Pumpkin Peanut Butter Cookies

These pumpkin peanut butter cookies are made with creamy peanut butter, warm spices, and pumpkin puree. They’re soft, chewy, peanut buttery and irresistibly delicious! 

These peanut butter pumpkin cookies are made with creamy homemade peanut butter, warm spices, and pumpkin puree. They’re soft, chewy, peanut buttery and irresistibly delicious! 

If you’re looking for more pumpkin recipes, try my pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, pumpkin bread with cream cheese frosting, or pumpkin olive oil cake.

WHY YOU WILL LOVE THIS RECIPE

• These peanut butter and pumpkin cookies are made with a whole cup of peanut butter!
• They are flavored with cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice.
• The addition of pumpkin makes them a fun alternative to simple peanut butter cookies.
• They have a nice soft, tender texture.
• You probably already have everything you need to make these!
• These pumpkin and peanut butter cookies can be mixed up in minutes. They do not need to chill. They only need about ten minutes to bake.

INGREDIENT NOTES

Here are useful notes on some of the ingredients for this peanut butter pumpkin cookie recipe.

• Unsalted Butter: Use room temperature unsalted butter.
• Flour: Use all purpose flour.
• Cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice: Cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice add warm flavor to the cookies.
• Peanut Butter: I suggest baking with creamy peanut such as Jif or Skippy. I wouldn’t recommend baking with natural peanut butter or crunchy peanut butter.
• Pumpkin puree- Use canned pure pumpkin puree. Be careful not to confuse pureed pumpkin with pumpkin pie filling.
• Brown Sugar: Use light or dark brown sugar. Brown sugar helps make the cookies chewy. It also adds a warm molasses flavor.
• An egg: Use one large room temperature egg.
• Vanilla Extract: For flavor.
• Extra Granulated Sugar: For coating.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS

Step One: Combine dry ingredients. In a medium sized bowl, whisk to combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and salt. 

Step Two: Mix the butter, peanut butter and sugar. In a large bowl, beat the butter, peanut butter and sugars on medium speed until combined.

Next, add the vanilla and pumpkin puree followed by the egg and beat until combined. 

Step Three: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. With the mixer on low, gradually mix in the dry ingredients and mix until combined.

Step Four: Bake the cookies. Form balls of 2 tablespoons of dough each. Roll each cookie dough ball in sugar to coat. Place balls on a parchment paper lined baking sheet 2 inches apart. Push down on the tops of the cookies with a fork to create a criss-cross pattern.

Then bake in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 9-11 minutes.

Hint: Dough will be sticky. Dip the fork in granulated sugar to prevent sticking.

SUBSTITUTIONS & VARIATIONS

• Pumpkin puree: Pumpkin puree can’t be substituted with pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin pie filling includes spices and sweeteners. Pumpkin puree is purely pumpkin with nothing else added.
• Canned pumpkin puree: I recommend using store bought pumpkin puree. I haven’t made these using homemade pumpkin puree.
• Pumpkin pie spice: If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, you can make your own. Live Well Bake Often has a Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice Recipe you could make! Alternatively, you could substitute the pumpkin pie spice for nutmeg or for more cinnamon.

EXPERT TIPS

Tip #1- Scrape the mixing bowl. Use a spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl. Mixing the bowl helps all ingredients are incorporated into the dough.

Tip #2- Don’t overbake cookies. It can be hard to tell when peanut butter cookies are finished baking because of the color of the dough. Take cookies out of the oven when the edges are very light brown. They will continue to bake on the tray.

FAQs

STORAGE

Store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

FREEZING

Freeze the baked cookies for up to 30 days in an airtight container. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature before eating them.

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