Maple Walnut Pumpkin Cookies

These maple walnut pumpkin cookies are so fluffy and almost cake-like. Once you’ve tried these easy to make cookies, they will become a fall staple for years to come. They are great for entertaining, they make around 4 dozen cookies, are simple to make and are definitely a crowd pleaser.

By now, some of you may know that I’m not too much of a baker, I mostly enjoy cooking savory dishes and playing with different flavors in the kitchen. However, once fall hits, all I can do is think about warm, sweet smells escaping the oven with the windows open on a crisp fall day. Ah, I love it!

Another reason to make these are that my husband lovvvveeesss these cookies. Since the first day of fall, he has been asking me every day when I’d be making these and I finally decided to oblige. 🙂

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. Then you can start beating already softened butter with a mixer in a large mixing bowl until the butter is nice and fluffy. Next, add the sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and maple extract and beat again (for a stronger maple flavor add 2 teaspoons instead of one). Then add eggs, vanilla and beat once again (it should look like picture above).

Add in your can of pumpkin, beat again, and then slowly start adding in the flour while mixing. Your dough will still be wet and fluffy like the photo above. Add 1/4 cup of finely chopped walnuts and fold them in at this step.

Once you’ve mixed all your ingredients, start dropping the dough on the cookie sheet. I like smaller sized cookies to get more out of the batch but medium to small sizes will work. I like using two tablespoons, the first one I use to pick some dough out of the bowl and I use the second to scrape the dough onto the sheet until I get a blob of dough that looks like the photo above.

Bake the cookies for 12 minutes and once they are out of the oven, immediately transfer them to a wire rack. Be careful in the transfer, it will be the first time you notice how pillow like these cookies are. 🙂

Once cooled, you get to add icing (Cream Cheese). Now, I need to share a secret with you. Icing and I….do not get along. Whether it’s store bought or homemade, I can never seem to get the right consistency or amount that I want on whatever I’m trying to ice. So, a trick I came across a long time ago takes care of that problem for me. If store bought, I put half of the container into a microwave safe bowl and nuke it (in the microwave) for about 15 seconds and then take out and mix,mix,mix with a spoon. Once the icing is a glaze like consistency, I take a spoon and just drizzle the glaze over the cookie. It can be a bit messy but I am no longer worried that I’ve added too much icing-to-cookie ratio. If the icing is way too hot then add more icing from the container and mix, until you are at the desired consistency.

Enjoy! With or without icing, these cookies will be a hit as a gift or for any get-together. Happy Fall!

Maple Walnut Pumpkin Cookies

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• Author: Savor Paradise
• Total Time: 32 mins
• Yield: 4 Dozen 1x

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Description

When you taste these airy, fluffy cake-like pumpkin cookies you will make them a fall staple for years to come.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 Cups of butter
• 2 Cups of granulated sugar
• 2 Teaspoons of baking powder
• 2 Teaspoons of baking soda
• 1 Teaspoon of salt
• 1 Teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 1 Teaspoon of ground nutmeg
• 1 Teaspoon of maple extract
• 2 Eggs
• 2 Teaspoons of vanilla
• 1 15oz. can of pumpkin
• 4 Cups of flour
• 1/4 Cup finely chopped walnuts
• 1 Container of cream cheese frosting (optional)

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Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
2. In a large mixing bowl beat butter until fluffy using electric mixer
3. Add sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and maple extract, beat again
4. Add eggs, and vanilla. Beat.
5. Add pumpkin. Beat.
6. Slowly add flour in while beating with mixer, make sure to scrape sides
7. Fold in chopped walnuts
8. Drop dough using tablespoons, one to pick up dough and one to scrap onto baking sheet
9. Bake for 12 minutes
10. Transfer to wire rack and let cool
11. Add Cream Cheese Icing (transfer icing to microwave safe bowl and microwave for 15 seconds for a softer consistency)

• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 12 mins
• Category: Dessert
• Cuisine: American