My pumpkin adventures continue. I think pumpkin is just something I have to get out of my system in order to move on to more enticing Fall foods. With these cookies, a version of some other out of this world pumpkin cookies, I can fairly say that I’ve got pumpkin out of my system. All is well.
Here’s what’s going on with Joy the Baker. I’m gearing up for NaBloPoMo. What’s that!? It’s a full month of daily blog posts in November. Joy the Baker will become a combination of amazing baked treats, holiday baking tips, and a fine cheese oasis. Cheese? Yes, I’ll explain more in November.
I’m going to San Francisco this weekend. It’s sure to be a dangerous collision of food, drinks, Halloween costumes, and the madness of my little sister. I’ll bring my camera and share the debauchery with you.
What are you doing this weekend? Besides baking these (insanely easy) Pumpkin Butterscotch Cookies?
Pumpkin Butterscotch Cookies
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup canola or corn oil
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup butterscotch chips
Position a rack in the middle of the oven . Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and butter the paper.
Stir the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together in a medium bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the eggs and sugar until smooth and lightened in color, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing. On low speed, mix the oil, pumpkin, and vanilla until blended. Mix in the flour mixture to incorporate it. Mix in the chips.
Using an ice cream scoop with a 1/4-cup capacity, scoop mounds of the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies at least 2 1/2-inches apart. You could also simply use a 1/4-cup measuring cup if you don’t have a scoop. Use a thin metal spatula to smooth and flatten the rounds.
Bake the cookies one sheet at a time until the tops feel firm and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry, about 16 minutes. Cool them on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then use a wide metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool cimpletely.
Dust the cooled cookies lightly with powdered sugar. The cookies can be stored in a tightly covered container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Rachel Lauber
Hi Joy – have you ever tried these with coconut oil? I don’t have any canola on hand and thought about trying. Not sure if that would alter the flavor too much. thanks!
joythebaker
Coconut oil sounds great!
jolene
Cookies are great but after one batch in oven, I made them smaller and cooked less time and liked them much better. gave them to everyone for x-mas and everyone was impressed!
District Murphy
I went a little nuts with this recipe:
http://www.districtmurphy.com/post/33210455707/pumpkin-cookies-with-makers-mark
But it would not have been possible without this awesome post. Thank you!
Maggie
I made these last night and took them to a lucky friend this morning.. The first words out of his mouth? “These are the best cookies you’ve ever made!!” (And trust me, I make a lot of cookies. Cookies that I think are pretty darn good.)
Thanks for a great recipe – it’s definitely a keeper!
Sabrina
I didn’t enjoy this recipe at all! The consistency is far more cake than cookie. My husband is a fan but I find the cake bland and spongy in a bad way. Definite pass :(
Mimi @ Culinary Couture
Is canned pumpkin the same thing as pumpkin puree?
joythebaker
yes!
Ashley @ Wishes and Dishes
I made these for the second time tonight and they were even better than the first time. They are my hubby’s new favorite cookie. Yum yummmmmmmmmm!!!!
Gretta
HOLY Yumminess! SOOO good! I am addicted to these babies. Thanks for the great recipe.
Julie
So these are delicious but mine definitely spread and the butterscotch chips sank, leaving these weird little craters. Yummy but definitely odd-looking and more cake than cookie. We will have no problem getting rid of them, though :)
Anna
I love pumpkin, and all this pumpkin talk got me thinking. Do you have any crispy, crunchy or delicate pumpkin cookie recipes? Like a tuile? I have cakey ones and chewy ones, which are probably better suited for the moistness of pumpkin, but I thought — if anyone could make a crispy light pumpkin cookie, it would be Joy the Baker…
By the way, the link for the “out of this world” pumpkin cookies isn’t working.
Joy
Woah. Made these for our pumpkin carving party on Saturday, and there was not one crumb left! I haven’t made such a showstopper dessert in a long time…but they were also literally the easiest cookie recipe I have ever made! Thanks, Joy–you’ve done it again!
Jenny
I just had the chance to make these today and they turned out great. Not quite what I was expecting from a cookie. This is more like pumpkin cake in cookie form. I also added additional spices like nutmeg and cloves to give this cookie a more pumpkin flavor. The batter is super liquidy and requires a scoop (the measuring cup was very hard to get the batter out of ) but bakes up very nicely in about ~14 minutes in my oven.
Jana
I absolutely love this recipe, I’ve made it three times so far, but for some reason every single time I make it the batter is extremely liquidy and it never bakes through, and I’ve checked my measurements a hundred times and it’s always spot on. I’ve had to adjust by just adding more flower and add sugar to balance the sweetness, but each time I have to re-adjust to get the taste just right.
