Ina Garten Pumpkin Cookies Recipe
Ina Garten’s Pumpkin Cookies are tender, cake-like cookies made with pumpkin puree, warm spices, and a touch of sweetness. These cookies are often topped with a cream cheese glaze or frosting, adding a creamy and tangy contrast to the spiced cookie base.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 8
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- All-purpose flour: 2 cups.
- Baking powder: 1 teaspoon.
- Baking soda: 1/2 teaspoon.
- Salt: 1/2 teaspoon.
- Ground cinnamon: 1 teaspoon.
- Ground nutmeg: 1/2 teaspoon.
- Unsalted butter: 1/2 cup (1 stick), softened.
- Granulated sugar: 1 cup.
- Brown sugar: 1/2 cup, packed.
- Pumpkin puree: 1 cup.
- Eggs: 1 large.
- Vanilla extract: 1 teaspoon.
For the optional glaze:
- Cream cheese: 4 ounces, softened.
- Powdered sugar: 1 cup.
- Vanilla extract: 1/2 teaspoon.
- Milk: 1–2 tablespoons, to thin the glaze.
Instructions
Step 1: Preheat the oven
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Step 2: Mix the dry ingredients
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
Step 3: Cream the butter and sugars
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes.
Step 4: Add wet ingredients
- Beat in the pumpkin puree, egg, and vanilla extract until well combined.
Step 5: Combine wet and dry ingredients
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing just until combined. Do not overmix.
Step 6: Scoop and bake
- Use a cookie scoop or spoon to drop tablespoon-sized mounds of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 12–15 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden and the tops are set.
Step 7: Cool the cookies
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 8: Prepare the glaze (optional)
- In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and milk until smooth and spreadable. Drizzle or spread the glaze over the cooled cookies.