Old-Fashioned Pumpkin Sugar Cookies Recipe (2024)

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Old-Fashioned Pumpkin Sugar Cookies Recipe (1)

These old-fashioned pumpkin sugar cookies are easy to bake and taste like pumpkin pie in a cookie, except in my opinion, they're better than pumpkin pie. Say what? Yep, I said it.

Truthfully, I'm not such a big traditional pumpkin pie fan, but no bake pumpkin cream pie, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin roll, pumpkin applesauce muffins with maple glaze, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin bread, now we're a talking my language.

I like a soft cookie, but I did not want a pumpkin cake or pumpkin muffin top masquerading as a cookie. So three different cookie variations later, you have these melt in your mouth old-fashioned pumpkin sugar cookies. Can I get an amen?

As far as cookies though, these actually use a full cup less sugar than chocolate chip cookies, but you'll never miss it.

Want more old-fashioned from scratch cooking? The answer is yes, always, yes, then check out over 100+ recipes in my new book Hand Made:the Modern Guide to Made-from-Scratch Living, including the 3 bonus videos, coupons, and more here!

How to Make Old-Fashioned Pumpkin Sugar Cookies

First off, you need some pumpkin. Now, being a homesteader I make sure and plant sugar pie pumpkins in our garden because they produce a sweeter pumpkin flesh for baking.

Thankfully, we grow enough pumpkin I don't have to purchase store bought pumpkin pie filling or pumpkin puree, but if you can't get your hands on some pumpkins to cook, you may use pumpkin puree.

There's just something extra special about using the crops you grow to then produce your meals and recipes. Even after all these years, I still get an immense feeling of gratitude and satisfaction when I prepare a recipe with the bounty of our own land and homestead. It's something I hope every person gets to experience.

This is my favorite way to make homemade pumpkin puree the easy way

If you're starting from a real pumpkin homesteader style, then chop that baby in half, scoop out the seeds to roast and snack on later, and place each half of the pumpkin cut side down in a 9×13 baking pan with an inch of water and bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30 to 40 minutes, or until pumpkin is soft and fully cooked.

Allow to cool, then scrape out the inside of the cooked pumpkin. You are now ready to make your pumpkin cookies.

Old-Fashioned Pumpkin Sugar Cookies Recipe (3)

Old-Fashioned Pumpkin Sugar Cookie Recipe

(recipe shared from Hand Made: the Modern Guide to Made-from-Scratch Living)

Melt the butter and the add the coconut oil to the melted butter. The heat from the melted butter will soften up the coconut oil. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the melted butter, coconut oil, brown and white sugar, and molasses. Then add in and combine the cooked pumpkin.

Dump in all your dry ingredients and mix until combined. Cover and allow dough to chill in the fridge for at least an hour or even overnight. Trust me on this part. Chilled dough makes better flavored and textured cookies. Something magical happens upon chilling and all the flavors mingle together.

You have two options after your dough has chilled. For a puffier pumpkin sugar cookie, place some sugar in a bowl and roll a good sized tablespoon of dough (use an ice cream scoop to easily create uniformed cookies, this one cleans the scoop for you, making the process faster and a ted bit less messy) into a ball and then roll it around in the sugar until it's fully coated. Place 2 inches apart on an cookie sheet and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, just until cookie has set. Allow cookies to cool for 5 minutes before removing from sheet.

For a flatter, but still perfectly soft pumpkin sugar cookie, take a heaping tablespoon of dough and plop it on your cookie sheet. With your fingers, flatten it out into the desired size of your cookie. The cookie will only slightly spread out and up about a 1/4 of an inch thick. Sprinkle a light dusting of sugar on top of each cookie.Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, just until cookie has set. Allow cookies to cool for 5 minutes before removing from sheet.

Old-Fashioned Pumpkin Sugar Cookies Recipe (4)

Other delicious Pumpkin Recipes:

  • 8 Ways to Preserve Pumpkin
  • How to Make a Pumpkin Roll From Scratch
  • Pumpkin Applesauce Cake
  • Pumpkin Applesauce Muffins Recipe with Maple Glaze
  • No Bake Pumpkin Cream Pie

Old-Fashioned Pumpkin Sugar Cookies

MelissaKNorris

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Servings 28

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup melted butter
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon molasses
  • 1 cup cooked pumpkin
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Instructions

  • Melt the butter and the add the coconut oil to the melted butter. The heat from the melted butter will soften up the coconut oil. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the melted butter, coconut oil, brown and white sugar, and molasses. Then add in and combine the cooked pumpkin.

  • Dump in all your dry ingredients and mix until combined. Cover and allow dough to chill in the fridge for at least an hour or even overnight. Trust me on this part. Chilled dough makes better flavored and textured cookies. Something magical happens upon chilling and all the flavors mingle together.