Rachel C
OH MY GOD THESE ARE AMAZING.
Susan
Just made these substituting coconut oil for canola and chocolate for butterscotch – truly amazing! These are so easy to make, and are so moist and delicious, like little cakes!
bodavian
Mmm… Made these this morning with leftover pumpkin puree–so delicious! I didn’t have any oil besides olive, so I used butter instead. I also halved the sugar because the puree was sweetened. Turned out great!
Cally
My cookies turned into cake! What happened?
I tried to follow the reciepe to a T- but they are more like muffin tops than cookies. Hmmm maybe it just takes more practice
Emalee
Hi Joy!
I make these alllll the time, and I was going to make some for friends for their Thanksgiving gatherings. I was wondering if I make the batter ahead of time (like today) and refrigerate it til I cook them (tomorrow) would they be ok?
Heather
Soooo, my hubby’s been begging me to look this recipe up so I can make these delicious cookies again this fall. I have it saved in my favorites tab thank goodness! I am going to make up an extra batch to take to his grandmother’s for Thanksgiving again this year, too. They were such a big hit!!! =]
Thank you so much for a wonderful recipe that I think is on it’s way to becoming one of our family traditions.
Now I’m gonna scan through & see what else you’ve got that I can try…
Linda
I just made these and they so amazing! So soft and delicious!
Juliana
I made these this weekend and they were absolutely fabulous! Everyone loved them. Thanks for posting this recipe!
Caitlin
Hi Joy! I love your blog SO much and read it every day and get so excited when there’s a new post! (I have a desk job.. ya knoooww) Your blog reads like having a convo with a really funny friend and I love it. OK so these cookies were amazing and the best thing I’ve ever made – I doubled the batch because I had a busy weekend ahead and everywhere I brought them people went crazy over them (I even mailed them to a friend who had recently moved across the country to San Diego) I have since been asked for the recipe by no less than 7 people. no joke. THANKS for making me a better baker :)
Ruby
P.S. I added mini semi-sweet chocolate chips to give it an even more Halloween-y look…PERFECT!
Ruby
Dear Joy, I just made these “cookies” for a beach camping trip starting in T-Minus 12 hours…I honestly don’t know if they’ll last til then. YUMMMMMMM
Thank you!
Diana
I had some left over pumpkin and decided that these cookies were just the thing to do with it. I used cinnamon chips instead of butterscotch. We took them to a party on Saturday, and they were gone in minutes. Everyone keeps asking when I’m making them again. Thanks for the great recipe!!
:o)
Jaime
wow these were amazing!!!! thanks for sharing!
Daw
I just made these (well I used semi sweet chocolate instead of butterscotch chips) and OH MY HEAVENS!!! They are light as air and simply devine! Thank you! My husband thanks you too, he adores them!
Teisha
how many cookies does this recipe make?
Katie
Ooooo these look so good. I am wondering if I could them into Whoopie Pies? Any ideas for a filling? Maybe maple cream?
Laura
i’ve had this recipe bookmarked for the LONGEST time, but for some reason i never made these even though they looked delicious. call me crazy, because now im going to have to find reasons NOT to make these! these are definitely going to be a staple in my apartment, they are soo easy to make! these cookies are so freaking delicious and moist!
msmeanie
Hi Joy, I just had to let you know that I LOVE these cookies. I have made them 3 times in the last month (I just posted about them on my blog). No joke. They are amazing. The first time I made them with a friend, and she has also made them 3 times since then. Thank you so much for this recipe and your amazing blog!
Danielle
Joy, I just wanted to let you know that these cookies are beyond fabulous. After making the chocolate chip version 3 times, I knew these would be wonderful – and they were.
I’ve been wanting to bake a regular chocolate chip cookie with the same fluffy, pillowy texture but I’m not sure how to go about doing it. Any tips?
Laura
I discovered this recipe here a couple of months ago and have made these cookies several times already! Just linked your post on my blog today. Thanks! :)
Ashley
I made these cookies today….wonderful!!! My son and I can’t stop eating them!!
Alison M
I found these somewhat disappointing. As has been mentioned many times, they were more like cakes than cookies, like a muffin top. That wasn’t really a problem, but I felt like the butterscotch entirely overwhelmed the pumpkin taste. They were delicious, but I was hoping for something more pumpkin-y.
Erin
Last night I wanted to make pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, but was out of chocolate chips. It popped into my head that butterscotch would be a great substitute…I googled Pumpkin Butterscotch Cookies and your site immediately popped up! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE them!!! Given that there is pumpkin in them, I knew they would come out cake-like, which was great. They turned out SO moist.
