Pumpkin Cookies with White Chocolate Drizzle
It’s PSE season, meaning Pumpkin Spice Everything! And of course, everything includes cookies! In this blog post I will show you how to make pumpkin spice cookies with or without a white chocolate drizzle. This is the sweet, delicious and warm dessert that you need in your recipe rotation this fall.
First, let’s talk pumpkins. Pumpkins are a type of winter squash, botanically classified as a fruit, as it’s filled with seeds and pulp. We usually treat squash more as a savory food, but the flesh of a pumpkin pairs well with various types of sweeteners, including honey, molasses, brown sugar, and white sugar. In addition to pumpkin’s compatibility with sweeteners, they mix well with warm spices, including cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger and more. In my opinion, this is what makes pumpkins so popular during the fall season. With all the different ways that pumpkin can be prepared, it is as versatile as any food can be.
So what about the process? These cookies are super simple to make. The most important baking tip for stress-free baking is “mise en place.” This is the French phrase that basically means to get completely organized before baking. Start with a clean work space. Read the recipe in its entirety, gather all of your equipment and ingredients, and then measure everything out (you don’t need separate tiny bowls for everything—check the recipe instructions to see when each ingredient is added and group them in bowls or liquid measuring cups accordingly). Honestly, when I first heard about mise en place, I avoided it because it seemed like extra work that would make my baking process even longer. Oh no, that is far from the truth! Organization is a saving grace in the kitchen. Do yourself a favor and get organized first before trying a new recipe. It’s smooth sailing for this recipe once you get all of your ingredients measured. Just dump them into the mixer in the correct order and that’s it!
These cookies are light, fluffy, and delicious! They have more of a soft cake-like consistency and puff up rather than spread out during the cooking process. I usually prefer a less cakey cookie, but trust me, these are addictive! The pumpkin flavor is not overwhelming. The cookie is just sweet enough to handle a little white chocolate drizzle. Of course, this is optional and the cookies are amazing either way. However, the drizzle does make them a truly special fall treat. I hope that you have enjoyed this blog and you have an opportunity to try this recipe!
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 ¾ teaspoons teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup/220 grams packed light or dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg and 1 egg yolk at room temperature
- 1 cup pumpkin purée
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup white chocolate chips
Directions
- Preheat oven to 325 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
- Sift flour, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl.
- In a stand mixer bowl, cream together room temperature butter and both the brown sugar and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla extract. Mix until well combined and add the pumpkin puree.
- Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until combined.
- Using an ice cream scoop, place the cookie dough on the parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely.
- Microwave white chocolate chips in 30 second intervals until the chocolate is melted. Pour into a piping bag to drizzle in straight lines, or for a more rustic look, use a spoon to drizzle the white chocolate over the cookies.