Pumpkin Sugar Cookies are absolutely amazing! Deliciously soft sugar cookies, full of pumpkin fall flavor! This easy pumpkin cookies recipe is bound to become a family favorite!
This is a pumpkin cookie recipe that you all have really enjoyed, so I thought I would add a video to it and update the photos. The post was written in September 2015 and the photos were just updated August 2017.
This week marked the five year anniversary of Elliot’s death.
What is so weird/tricky/frustrating/maddening about grief is that you don’t really know how or when it will strike. Four years ago, when we should have been celebrating Elliot’s first birthday, everyone was bracing for us to struggle through September 9th, the first anniversary of his death. But it was September 1st, when we should have been taking pictures of him shoving cake in his mouth, that really floored me.
And this year while I was really anticipating Elliot’s birthday to be rough, it was the anniversary of his death that was hard.
I have never really talked about his death publicly. Probably because we had to make the unbearable decision to take him off life support, and I know that that is controversial. We did so with a lot of counsel from his doctors. And when I say counsel, I mean I asked them what they would do if it was their own child and watched their eyes fill with tears at the mere thought. They made it very clear to us that our options were very limited, and were so kind in helping us come to a decision.
I will never forget watching Gavin say goodbye to Elliot . . . though he didn’t entirely understand what that meant.
I will never forget Elliot squeezing my finger and second guessing myself and having his nurses reassure me that this was common in patients with only lower brain functioning.
And I will never forget Nathan and I promising Elliot that we would never look at this life as a tragedy. So many people have asked me how I possibly made it through losing a child, and honestly the answer to that question is a work in progress. But what I come back to over and over and over is that moment when I was holding him and he was taking his last breaths and he was all unhooked from machines and I was promising him that I would not let his death be a black mark on my life.
Just before school started this fall, and I promise this relates, Quinn drew a picture of me with something giant. I asked her what it was and she said it was me . . . sad because I missed her because she was at school and with a giant sandwich.
She gets me. I’m an emotional eater. Lol!
So . . . . I made these cookies on the anniversary of Elliot’s death this year. The foundation of these cookies are these perfect sugar cookies that I made 7.2 million times while my mom was dying. They are my ultimate comfort food. Scratch that. The cookie dough for these cookies is my ultimate comfort food.
I had had a conversation with Cathy just a few days before making these pumpkin sugar cookies and she mentioned these cookies, and the ratio she used of pumpkin and eggs to make the perfect cookie. She was dead on! I used it to make the pumpkin sugar cookies and it resulted in what might be the best damn cookie I’ve ever eaten. I’m not kidding.
So I’m not going to say that these soft pumpkin cookies fixed the anniversary of Elliot’s death. But if I’m being 100% honest, they totally did make it a little easier.
WATCH ME MAKE THESE PUMPKIN SUGAR COOKIES
Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups sugar + more for rolling
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 14 TBSPS unsalted butter 1 3/4 stick at room temperature
- 2 tsps vanilla extract
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/2 cup 100% pure pumpkin puree
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
- With your mixer on medium, mix together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Mix in the egg yolk, then vanilla, then pumpkin until well combined.
- Slowly mix in the flour mixture until well combined, with your mixer set to low. Scrape down the paddle and the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and refrigerate the cookie dough for 20 minutes.
- Roll the dough into one inch sized balls. Roll in sugar. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet or silicon mat and press down slightly. Space the cookies about two inches apart.
- Bake for 15 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking. (I baked mine in three batches)
- Let cool on the pan for about two minutes before moving to a cooling rack to cool completely.
did you make this
Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
Other Great Pumpkin Recipes:
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Debra Ulrich says
Lisa- thank you for your recommendation of NOT adding the egg white.
Inquiring minds want to know why? There must be a scientific reason as I’m learning baking is a science! Thanks for helping me to understand.
Hi Debra! Pumpkin is a great substitute for eggs in recipes. It helps bind recipes together as well as helps them rise like eggs do. In this recipe we are keeping in the yolk because it adds to the rich flavor and texture of the cookies.
Malcolm W says
I’m so sorry for your loss. I made these cookies tonight while dealing with some grief of my own and they turned out perfectly. I can tell that you poured a lot of love into them. Thank you for sharing your story and this recipe.
I’m so sorry for your loss, Malcolm. And I’m so glad you enjoyed these.
lois swenson says
These are so delicious! Thank you, grandkids will love them.
I hope you love them too, Lois!
Nancy says
I would like to know if I could make these Pumpkin sugar cookies in advance. Like tomorrow for Thanksgiving. Would they still be fresh if I store them in an airtight container.
For sure! Just be sure to let them cool completely on a wire rack and then store them in an airtight container.
CWlaz says
Made these today, but didn’t turn out well at all.
I used silicone mat for the first two batches. The cookies’ texture was super mushy, even after adding 2 minutes bake time for the second batch. Used parchment for batch 3, and baked for 14 minutes. The resulting cookies’ t3 tire is better.
However, the flavor result from this recipe is very subdued.
Overall, I am disappointed with this recipe, and won’t use it again.
Stacey Kester says
After I picked myself up off the floor and dried my eyes, I went and hugged and kissed both my boys a million times, I made these. They were soft and perfect and I highly recommend them. I’m testing recipies and putting together some good recipes for the holidays this year and this will definitely be on my list. I’m so sorry about Elliott, and I promise you that every single time I make these I’ll remember your sweet baby boy.
Stacey, thank you so much for your sweet words. Its so clear that your boys are very lucky to have you.
Christine says
It was like eating a bland snickerdoodle. Won’t make them again.
I’m so sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy these, Christine. These continue to be a very favorite of mine.
Ruthann says
I made these pumpkin cookies and they were great Do u have anymore recipes using pumpkin?
I sure do! I hope you enjoy them: Pumpkin Recipes
Grace Brett says
Can you shape them? I want to make them into little pumpkins.
Sorry, these can’t be rolled and cut. For that I would suggest my Soft Cut Sugar Cookies. You could toss in some of my Pumpkin Spice.
Skyler says
I made these in hopes they would get me in the spirit for fall they did the trick ,very easy but quite messy the dough was softer than expected but was still manageable -sorry for you loss