Pumpkin Spice Cookies

When the temperatures start to cool and the leaves begin to change color, I find myself wanting to make something with pumpkin. I flipped through several of my favorite cookbooks looking for the perfect pumpkin cookie recipe, and I think this one was a winner!

I decided to make a few changes to the recipe and left out the raisins and walnuts. While I'm sure they would be delicious, I opted for white chocolate chips in half of the batch and mini chocolate chips in the other half. For an extra touch of flavor, I mixed white sugar with pumpkin pie spice and sprinkled it over the tops before baking. The sweet, spiced coating gave the cookies a beautiful sparkle and added even more of that classic pumpkin pie flavor. These soft, flavorful cookies are a wonderful treat for a crisp fall day.

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (see note below)

1 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup white sugar

3/4 cup salted butter, softened

1 large egg

1 cup canned 100% pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup (6 oz.) raisins

1/2 cup (2 oz.) walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 300F degrees.  

In a medium bowl combine flour, soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice.  Mix well with a wire whisk and set aside.

In a large bowl, blend both sugars with an electric mixer set at medium speed.  Add butter and beat to form a grainy paste.  Scrape sides of the bowl, then add egg, pumpkin and vanilla.  Beat at medium speed until light and fluffy.

Add the flour mixture, raisins and walnuts (or chocolate chips if using).  Blend at low speed just until combined.  Do not overmix.

Drop by rounded tablespoons (or use a cookie scoop) onto ungreased cookie sheets

1 1/2 inches apart. (I prefer to line my cookie sheets with parchment paper).

Bake 22-24 minutes until cookies are slightly brown along the edges.  Immediately transfer cookies with a spatula to a cool surface.

*Note: If you do not have pumpkin pie spice, you may make your own using the following ingredients (or basically, any combination of these ingredients to your preference to make 2 teaspoons). If you need some to sprinkle on top, combined with sugar, you will need to make more than 2 teaspoons of the pumpkin pie spice mixture. 

   1 tsp cinnamon

   1/2 tsp ginger

   1/4 tsp nutmeg

   1/8 tsp cloves

   1/8 tsp allspice

Makes 2 1/2 dozen cookies

Source: Mrs. Fields Cookie Book

Janice