Definitely cook them on the parchment paper – I did one batch without the paper and the consistency was not as good.
I’ll be sure to bookmark your site!
Beth
Hello!– I’m trying to contact you about featuring this recipe but I can’t find your email info anywhere. Could you please contact me for details? Thanks so very much!
Lauren
These are AMAZING. I could barely bake them b/c i kept eating the batter. the light, fluffy, cake like consistency was heavenly and i swear, it makes them seem much more difficult, like you had to do something secret to get them to get so big and fluffy. Love them and can’t wait to make more and take them to work!
Matt
Joy-these were amazing and will be made time and time again. I do need a little help though. Mine kind of spread and didn’t have the right consistency, and didn’t look like the photos, but very close. Do you have any suggestions of what went wrong? The bottoms didn’t burn, but they were hard to get off, then when pulled off there wasn’t much of a bottom. I used non-stick pans (even sprayed with pam) and like I said before they spread a bit. They were still amazing and my friends loved them. I had like six each day lol. Thank you for you wonderful blog btw and thank you for this great treat that will be used over and over again.
Jen
These were fantastic! I made them for my son’s snack at school, but I used chocolate chips instead of butterscotch, I like them better that way. They were a big hit with my son.
Pamela
So after I make your Red Velvet Cake with Fluffy White Frosting tomorrow, I will be baking these yummy delights on Sunday. And I will make enough to take to work on Monday.
Amy
Ok so I’m still new to this whole cooking thing, I am carving a pumpkin this weekend and am looking for things to cook it in. But how do I use it, every recipe I find says canned pumpkin, so what do I do to get my pumpkin pulp into canned shape? Do I use as is, just the pulp, help???
Stacey
We just made these and while they are very tasty…definitely more cake-like than cookie-like to us. :) But still yummy!! Thanks!
Em
these are dangerous. I made them on Tuesday and made a second batch yesterday, and I feel another one coming on soon! I added cinnamon chips too, and I must say, wow!
Carolyn
I baked these cookies today and I think they are my new favourite autumn treat! Instead of using 2 cups of sugar, I used 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of brown sugar. Then, I used 1/4 cup applesauce and 1/4 cup oil. I was worried about the consistency (especially with the crazy altitude effects of baking in Colorado), but they came out looking great and tasting delicious!
Kristin
BRING ON THE PUMPKIN!!! These sound unreal! I agree about the oil though…I’m not a huge fan of oil in my cookies…so any alternatives? Can’t wait to bake these!
xoxo
BK Crew
Jenny
They look so yum! I don’t like using canola oil or corn oil, any chance I can just replace it with butter? Or something else if anyone has a suggestion. If I replace 1/2 the sugar with honey and the oil with butter does that sound doable? Thanks!
Kristy
pumpkin butterscotch cookies are my fav to make around this time of year! can’t wait to give your recipe a try!
Rachel
absolutely delicious. I made these for my roommate who is a pumpkin fanatic and she was begging for more as soon as they were gone.
emily
My roomates loved these cookies, but I had to put them back in the oven about 4 times! They just wouldn’t cook all the way through! It was worth it though, it is like eating a pumpkin cake in bite sized pieces
NotDesperateNotHousewife
These were delish and easy. I even ran out of vanilla and they were still great! Mine came out like a muffin top, not a cookie.. which is even better – no guilt eating them first thing in the am!
RobbieLee at Chickiedee
Oh dear! You’ve just opened up my world. These cookies look fabulous! I have to share this recipe with my mom, because she will love them! Thanks for sharing!
carrie
I make these cookies regularly. This is from Big Fat Cookies by Elinor Klivans, a book worth buying. They are favorites whenever I make them. The cakey texture is different but delicious!
Sana
So I got into a pumpkin phase a while back when I made pumkin oatmeal. Just 1/2 cup oatmeal with 1/2 cup pumpkin, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. I was soo happy when I found this recipe…I have no idea how many times I have made the pumpkin butterscotch cookies!!! Absolutely LOVE them…I want to try them with the cinnamon chips that I found at my grocery store the other day.
P.S: My friends are ALL addicted. About once I week I get asked….when are you making those awesome pumpkin cookies again?
Faralyn
..oh yeah…I had 4 for breakfast today. =)
Faralyn
My girlfriends and I HEART these cookies!… borderline addicted.
Kari
I made these cookies this weekend for Christmas gifts and everyone LOVED them. I made one batch with butterscotch and one batch with chocolate chips. YUMMY!! I didn’t use the powder sugar at the end – is it really necessary?
