Chewy Pumpkin Molasses Cookies
These Soft and chewy pumpkin molasses cookies make for the perfect fall cookie. They are simple to make, chewy and deliciously soft molasses cookies with a touch of pumpkin pie spice. These Pumpkin Spice Cookies with Maple frosting are the perfect blend of flavours. This is a wonderful make-ahead recipe because the cookies stay seriously soft for days (if they last that long!). They are egg free and can easily be made vegan. I also used a great gluten free all purpose flour in them making them a great gluten free cookie too if you want them to be.
Nothing says fall like a chewy, spicy molasses cookies. Ginger molasses cookies are some of my favourite cookies around. The scream fall maybe as much as pumpkin spice lattes and pumpkin pie. I thought I would combine the flavours of ginger molasses cookies with pumpkin and these are my new favourite chewy cookie. I found that adding the pumpkin where an egg might have been, gave me a cookie that was crisp on the exterior and chewy on the interior. I also switched up the spices a bit to lean more towards pumpkin pie spice than a traditional ginger cookie. But don’t worry, there is plenty of ginger in there and you can definitely increase the amount if you prefer. The pumpkin and molasses combine with warm spices for the perfect soft and chewy texture in this pumpkin cookie recipe
Pumpkin Molasses Cookie Ingredients:
- Butter: make sure it’s room temperature and softened so it mixes well. I used unsalted. You can easily replace it with a vegan butter to make these cookies vegan.
- Sugar: I used granulated sugar for the batter but feel free to swap it for brown sugar if you prefer. For rolling the dough in I would stick to granulated sugar
- Molasses: Molasses creates a moist consistency in baked goods. I like to use dark molasses also sold as “robust” molasses, but any molasses will work
- Pumpkin puree: pure pumpkin purée is what I use either homemade or canned. Just be sure that its pure pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling. The pumpkin helps keep these cookies wonderfully moist, even days after baking.
- Vanilla extract: this always adds just the right kind of background flavour to most if not all baked goods - I always use pure vanilla extract.
- Spices: pumpkin baked goods share the same blend of flavours - I love to use pumpkin pie spice + cinnamon + some ground ginger. Instead of prepared pumpkin pie spice, you can use ½ teaspoon each: ground nutmeg, ground cloves, ground allspice, and ground ginger.
- Flour: plain all purpose flour is great here but I made this cake gluten free by simply using Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-1 all purpose flour in its place. I love it and it’s my staple go to for converting simple baked goods into gluten free ones. This gluten free all-purpose flour blend/mix is perfectly formulated to create baked goods with terrific taste and texture—no additional specialty ingredients or custom recipes required, making it one of the best flours for gluten free baking. This flour is ideal for cookies, cakes, brownies, muffins and more! Bob’s has a whole variety of products for all sorts of dietary needs.
How to Make Chewy Pumpkin Molasses Cookies
- Whisk the dry ingredients together.
- Combine the wet ingredients together.
- Mix the wet and dry ingredients together in a large bowl
- Use a cookie scoop to scoop out dough. Roll cookie dough into balls. (No need to chill dough unless it’s too soft to handle - then feel free to chill the dough for 15-20 min)
- Generously roll each cookie dough ball in granulated sugar.
- Bake. The cookies will puff up as they bake then gently sink back down. This is what creates those familiar crinkles and crackles we love. If your cookies aren’t cracking, gently bang the cookie sheet on the counter 2-3x which will help those warm cookies spread and crack on top.
- Make the frosting/glaze while the cookies are cooling. Once cool drizzle it on, allow it to set then enjoy!
Check out these other Fall recipes:
- Classic Pumpkin Scones
- Snickerdoodle Cookies
- Creamy Pumpkin Pie Bars
- Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts
- Greek Style Apple Cinnamon Cake (Milopita)
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie
I have partnered up with Bob’s Red Mill to bring you this fabulous recipe, but all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting Olive & Mango.
Recipe
Servings: 18-24 cookies
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 9-11 mins
Ingredients
For the cookies
- ¾ cup butter, room temperature
- 1 cup sugar plus ⅓ cup more for rolling
- ¼ cup molasses
- ¼ cup pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger (plus more for extra flavour)
- 2¼ cups Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-1 all purpose flour
For the Maple Icing
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 cup sifted confectioners’/powdered sugar
- pinch salt, to taste
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Whisk together flour, spices, baking soda and salt in a small bowl.
- In a separate bowl add the butter and sugar and mix with a hand mixer (or paddle attachment if using stand mixer) on medium speed for 2 minutes until fluffy and light.
- Add in the molasses, pumpkin, vanilla. Mix on medium speed until combined and smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed
- Turn mixer to low and add in the flour mixture mixing until just combined.
- Portion out the dough using a medium (2- tablespoon) cookie scoop, and roll each into a ball.
- Roll each ball in remaining ⅓ cup of sugar
- Then place the balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheet 2- inches apart.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes or until edges are just barely browned–they may not seem like they are done, but grab them just before you think they are done.
- Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack with a spatula to cool completely.
- Make the icing: In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and maple syrup together, whisking occasionally. Once the butter has melted, remove from heat and whisk in the sifted confectioners’ sugar. Taste. Add a pinch of salt, if desired. Drizzle over cooled cookies. Allow to set then enjoy.
- Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week in an airtight container.
Recipe notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days. Baked cookies freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature, if desired, before serving. Unbaked cookie dough balls (before rolling in sugar) will freeze well for up to 3 months. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, pre-heat the oven, then roll in granulated sugar. Bake as directed
- They’ll seem soft when you remove them from the oven, but just let them cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet and then remove to a rack once you can handle them with a spatula. They firm right up. I love that cake-like consistency in the center. Sooooo delicious.
- If you would like some extra ginger in these cookies feel free to add up to ½-¾ teaspoons more
- Make them into cookie sandwiches with cream cheese frosting: 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened, 3½ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract. In a medium bowl with an electric mixer, combine cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar. Mix on low speed until the sugar is incorporated, increase speed to medium-high and mix for about one minute. Add in vanilla and continue mixing on low speed until vanilla in fully incorporated.To assemble the cookies, pipe or spread the filling on the bottom of one cookie. Top with another cookie and press together gently to create a sandwich cookie. Repeat with remaining cookies.