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

  • You have two options after your dough has chilled. For a puffier pumpkin sugar cookie, place some sugar in a bowl and roll a good sized Tablespoon of dough into a ball and then roll it around in the sugar until it's fully coated. Place 2 inches apart on an cookie sheet and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, just until cookie has set. Allow cookies to cool for 5 minutes before removing from sheet.

  • For a flatter, but still perfectly soft pumpkin sugar cookie, take a heaping tablespoon of dough and plop it on your cookie sheet. With your fingers, flatten it out into the desired size of your cookie. The cookie will only slightly spread out and up about a 1/4 of an inch thick. Sprinkle a light dusting of sugar on top of each cookie. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, just until cookie has set. Allow cookies to cool for 5 minutes before removing from sheet.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Old-Fashioned Pumpkin Sugar Cookies Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why are my pumpkin cookies sticky after baking? ›

Pumpkin cookies can be sticky after baking due to the pumpkin puree's high moisture content. If pumpkin puree isn't drained slightly before mixing into the batter, the pumpkin puree can lead to more of a cakey texture than a cookie texture.

How to make Betty Crocker sugar cookies taste better? ›

Easy Add-In: After creating the dough according to the sugar cookie mix instructions, Add 2 tablespoons of sour cream to create a tangier, cakier and all-around more flavorful cookie. Flavor Twist: For a punchier twist, swap the water in the sugar cookie mix instructions for rum, bourbon or coffee liqueur.

How to jazz up sugar cookies? ›

Take plain sugar cookies up a notch with exciting mix-ins like chocolate chips, rainbow sprinkles, toasted chopped nuts, chopped dried fruit or M&M's. Add these after blending your butter and egg into the sugar cookie mix.

Why did my pumpkin cookies turn green? ›

A post on O Chef discusses the chemical reaction that turned my cookies green: All plants contain chlorogenic acid, mostly in the stems and leaves, but sunflowers also have it in the seeds. A spokeswoman for Red River Commodities says that SunButter does indeed turn cookies and other baked products green as they cool.

Why are my pumpkin cookies mushy? ›

Often times adding pumpkin to cookie recipes will make them soft and cakey due to the added moisture that it carries. This recipe is designed to make CHEWY cookies by eliminating the moisture in the butter and using a single egg yolk instead of the whole egg.

How to make box cookie mix better? ›

Dig around in your pantry or explore the baking aisle and pick out different flavor add-ins that can change up your cookie mix. You could use peppermint, lemon, or almond extract instead of vanilla, dump in plenty of rainbow sprinkles, or even mix in chopped nuts or dried fruit!

What happens if you add too much sugar to sugar cookies? ›

Sugar sweetens the cookies and makes them an enticing golden brown. Adding too little sugar can affect the taste and texture of cookies. Adding too much can cause them to be brittle.

Why do my sugar cookies taste weird? ›

The ingredients you used could be the culprit – using different sugars, melted butter, baking powder or baking soda can alter a cookie's texture and taste.

How do you make store bought sugar cookie dough not spread? ›

To make sugar cookies keep their shape, follow these tips:
  1. Chill the dough: After mixing the cookie dough, chill it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before rolling it out. ...
  2. Use the right temperature: Make sure the dough is at the right temperature when rolling it out. ...
  3. Don't overw.
Aug 11, 2020

Why are my Betty Crocker sugar cookies hard? ›

You also might want to make sure your oven temp is accurate. Be gentle. If you handle the dough too much when making cutout sugar cookies, they'll get tough.

Can you over mix sugar cookies? ›

Over-working the dough yields a tough cookie, which is not at all what you want. The very best sugar cookies are soft and tender. → Follow this tip: One of the keys to great sugar cookies is mixing the dry ingredients only until they're just incorporated, and not a second longer.

Can you roll out store bought sugar cookie dough? ›

Just roll the dough into one inch balls and then coat them in equal parts cinnamon and sugar. Then I press them gently with a glass before baking them according to the directions on the package. That's it!

Why are my cookies sticky after baking? ›

Sugars are hygroscopic, meaning they attract water. Within baked goods, sugars help maintain a moist and tender crumb. Sugar on the exposed tops, however, will grab water from humid air, creating a wet or sticky top.

How do you fix sticky cookies? ›

When cookie dough is too sticky, you may have an imbalance of wet and dry ingredients. You can fix this by adding a teaspoon of flour or cornstarch at a time until your dough is just how you want. The added flour or cornstarch will absorb the excess liquid and reduce the dough's overall stickiness.

What to do if cookie dough is too wet and sticky? ›

Yes, cornstarch can help absorb excess moisture in the dough and make it less sticky. Sprinkle a small amount of cornstarch on your hands or work surface before handling the dough. Alternatively, add a tablespoon or two of cornstarch to the dough while mixing.

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