CRISPY OUTSIDES, CHEWY INSIDES…. success!
I finally mastered the pumpkin cookie the way I wanted them to be! Most pumpkin cookie recipes I’ve tried are delicious, but their texture was soft and cake-like. Some people like them like that. Me, I am more for crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside.
The pumpkin puree has a lot of water in it so it tends to produce softer cookies. I learned a few tips for crispy outsides in pumpkin cookies.
1. USE only aluminum cookie sheet pans for this recipe. Lightly spray an aluminum, not teflon, cookie sheet with non-stick baking spray. Parchment paper, teflon pans, and silicone mats will make pumpkin cookies softer.
2. USE a cold stick of butter from the refrigerator and melt it half way in the microwave to be semi-solid, semi-liquid.
3. THE cornstarch in the batter also helps to make them crispy.
4. REFRIGERATE the dough for at least an hour before baking.
I loaded up the cookies with raisins, chocolate chips, and walnuts, but you can add or subtract whatever you like.
It is hard to eat just one! They are so Y-U-M-M-Y for all cookie lovers, not just pumpkin lovers! My husband Bill is not really a big pumpkin fan, and he kept going back to the cookie jar! Later he said, “What? No more? You gave them away?” Ha-ha! Happy Fall!
A slideshow of some steps is included below.
Enjoy!
Loaded Crispy Pumpkin Cookies
Equipment
- Aluminum Cookie Sheet Pan
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter cold
- 1 cup sugar
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon ground
- ½ teaspoon ginger ground
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg ground
- ¼ teaspoon cloves ground
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- ¾ cup walnuts chopped
- 1 cup raisins
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 375°.
- Lightly grease or spray an aluminum cookie sheet pan. Do not use a teflon pan, silicone mats, or parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, mix the flour, cornstarch, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Set aside.
- Melt the butter only half-way in the microwave, so it becomes semi-solid, semi-liquid. This takes 14 seconds in my microwave.
- With a mixer on medium speed, beat the butter, sugar, and vanilla extract until blended.
- Beat in the pumpkin puree and egg yolk until well-mixed.
- On lowest speed, mix in the dry ingredients that were set aside and beat this until a dough forms.
- On lowest speed, beat in the chocolate chips, walnuts, and raisins.
- Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least an hour.
- Using a cookie scoop or a tablespoon, place the balls of dough 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet.
- Press at least 2 chocolate chips, 2 raisins, and 1 chopped walnut piece on the tops of the cookie dough balls.
- Bake for 12-13 minutes, or until lightly browned around the edges.
- Remove them from the oven and immediately flatten the cookies with a smooth metal spatula.
- Carefully transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.
- Store the cookies in a tin, or a glass or ceramic container to keep them crisp. If you store them in a plastic container all cookies will soften.