Introduction
Hey there, baking buddies! Fall is officially here, and you know what that means? It’s pumpkin time! There’s nothing quite like the cozy aroma of spices filling your kitchen on a crisp autumn day. While pumpkin pie is a classic, sometimes you just need a quick, delicious cookie fix. And let me tell you, these Chewy Maple Pumpkin Cookies are it. They’re soft, perfectly spiced, and have that amazing chewiness we all crave. Plus, they’re surprisingly easy to whip up, making them perfect for a spontaneous baking session or when you need a crowd-pleasing treat in a flash. Get ready to fall in love!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Fast: Quick to mix up, and baking doesn’t take long!
- Easy: No complicated steps here – perfect for beginners or busy bakers.
- Giftable: These make the most wonderful homemade gift for friends and family during the fall season.
- Crowd-pleasing: Who can resist a soft, chewy, perfectly spiced pumpkin cookie?
Ingredients
Gather ’round! Here’s what you’ll need to make these little drops of fall heaven:
- 1¾ cups (270g) all-purpose flour: Your basic cookie building block. Weighing is best for accuracy!
- 2 tsp pumpkin or chai spice blend: This is where the magic happens! Use your favorite blend.
- ½ tsp baking soda: Helps with that perfect lift and spread.
- ½ tsp salt: Don’t skip this! It balances the sweetness.
- 1 cup (226g) European style unsalted butter, browned and cool but still liquid: Browning the butter adds an incredible nutty depth of flavor. Just melt it, let it bubble and brown, then cool it slightly.
- 1 cup (200g) light brown sugar: Packed please! This contributes to the chewiness.
- ⅓ cup (79ml) pure maple syrup: Use the good stuff! It adds moisture and that lovely maple note.
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature: Just the yolk! It adds richness and chewiness without making the cookie too cakey.
- ½ cup (125g) canned pumpkin, blotted: Make sure it’s 100% pumpkin puree, not pie filling! Blotting helps remove excess moisture.
- 2 tsp (10ml) vanilla extract: Classic cookie flavor enhancer.
- ½ tsp (2.5ml) maple extract (optional): Amp up that maple flavor if you really love it!
For the Spiced Sugar Coating:
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar: For rolling! Gives them a lovely sparkle and crisp edge.
- ½ tsp pumpkin or chai spice blend: Mix this into the sugar for extra spice on the outside!
How to Make It
Alright, let’s bake some cookies! Follow these simple steps:
- First, get your dry ingredients ready. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, pumpkin or chai spice blend, baking soda, and salt. Set this aside.
- In a large bowl, or the bowl of your stand mixer, cream together the cooled browned butter and light brown sugar until well combined and fluffy.
- Beat in the pure maple syrup until fully incorporated.
- Add the room temperature egg yolk, blotted canned pumpkin, vanilla extract, and optional maple extract. Beat until everything is just combined. Don’t overmix here!
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed or stirring by hand until just combined. Be careful not to overmix the dough once the flour is added. You should have a soft dough.
- Cover the dough and chill it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes (or up to 2 days). This step is key for chewy cookies and easier handling!
- While the dough chills, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a small shallow dish, mix together the granulated sugar and the ½ tsp pumpkin or chai spice blend for the coating.
- Scoop rounded tablespoons of dough and roll them into balls.
- Roll each dough ball generously in the spiced sugar mixture, ensuring they are well coated.
- Place the coated dough balls about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for 8-12 minutes, or until the edges are set and lightly golden but the centers still look slightly soft. For chewy cookies, you want to just underbake them slightly.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5-10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Try not to eat them all in one go!
Substitutions & Additions
Want to mix things up? Here are a few ideas:
- Swap the Spice: If you only have cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves, you can make your own blend! A typical pumpkin pie spice is about 2 tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp ginger, ½ tsp nutmeg, ¼ tsp cloves.
- Add Chocolate: White chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips would be absolutely divine in these cookies! Fold in about ¾ cup with the dry ingredients.
- Nutty Crunch: Add some chopped pecans or walnuts for extra texture and flavor. About ½ cup folded in.
- Maple Glaze: Instead of or in addition to the sugar coating, you could whisk together powdered sugar and a little maple syrup for a simple glaze once the cookies are cool.
Tips for Success
Here are a few pro tips to make sure your cookies turn out perfect every time:
- Browned Butter is Gold: Don’t rush browning the butter! Watch it closely after it melts; it will go from foamy to nutty-smelling quickly. Let the milk solids on the bottom turn golden brown.
- Blot That Pumpkin: Canned pumpkin can hold a lot of moisture. Spoon it onto a few layers of paper towels and gently blot the top to remove excess water. This helps prevent cakey cookies.
- Room Temp Egg Yolk: A room temperature egg yolk incorporates more smoothly into the dough. If you forget, you can warm it up quickly by placing the egg (in its shell) in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes.
- Don’t Skip the Chill: Chilling the dough helps the flavors meld, makes the dough easier to handle and roll in sugar, and helps prevent the cookies from spreading too much in the oven, resulting in a chewier texture.
- Watch the Baking Time: Ovens vary! Start checking around 8 minutes. You want the edges set and maybe slightly golden, but the center should still look a bit soft. They’ll continue to set as they cool.
How to Store It
These cookies are best enjoyed fresh, but they store beautifully!
- Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-4 days.
- You can also freeze baked cookies! Place them in a single layer on a baking sheet to freeze, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature.
- Dough can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, or frozen for up to 2 months. If freezing dough balls, roll them in sugar after they thaw slightly but before baking.
FAQs
Got questions? I’ve got answers!
Why brown the butter?
Browning butter adds an incredible nutty, caramel-like depth of flavor that elevates the cookies beyond just butter flavor. It’s worth the extra step!