Deanna
I just had to let you know that I made these again for my husbands class(Yes he is in school again) and everyone raved about them! Im spreading the word that you are the best baker out there and people are checking out your blog! By the way, do you own a cafe/coffee shop or work at one or is it just a bakery? We have relatives down in Whittier and we go down occasionally and would love to visit.
Jaina
Joy I made these for Thanksgiving and they were a HUGE hit. I should have made more than one recipe, but it was midnight before I’d finished that and my cherry pie and I was just too tired. I made them mostly for my Papa, he LOVES butterscotch anything and pumpkin pie. I’d mentioned the name of the cookies since had originally planned to make them for a work party, and he thought they sounded good. So I made them as a surprise for him and my whole family fell in love with them. I’m sending them all the recipe. I’m pretty sure this is now going to be a holiday favorite. :) Thanks so much!
Jennifer
i agree with erin above, mine turned out HUGE and cakey as well. i was just telling my bf how they were like muffin tops. nice to know i am not alone. i used butterscotch chips, first time ever using them! don’t get me wrong, they are delicious, but did i do something wrong, or are they supposed to be like this?
erin
i just made theseusing toffee chips instead of butterscotch. they’re really tasty, but i don’t know that i’d call them cookies. they are HUGE and so cakey that they’re more like muffin tops.
April
THese are delicious!!! My mom has been making these since I was a little girl (I’m 45). I look forward to making them with fresh pumpkin every year!
kyle
these were SOOO good. They were cake-like consistency but the butterscotch really did it. I also used fresh pumpkin (sugar pumpkin boiled left over from a pie) and it was soft and chewy and heavenly. great recipe!
shelbs
i made these last week and the dough was really sticky and soft, and after baking, the cookies wound up with the consistency of a cake or muffin. They were absolutely delicious, though, and all my friends loved them. I tried again this week and wound up with dough similar to last week’s. I’m pretty sure I’m doing it right, but I don’t know what’s causing the softness. Any ideas?
Jaina
Oh I love pumpkin AND butterscotch, these look simply scrumptious! It’s definitely the season for pumpkin recipes. :)
Deanna
Ok, so I said I would try them with applesauce and I just couldn’t do it! I kept thinking about what the pumpkin and applesauce would taste like together and I think it would take away from the pumpkin. These cookies are great just the way the recipe is! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Erin
Those look really great! I am going to have to make them! Thanks for the recipe!
Debbie
I made these over the weekend and everyone loved them! I had to make a 2nd batch last night. Thank you for this recipe. I’ve linked it on my site.
Laura
I just made these and seriously, my new absolutely favorite cookie. I can’t stop eating them…I don’t know if I should thank you or be mad that these are WAY to good and probably will be gone in a day :)
Great recipe!
Nick
Sounds incredible Joy, I was going to have a party for a while but no longer am. These would definitely have been on the list of party snacks! You know what would be great in there? Some peanut butter! It’s the perfect color too!
Courtney
Joy- These cookies were FANTASTIC!! I added butterscotch and chocolate chips. SOOOO good. I made a smaller size, and still cooked them about 14 minutes. It made a bunch of cookies! Thanks for the recipe.
Jim
Hey Joy!
I’m baking these cookies tonight and am so excited! Quick question. How long should I cook them at the 2 tbsp size? Half of the time of the 1/4 cup versions?
Thanks!
Carolyn Jung
Oooh! I’ve had many a pumpkin cookie with chocolate chips in them. But never butterscotch chips. What a great idea! Mmm, I bet crystalized ginger bits would be a great substitute, too.
Leonor de Sousa Bastos
These are really irresistible cookies!!
The flavor combination is fantastic!
Great work!
Jasmine
oh and one more query – Americans also use canned pumpkin – you can’t buy that in NZ – any suggestions for an equivalent measure of cooked/mashed pumpkin?
Jasmine
We don’t celebrate Halloween in NZ really and certainly don’t use the whole the sweet pumpkin thing. I’m really keen to make a pumpkin pie or biscuits like these but every likely taster I have thinks “yuck”. Any ideas on a mini-pumpkin pie or tart recipe that I can make just for myself?
snooky doodle
wow these look so yummy and the addition of butterscotch chips makes them even more delicious :)
la vie est belle
Made these just now -they are delicious and fast. Very moist and dreamy. Also with chocolate chips. Thanks for sharing. My family is starting to think you are part of our family.
Holly
Thanks Joy!
joythebaker
Holly and Jim- Great question! I used 2 Tablespoons for each cookie and got almost 2 dozen out of the recipe. If you use 1/4 cup for each cookie, you’ll get about a dozen cookies.
What Liz Said- I’m glad you finally made it over!
