Look up “pumpkin cookie recipe” and two versions will pop right up: chewy and cakey. Our recipe for Chewy Pumpkin Cookies already went up. Both of us are on Team Chewy, so that one got priority in the testing process. But you know what? Scott asked our ever-eager cookie testers about both, and the vote ran very close to 50/50. Team Cakey voted as long, loud, and often for their favorite as the loyal adherents to our favored party. Chewy-biased as we are, we have to agree our neighbors have a valid point. These Cakey Pumpkin Cookies are very, very good indeed. We will definitely make them again when the right opportunity appears.
NOTE FROM KATE: This cookie tastes less sweet than the chewy one – until you ice it. Whether you single-dip or double-dip your cookie in the icing will determine the sweetness level of every bite. If you wish to freeze these, and they will go stale faster than the chewy ones, there’s a definite way to get the best results. First, let the icing dry completely and/or freeze them individually on a baking sheet (recommended if you’ve done anything decorative). Then nestle the dried-icing cookies in a container with a tight-fitting lid, placing baking parchment between each layer. And remember: icing-destructive sticking will definitely occur if you put the cookie into their container while sticky, but it can occur as they thaw. Best to separate the frozen cookies earlier than later.
Get The Moisture Out!
Pumpkin keeps your cookies moist. That’s all to the good. Wet pumpkin? That creates unpleasant, pumpkin flavored snails. Moral of the story?
Get the extra moisture out!
Chewy Pumpkin Cookies do this by cooking the pumpkin in browned butter until the water is gone. That isn’t an option for this recipe, which starts with creamed butter (i.e., softened butter beaten until white, light, and fluffy). That means you need to dry the pumpkin out by hand.
We tested a few methods and ended with a clear favorite. First, it really helps to start with canned pumpkin because that’s already much drier than what you’d serve as a side dish. In fact, you’re going to find it in the baking aisle rather than with the other vegetables because the companies assume it will be used for some kind of pie, and don’t want customers to wrongly assume it’s ready to eat as-is. But pie recipes call for barely-damp pumpkin. That’s what is in the cans. Cookies want all-but-dry pumpkin.
We get there by putting the pumpkin in a fine mesh sieve and then blotting both the top and the bottom with some paper towel. Then we stir it with a spatula, squeeze out the paper towel, and repeat until it’s no longer absorbing a matieral amount of water.
This process taxes several mix-and-blot episodes, but it works and is definitely worth the time. Pro Tip: wring out the wet paper towel and keep reusing it until most of the water is gone. Then switch to a clean towel in order to see the moisture better for your final blottings.
NOTE FROM SCOTT: Blottings? Is that even a word? Some baker’s equivalent to etchings? “Hey Babe, how about stopping up to look over my blottings…” Something tells me that particular pick up line might not work as well as the other.
NOTE FROM KATE: See what I have to put up with?
The Recipe Could Not Be Simpler Once You Remove The Excess Moisture
Have you got your pumpkin basically dry? If so, you’ve got this nailed. The rest is easy.
Beat the softened butter with the sugars (white and brown) until light, white, and fluffy. I.e., “cream the butter” if you speak bakerese. Then beat in an egg until smooth. Follow by folding in the pumpkin along with some vanilla (or better yet, some vanilla spiked with maple). Now stir in the dry ingredients, taking care to avoid an eruption, and then refrigerate until the flavors meld and the texture sets into a consistent dough.
Done.
Baking that dough is even simpler. Portion onto baking sheets and let her rip.
To be fair, we inevitably add a third step, but that’s not exactly a challenge! Depending on the mood of the moment, we’ll either (a) roll the pre-baked cookie balls in spiced sugar like we do for Chewy Pumpkin Cookies, or (b) giving them a quick maple icing when they’re hot out of the oven.
Then comes the hard part. Cool completely before you dive in.
NOTE FROM KATE: This cookie contains two intensely hygroscopic (i.e. water-attracting) ingredients: pumpkin, and sugar. The pumpkin water gets stabilized as Scott described above, and baked, so that part is handled. The sugar in the icing, however, is a bit different. If your weather is humid, AND if you leave the cookies sitting out, the skin on the outside of your lovely icing will pucker up like a bulldog’s face. It’s still good and it still tastes the same, but it can change your expectations a bit.
I found that these cookies refrigerate well, which prevents the icing puckers. But don’t stop there. I also found that smooth icings make this cookie ideal for extra decoration. A colored drizzle line over the off-white icing would look great! Or you could decide that the puckers are a feature rather than a bug, and give the puckered icing a wash of thin, colorful icing for a stone-like effect. (See what I learned in pottery class?) In any case, I doubt the puckered icing will be an issue during the colder months, when our Pittsburgh humidity drops like a rock.
NOTE FROM SCOTT: So much for my effort to make a pretty swirl in the icing. [Shakes head]
Conclusion
Be they chewy or cakey, pumpkin cookies are a simple, homey, and satisfying project. Half the world will prefer the one, and the other half the other. Make the one that sings to you.
Enjoy!
