I’ve been obsessing about apples for the past couple of weeks, but let’s be honest, apples aren’t the only star of the season.
What kind of baking blogger would I be if I didn’t put up a single pumpkin recipe during the autumn season? A hugely disappointing one, that’s what! But don’t worry, because the first pumpkin recipe is finally here with these Pumpkin Pie Cookies.
Much like the Apple Pie Cookies I posted last week, these Pumpkin Pie Cookies have chunks of pie crust mixed into them. In fact, I used the other half of the pie crust I had left over from last week to make these!
These cookies use real pumpkin which helps give them a moist, cake-like texture reminiscent of the soft filling in an actual pumpkin pie. To add a bit of crunch, I tossed in some toasted pecans and white chocolate chips which, along with the pie crust, really help to pull these cookies together. I ate one for breakfast multiple times this week and could barely keep my hands off of these while taking photographs!
This is definitely the kind of cookie that makes you want to grab a latte, light a candle, don a sweater, and either open up a good book or put on your favorite Halloween movie (naturally my thoughts go to Hocus Pocus first, but these will happily accompany any scary movie as well). The spices in these Pumpkin Pie Cookies give that warming feeling that we all want during the chilly days of fall.
And, once you have the pie crust already prepared, these are incredibly easy to make. Since the brown butter is already melted, it’s not too difficult to whip these up using just a large bowl and a wooden spoon. Don’t be daunted by baking the crust–you can always grab your favorite pre-made version and just bake it between too cookie sheets. You’re tearing it up so it doesn’t need to be pretty! And these Pumpkin Pie Cookies are definitely worth it. So why not get some fall baking in this week?!
| Cook Time | 16-18 minutes |
| Servings |
cookies
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- 1/2 cup brown butter
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg large
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans toasted
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
- 1/2 single pie crust broken into large chunks
Ingredients
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- Prepare your pie crust and fully parbake it: You can use store bought or your favorite recipe. Preheat the oven to 400°F. To bake the crust, since it's not being used for an actual pie, I roll it out so that it fits onto a baking sheet. Place the pie dough on a parchment lined baking sheet and dock it all over with a fork. Chill in the freezer for at least ten minutes. Top the dough with another piece of parchment paper and baking sheet. Place the pie crust, sandwiched between the two cookie sheets, on the bottom shelf of the oven and bake 15-25 minutes, until the bottom is golden brown and the crust is cooked all the way through. (I typically remove the top baking sheet and sheet of parchment paper after the first 15 minutes of baking. I just use it to keep the dough from puffing up).
- Brown the butter: Line the bottom of a medium saucepan with cubes of butter. Warm over medium heat until melted. Once it's all melted, allow it to bubble for about 5 minutes; swirl the pan occasionally. After 5 minutes, the butter should begin to smell nutty and should be a slightly darker color. Remove from the heat and swirl an additional 15 seconds before transferring to a ramekin or small bowl. Make sure to scrape everything out of the pan. Then, leave the butter to cool in the freezer for 10 minutes.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer--or in a large bowl if using a hand mixer/a wooden spoon--combine the light brown sugar and the granulated sugar. When the brown butter has cooled a bit, pour it into the bowl--make sure to get all the flavorful brown bits that might have sunk to the bottom of your bowl/ramekin. Beat on medium-high until the butter and sugars are fully combined.
- One at a time, add in the egg, vanilla extract, maple syrup, and pumpkin puree. Mix after each addition until fully combined.
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. And the mixture, 1/2 at a time, to the mixing bowl. Mix until the dough just begins to come together.
- Fold in the toasted chopped pecans, white chocolate chips, and pieces of pie crust. Chill the dough for 1/2 an hour.*
- Preheat the oven to 325°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. With a large spoon or ice cream scoop, place the cookie dough on the prepared sheets. Bake 16-18 minutes until the tops are fully baked and the bottom is golden brown. Remove from the oven and immediately transfer to a cooling rack or a cool baking sheet.
*Because of the pumpkin, this dough is a bit stickier. I recommend chilling it just so that it's easier to scoop out.