Deb- Candied nuts sound dreamy!
Deanna- Yea! Let me know how the applesauce works for you!
Jim
How many cookies does this recipe make around?
Holly
Hi Joy! I’ve been following along, but just not speaking up lately! Sorry about that! I’m so lame sometimes. (I got tired of trying to type in the dark with one hand while the baby was sleeping!) Anyway, I have so many recipes bookmarked, but this one is quite timely. Question: about how many cookies does this recipe make? I have to make some goodies for the teachers at my son’s school this week and I’m thinking this might be it. TIA
What Liz Said
I am definitely going to be making these!
Finally made my way over to your blog, thanks to my lovely bff, Adventures in Shaw. :)
deb
These look awesome. I see a lot of pumpkin cookies that sound like they might be tasty but don’t really look it… these look like they might have a nice crisp edge, and I am itching to try them with perhaps some candied nuts inside.
Deanna
I have been trying to cook using less sugar so I am excited to try these with applesauce instead of the 1 cup of sugar. This looks like a great recipe and I love butterscotch chips so I am sure it will be a favorite. I know its kind of a contradiction, but I don’t think these cookies can stand to be without the butterscotch chips, nor do I want to try them without. I will let you know how they turn out using applesauce.
Aimee
Good luck with NaBloPoMo, I’ll be lending my support, ie:reading.
Enjoy S.F, sounds like a good time.
Maria
I am excited for November now! The cookies look awesome! I love the butterscotch!
Shanna
Can’t ever get pumpkin out of my system. Unable to accomplish. These look wonderful. Might also try them with cinnamon chips (if you can find them).
Shan
My First Kitchen
Pumpkin butterscotch? Amazing. This is the umpteenth pumpkin recipe I’ve seen on my blog adventures today, and this is definitely the one that gets top billing. Butterscotch is so underrated, and I never would’ve thought to use it with pumpkin. I gotta say, Joy the Baker, you’re quickly making me Kendra That Needs Stretchy Pants. STOP. Have fun in SF.
Hannah
Hiya Joy,
I would love to try some of your pumpkin recipes – they look wonderful! But I was planning on using fresh pumpkin rather than tinned, as I have one sitting ready and waiting in my kitchen to be used for multiple dishes. Presumably it’s fine to substitute canned for fresh, but I was wondering whether I’d need to prepare the pumpkin in any way beforehand?
Thanks,
Hannah
ella
I made these and they don’t look as nice as yours. Mine are certainly very tasty, but they have a “dry” look to them. They are moist inside and I suppose that’s all that matters, but I feel like I should have dusted them with sugar before baking to be rid of that dried out feel the tops of the cookies have.
My Sweet & Saucy
Great cookies Joy! They look so DELICIOUS!
Culinarywannabe
Pumpkin and butterscotch! That combo sounds insane!!
ttfn300
You must’ve known I was making these this weekend for a halloween treat at work :) I threw in chocolate-PB chips, fantastic!
Amy
I know you said that you finally got pumpkin out of your system, but have you ever had Pumpkin Pie Crumble Cake? It’s absolutely amazing… I can just sit there eating it right out of the pan… I have a special recipe- I got the hook up! :D
Linda
You guys can get pumpkin in a can?! Whoa…
joythebaker
I’m so sorry I left you hanging with the cooking time. I forgot the copy the entire recipe for you! That’s what you get when you’re in a hurry like I was. Sorry friends!
Megan
I love pumpkin and butterscotch together! These look delicious!
Courtney
Ahh!! The dough is all done and there isn’t a cooking time!
Patsyk
Those cookies look wonderful! a perfect addition to a fall cookie plate.
Enjoy your weekend away! I love San Francisco!
Angela
I just made these! I used pumkpin pie spice instead of cinnamon (and an extremely well rounded teaspoon). I also used chocolate chips because they were the only kind I had. I just finished downing two right out of the oven with some milk. Burned my mouth a little, but it was worth it!
Madeline
These photos are gorgeous! Sounds like you have a busy November ahead. Have fun in San Francisco :)
Stefanie
I can’t wait to try these! I love pumpkin and this is a new combo that I’ve never tried!
Erin
These look delicious! The pumpkin-butterscotch combination sounds wonderful. I’m going to have to try these for sure :)
Emily Rose
the pumpkin cookies look so good- butterscotch is such a great variation on the chocolate chip version. I’m definitely going to make these!
Crissa
How long do you bake them for?
Theresa
These cookies look good. Can’t wait to give these a try!
Paula
Mmm great looking cookies. yet another pupmkin recipe I’ll have to make:) I’m stuck on pumpkin too right now!