Can I use pumpkin pie filling instead of canned pumpkin?
No! Canned pumpkin pie filling has added sugar and spices and a different consistency than 100% canned pumpkin puree. Using it will mess up the recipe.
Why just an egg yolk?
The egg yolk adds richness and fat, contributing to a tender, chewy texture, while leaving out the white helps prevent the cookie from becoming too light and cakey.
Do I have to chill the dough?
While you can bake them without chilling, chilling makes the dough much easier to work with, helps the flavors develop, and results in a better texture and less spread. I highly recommend it for the best chewy cookie!
Chewy Maple Pumpkin Cookies
These Chewy Maple Pumpkin Cookies are soft, perfectly spiced, and have that amazing chewiness we all crave. Plus, they're surprisingly easy to whip up, making them perfect for a spontaneous baking session or when you need a crowd-pleasing treat in a flash.
Equipment
- Medium bowl
- Large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer
- Stand Mixer optional, can stir by hand
- Refrigerator
- Oven
- Baking sheets
- Parchment paper
- Small shallow dish
- Scoop rounded tablespoons
- Wire rack
Ingredients
Main Cookie Ingredients
- 1.75 cup all-purpose flour (270g)
- 2 tsp pumpkin or chai spice blend
- 0.5 tsp baking soda
- 0.5 tsp salt
- 1 cup European style unsalted butter browned and cool but still liquid (226g)
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed (200g)
- 0.33 cup pure maple syrup (79ml)
- 1 large egg yolk room temperature
- 0.5 cup canned pumpkin blotted (125g), 100% pumpkin puree, not pie filling
- 2 tsp vanilla extract (10ml)
- 0.5 tsp maple extract (2.5ml) (optional)
Spiced Sugar Coating
- 0.5 cup granulated sugar (100g)
- 0.5 tsp pumpkin or chai spice blend
Instructions
- First, get your dry ingredients ready. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, pumpkin or chai spice blend, baking soda, and salt. Set this aside.
- In a large bowl, or the bowl of your stand mixer, cream together the cooled browned butter and light brown sugar until well combined and fluffy.
- Beat in the pure maple syrup until fully incorporated.
- Add the room temperature egg yolk, blotted canned pumpkin, vanilla extract, and optional maple extract. Beat until everything is just combined. Don't overmix here!
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed or stirring by hand until just combined. Be careful not to overmix the dough once the flour is added. You should have a soft dough.
- Cover the dough and chill it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes (or up to 2 days). This step is key for chewy cookies and easier handling!
- While the dough chills, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a small shallow dish, mix together the granulated sugar and the ½ tsp pumpkin or chai spice blend for the coating.
- Scoop rounded tablespoons of dough and roll them into balls.
- Roll each dough ball generously in the spiced sugar mixture, ensuring they are well coated.
- Place the coated dough balls about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for 8-12 minutes, or until the edges are set and lightly golden but the centers still look slightly soft. For chewy cookies, you want to just underbake them slightly.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5-10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Try not to eat them all in one go!
Notes
- **Substitutions & Additions:**
- **Swap the Spice:** Make your own blend with 2 tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp ginger, ½ tsp nutmeg, ¼ tsp cloves.
- **Add Chocolate:** Fold in about ¾ cup white or dark chocolate chips.
- **Nutty Crunch:** Add about ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts.
- **Maple Glaze:** Whisk powdered sugar and a little maple syrup for a glaze.
- **Tips for Success:**
- **Browned Butter is Gold:** Watch butter closely as it browns; milk solids turn golden brown.
- **Blot That Pumpkin:** Spoon pumpkin onto paper towels and blot to remove excess water.
- **Room Temp Egg Yolk:** Warms up quickly in a bowl of warm water.
- **Don't Skip the Chill:** Improves flavor, handling, texture, and prevents spreading.
- **Watch the Baking Time:** Check around 8 minutes; centers should still look soft.
- **Storage:**
- Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-4 days.
- Freeze baked cookies in a single layer then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature.
- Store dough in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, or frozen for up to 2 months. Roll frozen dough in sugar after thawing slightly.
- **FAQs:**
- Browning butter adds nutty, caramel depth.
- Do not use pumpkin pie filling; it has added sugar/spices.
- Egg yolk adds richness and chewiness; leaving out the white prevents cakeyness.
- Chilling the dough is highly recommended for best results (easier handling, better texture, less spread, flavor development).
- **Swap the Spice:** Make your own blend with 2 tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp ginger, ½ tsp nutmeg, ¼ tsp cloves.
- **Add Chocolate:** Fold in about ¾ cup white or dark chocolate chips.
- **Nutty Crunch:** Add about ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts.
- **Maple Glaze:** Whisk powdered sugar and a little maple syrup for a glaze.
- **Tips for Success:**
- **Browned Butter is Gold:** Watch butter closely as it browns; milk solids turn golden brown.
- **Blot That Pumpkin:** Spoon pumpkin onto paper towels and blot to remove excess water.
- **Room Temp Egg Yolk:** Warms up quickly in a bowl of warm water.
- **Don't Skip the Chill:** Improves flavor, handling, texture, and prevents spreading.
- **Watch the Baking Time:** Check around 8 minutes; centers should still look soft.
- **Storage:**
- Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-4 days.
- Freeze baked cookies in a single layer then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature.
- Store dough in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, or frozen for up to 2 months. Roll frozen dough in sugar after thawing slightly.
- **FAQs:**
- Browning butter adds nutty, caramel depth.
- Do not use pumpkin pie filling; it has added sugar/spices.
- Egg yolk adds richness and chewiness; leaving out the white prevents cakeyness.
- Chilling the dough is highly recommended for best results (easier handling, better texture, less spread, flavor development).