic and I have not experienced a failure yet and I have tried a good portion of them.These are no exception.They are wonderful.One question. Would you consider developing a recipe for pecan rolls? Like sticky buns?The cinnamon roll recipe was heavenly and have made it many times.It has replaced the one that secured me a Blue Ribbon in our county fair.A pecan roll from your creative and talented mind will no doubt be a hit and wonderful for the holidays.I look forward to your posts.
Hi Candy thanks for such a glowing comment & compliments! So glad you love my recipes & that you’ve never had a fail. That’s wonderful to hear. I really try to make them as foolproof as I can!:) And glad you loved these cookies, too!
And sticky buns, oh boy, I do have a recipe that I developed that’s amazing. But it will not be out and in stores until fall 2014 & I cannot blog about it :)
So…I will have to come up with a recipe equally as good as that one. I think I can. It’s actually on my to-do list, sort my own mental bucket list. So we shall see. Thanks for the nudge!
And that’s amazing that you loved my roll recipe for cinn rolls and that it even replaced your own Blue Ribbon recipe. What an honor. Thank you!
I keep saying that there will be that *one* recipe that will convince me that it’s finally autumn–but I truly think this might be it. We have a friend who gives us fresh jars of honey from his beehives–I’ve been looking for ways to include it in a travel-friendly dessert so he can partake, and I really think this might be it! Bookmarked, Averie~
Oh wow, fresh honey from a friend with hives. WHAT an amazing gift that must be to have around. If this recipe is enough of a nudge to convince you fall is here, well, I take that as an honor considering there are apple, pumpkin, etc recipes…everywhere!!
So I just made the batter now letting them rest. I’m excited to try them!! I also added butterscotch chips tho because I’m ridiculous. I’ll let you know how they come out! So excited!!!!!!
Omg butterscotch chips in them!!! HEAVENLY! I almost added white choc chips to them but at the last minute I didn’t b/c not everyone is a fan, but either butterscotch, white choc, or cinnamon chips would be so good in them. Hope they turned out amazing for you. LMK!
Wow! These look amazing!! Honey and pumpkin- two of my favorite things. Definitely want to try these out :)
http://www.dressdinedwell.wordpress.com
thanks! :)
These look SO good!
I actually like the idea of pumpkin cookie without pumpkin … you always think outside the box, Averie! I need to try one of your puffy cookie recipes just to taste the texture; I am SO curious! Favorite pumpkin recipe? Either your pumpkin spice granola or these pumpkin cookies (http://thesweet-toothlife.blogspot.com/2013/09/whole-wheat-pumpkin-maple-chunk-cookies.html)
Glad you’re a fan of my granola!
I really like your description of the process. It makes me want to make them now. I’ll definitely be making these for an upcoming function. Thanks!
I agree – pumpkin pie spice is so much better than pumpkin puree. I am not a fan at all. Even though I know most of it is butternut squash, I can acctually handle and enjoy butternut puree.
But the spices? YES!
I made some cookies today that turned out cake-y. They were cookie bars, but I should have made them into muffins.
Pummpkin has a way of puffing everything up. It’s great in cakes, muffins, etc but not so much in cookies. It’s so hard to get a chewy cookie with pumpkin so I sort of have stopped trying and just rely on the spices for flavoring!
Ahhh Averie! I am totally obsessing over this recipe. I adore pumpkin and I’m currently undergoing a pumpkin craze. I’ve been having pumpkin spice (with pumpkin puree) overnight oats every morning and I’m in love. I am making these cookies either tomorrow or Friday! So excited to see how the honey turns out!
Oh that’s great! Please LMK how they go for you!
These look wonderful, can’t wait to give them a try. Thanks for the pumpkin spice mix I will certainly make a batch of these cookies.
thanks Lynda! LMK how they turn out for you!
You know, I’ve seen a ton of pumpkin recipes around Pinterest but this is honestly my favorite! I just opened my first can of pumpkin this holiday season and I am in full gear for pumpkin recipes. These cookies are next! (Btw made your pumpkin bundt cake today – amazing! Posting tonight – I think!) :)
That is beyond sweet of you to say that this recipe of mine of all the pumpkin ones you’ve seen is your fave! WOW!! Because there are tons and tons and tons! So thank you!
And I didn’t know you were making that cake! That’s one of my fave cakes, ever, on my whole blog! I am so glad you tried it! :)
These sound amazing! Would raw honey work too?
I’m sure it would but it won’t be ‘raw’ after it’s baked at 350F. You may want to save it to use in another application b/c I know it’s pricey! But it would work here, yes.
Averie, you are the queen of cookies. These totally look like thick, puffy, golden, gorgeous pillows of pumpkin-inspired perfection. And all hail the chewy cookie – no cakey duds for this lady. I’m determined to bake as many pumpkin-y recipes as I can in the next month and I’m adding this to my list.
If you’re a pumpkin fan, you will love these! Full of pumpkiny flavor. And thanks for saying Im the cookie queen :) I love that title!
