Pumpkin pecan cookies are a delightfully cozy bake loaded with autumn worthy pumpkin flavor and peppered with nutty pecans. These cookies are surprisingly buttery and cinnamon-sweet with a hint of butterscotch.
Ingredients
- Butter – we use plant butter or olive oil butter to cut down on the fat content, but you can use regular unsalted butter too. Let the butter soften slightly for best results.
- Pumpkin puree – be sure to blot out as much moisture from the pumpkin as possible. This will help reduce the moisture levels and improve the texture so it’s not so cakey. But you still get the yummy pumpkin flavor.
- Light brown sugar – we upped the cozy factor of these cookies by using 2 parts brown sugar to 1 part white sugar. The molassesy flavor adds extra warmth.
- Granulated sugar – to balance the brown sugar and create deliciously chewy cookies.
- White whole wheat flour – we like to use white whole wheat flour in our baking recipes because it adds a little extra protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals over all-purpose flour and it doesn’t significantly change the texture.
- Eggs – binding agent.
- Almond milk – we like to use unsweetened vanilla almond milk for a little extra vanilla flavor.
- Vanilla extract – enhances the flavors of the cookies.
- Spices – pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and nutmeg are sweet and cozy spices that make these cookies feel like a nice warm hug.
- Baking powder and baking soda – leavening agents to help these cookies rise.
- Salt – flavor enhancer.
- Pecans – for a nutty, buttery flavor and extra crunch.
- White chocolate chips (optional) – optional but delicious add-in that makes these cookies even sweeter. 🙂
Tips for Making Pumpkin Pecan Cookies
- Blot the pumpkin – for the best results, blot the pumpkin before using to remove as much excess moisture as possible (see instructions). This will help cut back on excess moisture and reduce the cakiness of these cookies.
- Use a baking mat – we’ve taken to heart Sally’s Baking Addiction’s advice to use a baking mat when making cookies. They help cookies bake evenly and prevent overspreading, while eliminating the greasy residue that cooking spray tends to leave behind.
- Chill the dough – chilling the dough allows the flavors to meld more. We tend to chill these cookies for about an hour before baking. You can skip the chill time, but be prepared for your cookies to spread a bit more.
- Use your eyes (not time) – baking time is a guideline! Every oven bakes differently, so for those coveted gooey cookies, use your eyes not the timer to determine if cookies are done. Look for lightly golden brown cookies with set edges and soft centers. We like to underbake these cookies a tad so that when they cool and set they are super soft. Feel free to adjust if you prefer a firmer cookie.
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How to Make Pumpkin Pecan Cookies
Blot the pumpkin puree: place the pumpkin between two layers of paper towel in a small bowl (like a sandwich). Use the top paper towel to press the moisture out of the pumpkin. Discard when wet and repeat several times until the pumpkin appears “dried”. Don’t skip this step, as blotting pumpkin will improve the texture of these cookies!!
In a stand mixer, cream together butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Mix in the blotted pumpkin, almond milk, and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg and mix together. With the mixer on low speed, slowly incorporate the flour mixture into the sugar-butter mixture.
Fold in the chopped pecans and white chocolate (if using). Chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 350℉. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Use a spoon to form the chilled dough into generous 1 tablespoon portions and roll into a dough ball. Space dough balls about 3 inches apart on a cookie sheet and slightly flatten. If desired, press extra pecans and white chocolate into the tops of the dough balls before baking (for more delicious looking cookies!).
Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes. Bake 10 minutes for gooey cookies and 12 minutes for slightly firmer cookies. Allow the cookies to cool about 10 minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring to a cooling rack to completely cool. If your cookies did not spread, you can press them down slightly with the back of a spoon, if desired. Enjoy!
How to Store
- Room temperature – store these cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
- Freezer – form cookies into dough balls and flash freeze for 1 hour on a cookie sheet. Transfer the dough balls to a large freezer safe Ziploc baggie for up to 3 months. Bring to room temperature overnight before baking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Pumpkin is high in moisture and can result in cakier cookies. To reduce the cakiness, blot the pumpkin repeatedly with paper towels to remove as much excess moisture as possible before making these cookies.
Yes! Pumpkin puree and canned pumpkin are the same thing. Pumpkin puree is NOT the same thing as pumpkin pie filling.
Absolutely! Substitute or add pecans with walnuts or hazelnuts.
Check out our other cookie recipes
- Maple brown sugar cookies
- White chocolate peppermint cookies
- Chocolate chip cookies without brown sugar
- Cookies and cream cookies
- Dark chocolate cranberry walnut cookies
Pumpkin Pecan Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ c plant-based or unsalted butter, softened
- â…” c light brown sugar, packed
- â…“ c granulated sugar
- ⅓ c pumpkin puree, blotted (pat-dried) (reduced to ¼ cup when blotted, see notes)
- 1 Tbsp almond milk (or sub other milk)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 c white whole wheat flour (or sub all-purpose flour)
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- â…“ c pecans, chopped, extra for garnish
- â…” c white chocolate chips, extra for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Blot the pumpkin puree: place the pumpkin between two layers of paper towel in a small bowl (like a sandwich). Use the top paper towel to press the moisture out of the pumpkin. Discard when wet and repeat several times until the pumpkin appears "dried". Don't skip this step, as blotting pumpkin will improve the texture of these cookies!!
- In a stand mixer, cream together butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Mix in the blotted pumpkin, almond milk, and vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg and mix together. With the mixer on low speed, slowly incorporate the flour mixture into the sugar-butter mixture.
- Fold in the chopped pecans and white chocolate (if using). Chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Use a spoon to form the chilled dough into generous 1 tablespoon portions and roll into a dough ball. Space dough balls about 3 inches apart on a cookie sheet and slightly flatten. If desired, press extra pecans and white chocolate into the tops of the dough balls before baking (for more delicious looking cookies!).
- Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes. Bake 10 minutes for gooey cookies and 12 minutes for slightly firmer cookies. Allow the cookies to cool about 10 minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring to a cooling rack to completely cool. If your cookies did not spread, you can press them down slightly with the back of a spoon, if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- We recommend using Betty Crocker olive oil plant butter (plant based option) or Land O Lakes olive oil and sweet cream butter (reduced fat option) in these cookies. We have tried both with great results. We haven’t tried other plant or reduced fat butter in any of our cookie recipes.
- Why are my pumpkin cookies cakey? Pumpkin is high in moisture and can result in cakier cookies. To reduce the cakiness, blot the pumpkin repeatedly with paper towels to remove as much excess moisture as possible before making these cookies.
- Is pumpkin puree the same as canned pumpkin or pumpkin pie filling? Yes! Pumpkin puree and canned pumpkin are the same thing. Pumpkin puree is NOT the same thing as pumpkin pie filling.
- Can I use other nuts in this recipe? Absolutely! Substitute or add pecans with walnuts or hazelnuts.
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