Description
Ina Garten’s pumpkin cookies blend warm autumn spices with classic cookie charm. Crisp edges and tender centers deliver comforting seasonal sweetness that draws people closer with each delightful bite.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese
- 2 sticks (226 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 ½ cups (313 g) flour
- 1 cup (200 g) sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup canned pumpkin
- 1 cup (120 g) confectioner sugar
- ¼ cup (60 ml) milk
- 2 tbsps maple syrup
- 2 tsps baking powder
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 ½ tsps ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground allspice
- ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Whole pecans
- Pinch ground cloves
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preparation: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C), creating an ideal baking environment for delicate pumpkin cookies.
- Creaming: Whip softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, forming a luxurious base for the cookie dough.
- Liquid Integration: Blend maple syrup, eggs, pumpkin puree, and warm autumn spices into the butter mixture, ensuring a smooth, aromatic composition.
- Dry Ingredient Combination: Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together, then gently fold into the wet ingredients until a uniform dough emerges.
- Forming Cookies: Scoop rounded portions of dough onto ungreased baking sheets, positioning them with ample spacing to allow for gentle expansion.
- Baking Process: Bake for 10-12 minutes, monitoring for golden-brown edges that signal perfect doneness and optimal flavor development.
- Cooling: Transfer baked cookies to wire racks, allowing complete cooling before frost application.
- Frosting Preparation: Whip cream cheese until smooth, gradually incorporating confectioner’s sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and a hint of lemon zest to create a silky, bright cream cheese topping.
- Frosting Application: Once cookies have thoroughly cooled, generously spread the cream cheese mixture across each cookie’s surface.
- Final Garnish: Crown each frosted cookie with a whole pecan, adding a delightful textural contrast and elegant finishing touch.
Notes
- Butter Temperature Matters: Ensure butter is softened at room temperature for optimal creaming and smooth cookie texture.
- Avoid Overmixing Dough: Stir dry and wet ingredients gently to prevent tough, dense cookies that lack delicate crumb.
- Spacing Cookies Correctly: Leave 2 inches between cookie dough portions to allow proper spreading and even baking.
- Frosting Consistency Check: Adjust cream cheese frosting thickness with milk, adding teaspoon by teaspoon for perfect spreadability.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Snacks, Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 24
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 24 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 9 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 42 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 50 mg