Description
Homemade pumpkin sugar cookies deliver autumnal comfort with delicate spice notes and tender crumb. Warm cinnamon and nutmeg invite seasonal celebrations while providing delightful sweetness you’ll savor.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, room temp
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (120 g) pumpkin puree
- 1 large egg, room temp
- 2 ½ cups (313 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsps baking powder
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ⅓ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ginger
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- 1 ½ tsps vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup (67 g) granulated sugar (for rolling)
- ½ tsp cinnamon (for rolling)
- 8 oz (226 g) cream cheese, softened
- 4 tbsps (57 g) unsalted butter, softened
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 ½ cups (300 g) powdered sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat Preparation: Position oven rack in middle and heat to 350°F. Line two baking trays with parchment paper.
- Butter Blending: Cream butter and sugar using electric mixer until light and airy, approximately 2-3 minutes.
- Moisture Integration: Add pumpkin puree, egg, and vanilla extract to butter mixture, blending thoroughly on low speed.
- Dry Ingredient Combination: Sift flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, ginger, and nutmeg together, ensuring even spice distribution.
- Dough Formation: Gently incorporate dry ingredients into wet mixture, mixing carefully to maintain smooth consistency. Chill dough in refrigerator for 30 minutes to enhance flavor and texture.
- Cookie Shaping: Create cinnamon-sugar coating in shallow dish. Form dough into perfectly rounded spheres, generously rolling in coating mixture.
- Baking Process: Arrange cookie spheres on prepared baking sheets with minimal spacing. Gently flatten each cookie and bake until edges turn golden brown, about 10-12 minutes.
- Cooling and Frosting Preparation: Allow cookies to cool completely on baking sheets. Simultaneously, whip cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and salt until silky smooth.
- Frosting Finalization: Gradually fold powdered sugar into cream cheese mixture, beating until light and fluffy. Once cookies reach room temperature, generously spread frosting on each cookie.
- Finishing Touch: Dust frosted cookies with additional cinnamon for visual enhancement. Store leftover cookies in sealed container in refrigerator for up to five days.
Notes
- Chill for Flavor: Refrigerating the dough for 30 minutes intensifies the spice profile and prevents spreading during baking.
- Gentle Mixing Matters: Avoid overmixing the dough to maintain a soft, tender cookie texture that melts in your mouth.
- Sugar Coating Trick: Roll cookies generously in cinnamon-sugar mixture for a crisp exterior and extra flavor burst.
- Storage Wisdom: Cream cheese frosting requires refrigeration to keep cookies fresh and prevent bacterial growth.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 22
- Calories: 154
- Sugar: 14 g
- Sodium: 112 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg