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Pumpkin Cookies

Pumpkin Cookies

Have you ever gotten a tummy ache from eating too many cookies? I did with these pumpkin cookies from our guest author Garrett McCord of Vanilla Garlic. Too good. ~Elise

“What the heck?” cried out my roommate looking at the dinner table now covered in produce.

“What?”

“Just how many squashes did you buy!?”

“Only, like, seven. Enough to last us for most of Fall,” I replied. And really, is seven of them too many? I think not.

Once Autumn rolls around my kitchen becomes overloaded with butternuts, kabochas, ambercups, and turban squashes. Indeed I actually have extra baskets laid out on the dining table overflowing with knobby, colorful gourds ready to be cooked. Roasted, pureed, curried, it’s all good due to their playful versatility. Still, using them in baking is my preference; their rich flavors are tailor made for sweets.

Now the commonplace pumpkin cookie is often too bready for me and usually covered in some too sweet glaze of sorts. It’s a cookie that I generally shy away from. This one however is a bit different thanks to a nice dose of oatmeal to keep it very soft and chewy. Furthermore, the use of cardamom, currants, and pumpkin seeds give it a curiously different and delightful taste from other pumpkin cookies. It's a combination that's a great way to use up any pureed squash and turn out a treat that everyone will love.

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Pumpkin Cookies Recipe

These cookies are soft and moist. Be sure to let them cool completely and to store them in single layers separated by wax paper, or they will stick together in one large cookie mound.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/3 cups quick or old-fashioned oats
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup of pumpkin seeds
  • 1 cup dried currants

Method

1 Preheat the oven to 350° F.

2 Beat the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

3 Add the egg, vanilla, and pumpkin puree and beat for another 3 minutes.

4 In a separate bowl combine the flour, oats, baking soda, salt, cardamom and cinnamon and whisk together. Slowly add it to the butter mixture until just combined, being sure to scrape down the sides and bottom once or twice to ensure even mixing.

5 Fold in the pumpkin seeds and currants. Drop spoonfuls of dough on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake for 13-15 minutes. Allow to cool on the tray for a minute or two to set, then move to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Makes 4 dozen cookies.

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32 Comments

Instead of currants can I substitue another dried fruit?

Yes, feel free. ~Garrett

Posted by: Christine on October 7, 2008 1:34 AM

Looks like a great fall recipe! Are the pumpkin seeds raw (straight from the pumpkin), or have they been toasted or salted?

Use raw, and by raw I mean unsalted, untoasted, and not in the shell. Baking these with the seeds still in their flat and pale shells would make for a very unplesant cookie. Now, obviously, shelling a bunch of pumpkin seeds straight from the pumpkin by hand would be crazy. A lot of stores carry them now (they are often called pepitas), but feel free to substitute sunflower seeds if need be. ~Garrett

Posted by: Charlotte on October 7, 2008 5:37 AM

These cookies--well something close to them--are my absolute favorite cookies that my mother makes. Every Christmas, I request them, and she says "Those UGLY cookies? Why not something more 'festive'?" But she makes them anyway. I'd rather have these than cut outs or those things that get rolled in powdered sugar. She uses raisins and some nuts in hers. Yours look fabulous, too.

*calls her mother to request a care package*

I always love when you post here, Garrett.

Posted by: Angela on October 7, 2008 5:50 AM

Are the pumpkins seeds crunchy or soft in the cookie? Do you need to do something like boil or roast them first?

Sort of crunchy; just regular raw and out of the shell pumpkin seeds. So no, do not boil or roast them. ~Garrett

Posted by: Denise on October 7, 2008 7:33 AM

These sound so yummy! I'm thinking of using dried cranberries for a tangy punch and fall flavor!

Posted by: Vicki on October 7, 2008 11:28 AM

How well do these freeze (batter and cookies)? The orange poppy seed batter froze very well! Thanks :)

Probably just as well as any other cookie. I rarely ever freeze my cookie dough and haven't done so with these. I don't think it should be a problem. Try it out and get back to us with your results! =) ~Garrett

Posted by: Christine B on October 7, 2008 11:44 AM

I love pumpkin! Do you think these would turn out just as well with chocolate chips rather than currants/pumpkin seeds for a chocolate fix?

I am sure chocolate chips would be great! ~Garrett

Posted by: maris on October 7, 2008 2:12 PM

They sound wonderful but I am going to try with dates, just because I love dates so much. I know that Whole Foods sells the pumpkin seed in their bulk section. Just bought a bunch for homemade granola!

Posted by: Mpls lisa on October 8, 2008 10:02 AM

Oh goodness... I'm so glad this recipe was posted! One of my gymnasts (I'm her coach) made pumpkin cookies with her mom and sister and brought them to the gym two weeks ago. I emailed her mom for the recipe (I don't even like pumpkin!) because they were SO delicious! Anyways, I haven't heard back from her yet so I'm glad I have a recipe I can trust from you both! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Posted by: Laura on October 8, 2008 12:30 PM

Garrett, I can't wait to make these -- they sound amazing, and I love the idea of using roasted squash puree. But I'm a bit worried about variation in its consistency. Do I need to be careful about how watery the squash/pumpkin puree is? Should I be aiming for the consistency of canned pumpkin? Thanks!

Well, I gather that puree is puree for the most part. Even canned will usually have some water and moisture. If it's a soup somehow, then yes, it's too watery, if it's super stiff and hard to stir, then it's too dry. But yes, aim for canned pumpkin consistency. ~Garrett

Posted by: Doug on October 8, 2008 12:45 PM

I have put this site on my Google as a home page, I cannot believe the receipes I have printed and tried for the last 2 weeks. All delicious... Just had to let you know... this is a first posting for me and hope to make many more, if the receipes are as good so far, you will be hearing from me I am sure... the pumpkin receipe sounds fantastic and will be trying next. Thanks so much for a wonderful site, and keep up the great receipes.!!! Sandy

Posted by: Sandy on October 9, 2008 8:09 PM

Made these yesterday with the leftover pumpkin from RR's pumpkin pasta recipe.

Oh, these are good. I used chocolate chips and cinnamon chips and will try them with the pumpkin seeds the next time I get to the store. I hid the uneaten ones in the freezer till our birthday party "season" starts!

Thanks for sharing!

Posted by: Christina on October 10, 2008 11:07 AM

These are amazing. I made them with chocolate chips (for the boyfriend believe it or not) and walnuts. The result is like my favorite cookie/dessert all rolled into one. I didn't use cardamom because it is expensive and used cinnamon and some dashes of ginger, clove, and nutmeg--basically pumpkin pie spices. I may get the cardamom now that I know I LOVE these cookies.

Posted by: Katie on October 11, 2008 7:48 PM

I made these cookies this afternoon. I substituted pecans for the pumkin seeds. The cookies are yummy. I am on my way to a stomach ache too--it's hard to resist them!

Posted by: julie on October 13, 2008 12:58 PM

How do I make the pumpkin puree? Is it just the scooped out insides of a pumpkin and a little water added to a blender? I'd rather not buy it pre-made, since fresh is so much better.

Cut a kobacha in half, take out the seeds and cut off the stem, place in a roasting pan with a few tablespoons of water, cut side down and roast at 350F until tender. Then scoop out and discard skin. Puree. ~Garrett

Posted by: Lynn on October 16, 2008 3:50 PM

I just made these cookies last night and they are Delicious! I might go a little lighter on the pumpkin seeds (3/4 c?). I've never used currants before, they were a nice touch, I like another person's idea for cranberries, might add nice tanginess. But most of all, the oatmeal and the pumpkin seeds together add a fantastic texture and chewiness! Thank You!

Posted by: Annice on November 1, 2008 9:15 AM

Wow, these are super good!

I didn't follow the recipe exactly though. I didn't have any pumpkin seeds (does anyone keep those on hand?) and I have no idea what dried currants are. So instead I added sliced almonds and semi-sweet chocolate chips. They are yummy!

Posted by: Catherine on November 16, 2008 4:27 PM

This recipe was fantastic! I played around with it a bit. I used 1 tablespoon cinnamon instead on 1 teaspoon, I added an extra teaspoon of vanilla, didn't have any brown sugar, but I did have sucanant so I used that since they're similar, then tossed in some raisins.
I altered it a bit more to make it vegan friendly by eliminating the egg and using Ener-G egg replacer and instead of butter I used Earth Balance. They turned out marvelous. Thanks for the recipe!!

Posted by: Dana on November 27, 2008 12:17 PM

You were right, Elise, these yummy things did give me a tummy ache after I ate too many of them! I did a google search and found that eating too much of nuts and high fat seeds can sometimes do that. So next time I'll lower the amount of the pumpkin seeds. Also I used no white sugar just brown sugar and it came out just perfectly sweet. The smell of pumpkin, butter, brown sugar and cardammom kept the kitchen smelling so good. Love this recipe. Thanks Garrett.

Posted by: S Roy on December 15, 2008 8:41 AM

I just made these, and I know why everyone wants to eat more.
I didn't have cardamom, so I added allspice, nutmeg & ginger. Since I didn't have pumpkin seeds nor currants, I added chocolate chunks to half of the recipe.
Both are wonderful. I just have to make sure we don't eat them all till tonight's party. Thanks for the great recipe!

Posted by: Chloe on December 27, 2008 6:37 PM

Ok, I'm totally late on leaving this comment, because I made these for thanksgiving, but I just have to leave a comment on how delicious these were! My grandmother and I had to make 2 batches because we practically ate the whole first batch before anybody else got any, plus we wanted more still! These have become my favorite homemade cookie, by far. The only thing I changed, was that I used walnut instead of pumpkin seeds, because I couldn't find pumpkin seeds without the shells. These are so chewy and moist, anyone who is debating on trying this you absolutely have to!

Posted by: Chanel on March 16, 2009 12:33 PM

da best. Keep it going! Thank you

Posted by: AndrewBoldman on June 4, 2009 8:51 AM

I made these cookies last year when the recipe was first posted. I never make cookies! Turns out I don't like cardamom very much, as I found it overpowering. But I have thought of them often and am making them again this year. Like last year, I am substituting cranberries for currants, and I'll be leaving out the cardamom. Thanks for a memorable cookie that brings a non-baker back for more.

Posted by: Jennifer W. on October 25, 2009 6:48 AM

I made these cookies for the first time tonight. I was looking for something good and semi-healthy...so I made it with less sugar and instead of the currants and pumpkin seeds, I used sliced almonds. So yummy! I was worried at first they wouldn't work, and looking at the first batch as I took it out of the oven I thought that I might have added too much flour. But the first bite was amazing!! I am now sitting with the second batch outta the oven a couple cookies in front of me with a tall glass of milk.
Thank you for such a wonderful recipe! I'm letting my kiddo frost a couple for a party tomorrow...we'll see what the neighbors think!!!

Posted by: Cassie on October 30, 2009 10:54 PM

Just tried these as well for the first time...wonderful!!! Going to be a great addition to our Thanksgiving dessert menu. Thanks for the recipe!

One suggestions for anyone baking with a convection oven...take 2 minutes off the baking time (so approx. 11 minutes at 350) for the perfect cookie!

Posted by: Katie on November 25, 2009 1:31 PM

I made these for a fall party in November and again for my Christmas cookie platters... I'm a huge fan of anything pumpkin, and the spices in these cookies are unique and delicious! Definitely a winner.

Posted by: Kristin on December 20, 2009 11:58 AM

I made these with butternut squash instead of pumpkin... Outstanding! Now everybody's favourite cookie! A few mini dark chocolate chips made them even more decadent!

Posted by: Natalya on February 9, 2010 10:04 PM

ANOTHER great recipe... thank you!

Posted by: Erin on October 2, 2010 8:05 AM

A little too sweet for me, would use 1 cup of sugar instead of 2. Otherwise, really tasty cookies.

Posted by: Kärt on October 17, 2010 9:57 AM

I had a scant cup of pumpkin puree that I didn't know what to do with and decided to try my hand at these. So glad I did. SuperultraFABtastic! Thank you, Garrett! These are going to be regulars in my autumn cookie rotation :)

Posted by: Gloriana Fernandez on November 11, 2010 7:32 AM

I made these for my mt biking buds, brought the rest to Thanksgiving dinner. Everyone thought they were awesome and commented on what a great variation of a good thing they were. MM-mm good.

Posted by: Rob in Washington on November 26, 2010 3:27 PM

I was looking for a pumpkin chocolate chip cookie recipe and there were many online, but then I saw this, and since I liked your pumpkin bread recipe so much, I decided to use this recipe as my base and just substitute chocolate chips for the currants/seeds. They turned out perfect! I cut the sugar in half -- I just did 1 cup of brown sugar and didn't do any white sugar -- because I actually don't have a big sweet tooth and I'm trying to keep my sugar intake to a minimum (but I was craving chocolate chip cookies, of course!). The cookies turned out light and springy, almost cakey and the pumpkin and spices lent great flavor. Didn't miss the sugar, and although I love love love chocolate chips, the cookies would have been pretty tasty on their own or with the add-ins listed in the original recipe.

Posted by: Monica on September 11, 2011 4:20 PM

I apologize for the inconvenience, comments are closed. ~Elise

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