Pumpkin drop cookies round two…
See, the first time I baked these delicious cookies I nearly made mini pies instead by tossing in the entire can of pumpkin puree. Have you ever come across a cookie recipe that calls for an entire can of pumpkin? Me either. Sometimes I do things without really thinking them through. Guilty! The good thing in this case is the “cookies” were still delicious. They simply didn’t have that perfect drop cookie texture and truly tasted like mini pumpkin pies. Not a loss at all, but I had to bake them again this past weekend out of respect to the drop cookie and the extra time was completely worth it.
Why hello perfectly crumbly and unbelievably soft pumpkin treat. These are total melt in your mouth cookies. I had similar ones at a friend’s traveling boutique party a few weeks ago and kind of knew at that point I needed to bake some for us once we got further into fall. I had to act fast too, because we had about two nice weeks of fall and now it’s apparently winter. It’s a brisk 32 degrees outside right now with snow falling from the sky, potentially 1-3 inches overnight! If only snow days were still a thing… 🙂
Back to that traveling boutique real quick…I won’t leave you hanging, or maybe you’re already familiar with these! It was the first event I attended at a friend of a friend’s home and what a clever idea! This particular shop is called Middle Sister Boutique and the owner has a large RV type vehicle that she’s transformed into a clothing and accessory boutique inside. So you have friends/family over to your home, serve some drinks and appetizers and they can shop in the pop up boutique right in your driveway! Pretty fun!
And parties are always a good place to find new favorite recipes 😉
These cookies only require one bowl to mix up, but the order in which the ingredients are mixed is important! I highly recommend always following that instruction in a recipe, because there really is a reason behind the order. For pumpkin drop cookies, you start by combining the softened butter, brown sugar and cane sugar using a hand mixer. Then you add
- the egg
and mix again until that’s well combined. followed by the…
- pumpkin puree
mixing until well combined again, of course. and then the…
- allspice
- cloves (unless you’re like my Mom & despise cloves. then you may leave them out!)
- nutmeg
- cinnamon
- vanilla extract
- baking powder
- baking soda
- salt
Finally, you mix all those ingredients and then top it off with the flour. Oh…and be sure to mix well just once more 🙂 The photo below is from the time I had too much pumpkin since I forgot to retake this photo over the weekend. The dough doesn’t really look that different though!
My one and only pet peeve with drop cookies is placing them on the parchment paper to bake. It’s a tedious task for those who like cookies to be closer to the perfect side! This is a really doughy dough, to be technical, so it’s a little tricky to work with at this point. I used a small spoon for each dollop and then an icing spatula to attempt to smooth the edges. I didn’t go too crazy, because if I tried to really get them perfectly smooth I might still be in the kitchen!
These cookies will rise and spread a bit so be sure to leave enough room between each one. Bake them in a 350 degree oven for about 12 minutes and then move them to a baking rack to cool. Part two is making the icing, the simplest task if you have a stand mixer! The biggest tip here is to make sure your butter is well softened! If needed, place the stick of butter in the microwave for a few seconds to achieve this so it gets perfectly light and fluffy while mixing. Then you just add in the maple syrup and vanilla and once that’s all combined gradually finish it off with powdered sugar and a little bit of milk.
Now just get that icing spatula back out to ice each cookie and sprinkle with cinnamon – optional, but highly recommended! The best part about using buttercream icing over the typical cream cheese paired with pumpkin is these can be left in an airtight container on the counter or in the pantry for a couple days. If they last beyond that, I’d suggest storing in the fridge/freezer.
Lucky for us, my Grandma still insists on hosting Thanksgiving and cooks the most delicious dinner every year! So the least we can do is arrive with dessert to add to the table. Last year it was a purple sweet potato pie with spiced whipped cream (seriously, give it a try…so good!) and this year it’s going to be a batch of these cookies! I can easily make them that morning since they’re quick to whip up and there’s little better than fresh from the oven homemade cookies.
Pumpkin Drop Cookies with Maple Buttercream Icing
Perfectly soft pumpkin cookies for all your fall get togethers
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup organic cane sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree I use Libby's
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground allspice
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
- 1/2 cup softened butter
- 2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 Tbsp 2% milk
Instructions
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First things first. Take the butter out of the fridge for the cookies and icing ahead of time so it has an opportunity to soften. Otherwise, place stick of butter in the microwave for around 20 seconds to soften.
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
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In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, brown sugar and cane sugar together using a hand mixer. Once well combined, add in the egg and mix again.
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Add pumpkin puree and mix until that's well combined with the above ingredients. Add in nutmeg, allspice, cloves, cinnamon, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix well.
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Gradually add in flour and mix until all ingredients are combined.
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Use a small spoon to scoop dollops of cookie dough onto each baking sheet for baking. If desired, using an icing spatula to further shape and smooth the cookies.
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Bake one batch of cookies at a time for 12 minutes. Take the first batch of cookies out of the oven and move them to a baking rack to cool. Repeat with the second baking sheet of cookies.
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While the cookies cool, make the butter cream icing. Using a stand or hand mixer, cream butter until fluffy. Add maple syrup and vanilla while still mixing on low speed.
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Gradually add powdered sugar and mix on medium speed until well combined. While still mixing, add the milk and mix for another minute to reach a good icing consistency.
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Spread icing on each cookie and top with a sprinkle of cinnamon. Allow the icing to set before transferring the cookies to an airtight container to store for 2 to 4 days. Cookies may also be frozen for 3 months.
Recipe Notes
*Recipe ever so slightly modified from alattefood.com