YUM! They look so darn good.
thanks girl!! :)
I adore your recipes and photos! it just got me thinking though. You create & photograph a new dessert basically every day/ many times per week… and do you only receive income when you sponsor a product? I guess what I’m saying is that all of these ingredients cost money. Do you pay for everything out of Scott’s income? Sorry this is a personal question, I was just curious given that you bake so many things.
I support myself fully, 100%. No help from anyone! I just want to throw that out there :)
And yes, I pay for all the ingredients myself. Sometimes vendors send me stuff, like a jar of vanilla or a tub of yogurt, but I make my income through the ads on my website on the sidebars. And yes, it’s expensive to bake because not everything works out and sometimes I have to make things a few times to get it right. When I am writing cookbooks, that’s the worst in terms of $$$ because I have to test at least 3x and it feels wasteful b/c we could never eat it all, so I am just giving it all away to others the minute it comes out of the oven. Money in, recipe tested, money gone. It’s just the nature of the beast – and I only hope I sell enough books to make it all worthwhile!
Great point about pumpkin flavored things really only being pumpkin spiced flavored things. I love the idea of honey in a cookie, such an under utilized flavor!
Totally under-utilized, you’re right. And yes, pumpkin out of the can is…gross and bland! Gotta blast it with spices!
mmm! those sound too good to be true! hooray for pumpkin!
The texture of these cookies looks spot on, and the flavor is just what I’ve been craving. Everything pumpkin spice, for every meal, and snack, and drink. Your pictures are lovely, too!
Thanks for the photo compliments Jodye!
OMG, Averie! These + me = trouble. They look so soft and perfect!
They are so soft. Little puffballs :)
Yes please to puffy cookies. Wish I had that whole stack in front of me!
These cookies look so appetizing and I can say for sure that they are really tasty. I`ve cooked them for breakfast today and my kids just loved them! Now this recipe is one of my favorite.
Thanks for making these already!!! On the same day I posted them – that’s wonderful! So happy to hear your kids loved them!
I always know where I can go to find some delicious cookie recipes. These look SO good!
you’re so sweet :)
I love baking with honey, and this is such a fabulous recipe to use it! My (soon to be) father in law makes his own honey right at home since he has a few bee hives and we always have soooo much honey! Love the pumpkin pie spice in these cookies – I’m totally trying these :)
I have always wanted to try my hand at bee-keeping! My grandfather had hives and as a child, I remember the honey but wasn’t allowed near the hives. That is so cool your FIL has hives!
they look yummy!
I love everything about these cookies. Thick cookies are my weakness, plus these scream fall with the pumpkin pie spices.
thin cookies are just…boring to me! :)
You had me at “soft and puffy cookie”!!! Delish!!!
To die for!!! Good tip on the pumpkin puree. My cookies were on the cakey side. I am going to have to give these a whirl!
Yes pumpkin turns most everything cakey. It’s very, very tricky to get chewy cookies when you add it. It just puffs everything up. Great for muffins and cakes, not so hot for cookies.
Honey and pumpkin sounds amazing! I’m ready for fall and these cookies are perfect for this chilly weather we’ve been having in NJ!
Oh god don’t say that…I am going to NJ for the weekend on a blog trip and I need to check the forecast. It’s 84F right now in my house on the 2nd floor where I sit and type this!
Ooo I love the sound of honey and pumpkin spice – that sounds like a fantastic combination! I love using honey but haven’t really used it much in baking – clearly that needs to change starting with a batch of these!
Well you’re the cookie monster so these should be right up your alley :)
I adore how honey tastes in cookies! These look amazing and I love that they’re so thick without being cake-y. I must try this. Pinning! x
Thanks for pinning! :)
Wow, delicious! This may be a silly question, but: what font is that on your top picture? It’s so pretty. :)
Omg I KNOW. I thought the same thing too. LOL
I am terrible with remembering names of fonts. I go to picmonkey and just keep clicking til I find one I think works with the image/title/mood
So I just went back there to find it, it’s near the bottom of the choices, called “Janda Stylish Script” – It did that little angling of the ‘and’ on it’s own when I Created the collage. But now, it’s not doing it for me. The font also looks radically different in white vs. black.
I would never have thought to put honey and pumpkin spice together, but I bet it tastes amazing!
It definitely does!
You read my mind. I just bought a HUGE jar of honey from Costco and am trying to use it left and right. I bet it pairs so nicely with soft pumpkin cookies Averie!
“If you’re a fan of spice cake, pumpkin, brown sugar cookies, soft gingersnaps or soft molasses cookies” – yes, yes, yes to it all! Those are a few of my very favorite things to bake. And this time of year gives us the excuse to go wild with those flavors! Amazing cookies. Loving all the pumpkin lately ;)
I figured I better get on board the pumpkin train that leaves the station now in like August with bloggers despite being a little bit pumpkin’ed out after my 2013 :)
You’d LOVE these Sally. They’re the pumpkin version of a soft gingersnap! They remind me of those cookies of yours actually, just based on texture from the photos!
Yay for pumpkin season!!!!
They just make me smile! I love the outer edge texture but the chewy inner goodness! Immlicking the screen! Okay maybe not really licking it since I’m sitting on a plane and the person next to me might start freaking out but I wish I could lick the screen! Lol
Thank you for commenting on my site on a plane! My god I am honored!!! I sometimes do that too when Im on planes and people next to me do NOT get why I am reading a blog/website with food pics all over it. Most people still don’t get food blogs LOL
I don’t know how you do it, but your cookies are always so gorgeous! Love the flavors in these!
You’re way too sweet Karly. Thanks!
This is definitely a unique cookie flavour of yours, Averie! They’re so pretty too, they would be great to add to a Christmas cookie selection
After 5 years and a couple hundred cookie recipes later, it’s nice to mix it up from oatmeal, PB, choc chip, etc :)
I love baking honey into cookies- I’ve done that before but this post reminded me that I should do it again! Pumpkin spice and honey though? Amazing!
If you have any recipes for cookies with honey on your site, send me the links. I want to check out the texture!
Yum, these look heavenly. And so puffy yet so chewy and not cake-y! I love it. Your descriptions made me feel like I was eating one right now… if only!! :)
Glad my descriptions work :)
Pumpkin + Honey + Non Cakey cookie = LOVE! :)
Pumpkin and honey is such a winning combo, but I never thought to combine the two in cookie form! What a genius idea! I love that they are crazy puffy, but not cakey. That is so interesting and in a good way!! I have to try these!!
I know you bake things other than the standard oatmeal, PB, choc chip cookies, etc. and if you have any experience baking with honey, LMK! I want to compare notes and textures!
These cookies sound very comforting! I would have thought honey would make flat cookies, but it’s great you found it didn’t.
I was so worried about the same thing and was pleasantly shocked!
These look so interesting–Simple yet complex at the same time! Love that! Pinned!
Thanks for pinning!
Yum. I want to sink my teeth into this puffy, chewy cookie. And I have everything on hand except the pumpkin spice. Looks like I need to go to the store!
OMG! I am going to have to try these with some local honey. I just found your blog and I am enjoying all the wonderful ideas.
Thanks, April, for stopping by and commenting and if you try any recipes, LMK how they go!
Butter, honey and pumpkin pie spice –what a great cookie for autumn! I bet these made the house smell heavenly…and the texture looks perfect! I like to replace some sugar with honey in baked goods–it has a nice rich flavor and I don’t usually have to use much to get good flavor and sweetness. Honey is especially good if I’m baking anything with pea protein powder–it needs lots of extra moisture!
God bless you for baking with pea protein. I have heard horror stories about that stuff. Mostly the flavor but I can imagine the texture just sucks the moisture right out of anything! Sort of like coconut flour. I am impressed you work with it!
And yes, these made the house smell so good! Like a yankee candle :) If you have any experience baking cookies with honey, LMK. I was pleasantly shocked with the puff these seemed to have that I can only attribute to the honey b/c all other variables were pretty standard issue.
Love how puffy these guys are! And the combo of honey and pumpkin spice sounds just too good to be true.
Fluffy little pillow cookies bursting with fall flavors? Count me in!! ;)
From candles, to cookies, to even coffee, I absolutely LOVE pumpkin. A few days ago, I made pumpkin chocolate chip cookies that look awfully similar to the picture you had posted here. As far as honey, my hubby and I like to drizzle it on top of our oatmeal. In the pursuit of health, we’ve been trying to eat more oatmeal, and honey is a perfect sweetener for it!
Honey & oats (and pumpkin with choc chips) – sounds wonderful!
Honey and pumpkin is wonderful! I love to honey roast pumpkin for salads and then add some pumpkin seeds/pine nuts or spinach/rocket.
I made a few pumpkin recipes on my blog; I have yeasted pumpkin bread , a quick savoury double roasted pumpkin bread and pumpkin puree granola.
You can cheack it out here http://themoonblushbaker.blogspot.com.au/2013/07/advertising-space-double-roasted.html and http://themoonblushbaker.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/restricted-to-tropical-kitchen-sink.html
Your cookies are always look so perfect! Pumpkin spice definitely is making its way into my heart!
You have lots of great recipes in your archives and honey roast pumpkin sounds delish!
I love honey in cookies, and in anything…it has such a unique flavor! Have you ever heard of Honeyville? http://www.honeyvillecolorado.com
They make gourmet, flavored honeys (peanut-butter honey! Thought of you ;)), like raspberry, cinnamon, lemon, bumbleberry, maple, and so many other varieties. They are fabulous in cookies!
Peanut butter honey sounds great! I combine the two all the time – and there’s also coconut oil PB that I’ve had/made. Those honeys sound great!
Wow these sound wonderful. I like the sound of all those spices!
I have a favorite pumpkin recipe which actually doesn’t use the typical pumpkin pie spices. It’s a sort of southwest pumpkin soup:
http://scrumptiousgruel.wordpress.com/2012/04/25/for-one-second-annual-pumpkin-week-in-spring-day-one/
That soup sounds so good and hearty for when the weather cools off!
Being in Turkey right now where honey is always served at breakfast, I have developed a new-found love for it. I imagine these cookies would be delicious – a taste of fall baked right in!
Oh I bet the honey over there is so extra-special and so good!