Jen Chooses Joy

Pillowy Pumpkin Spice & Honey Cookies

If you are excited about the fall weather, you need to bake these cookies!  I love that this recipe uses brown sugar and cornstarch.  It guarantees a super soft, puffy, and chewy cookie!  The honey makes them melt in your mouth, and the pumpkin pie spice is perfect for fall.

You have to chill this dough for at least 3 hours before baking.  No exceptions.  Warm dough won’t make thick puffy cookies.  Make sure you have plenty of time before starting the recipe.

That said…let’s bake!

Combine your butter, sugar, egg and cream.  It takes about 5 minutes, so a stand mixer makes life a little easier.  A handheld will work just as well.

Add the pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, and…

the honey.  This was my first time using honey in a cookie recipe and it works so beautifully!

Mix until smooth.

Add the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, salt, and mix for a minute until combined.

Use a cookie scoop to make mounds.

Fill a small bowl with sugar.  I used white sparkling sugar.  It gives a nice crunch to the cookie and it looks pretty.

Roll into a dough into a ball and then coat with sugar.

Place the rolled dough on a large plate.  Lightly flatten the mounds with the palm of your hand, cover with plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.  Do not bake with warm dough.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line your cookie sheet with a Silpat or spray with non-stick spray.

Bake for 8-9 minutes until the edges have set.  The middle will still look a little undercooked.

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer to a rack to finish cooling.

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1/4 cup honey
2 Tablespoons pumpkin pie spice (yes Tablespoons, not teaspoons)
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons corn starch
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch salt, optional and to taste

***Optional: Sugar to coat the outside of the cookie dough mounds.  I used White Sparkling Sugar Sprinkles.

This recipe yielded 18 medium cookies for me.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.  To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, sugar, egg, and beat on medium-high speed until well-creamed, light and fluffy, about 5 minutes (or use a hand mixer and beat for at least 7 minutes). Do not shortcut the creaming process; make sure dough is very light in color and fluffy, stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

2.  Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the honey, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until combined and smooth, about 2 minutes.

3.  Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, optional salt, and mix until just combined, about 1 minute.

4.  Using a medium 2-inch cookie scoop, form heaping two tablespoon mounds (I made 17). Put the Sparkling Sugar in a small bow.  Using your hands, roll the dough into balls.  Then roll the dough in the sugar to coat.   Place dough on a large plate, flatten mounds very slightly with your palm, cover with plasticwrap, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or up to 5 days, before baking. Do not bake with warm dough because cookies will spread and bake thinner and flatter.

5.  Preheat oven to 350F, line baking sheets with Silpats, or spray with cooking spray. Place mounds on baking sheets, spaced at least 2 inches apart. Bake for 8 to 9 minutes, or until edges have set and tops are just beginning to set, even if undercooked, pale, and glossy in the center. Do not bake longer than 9 minutes for soft cookies because they firm up as they cool; bake for 9-10 minutes if you like firmer cookies.  Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before removing and transferring to a rack to finish cooling.

6.  Store cookies airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 4 months. Alternatively, unbaked cookie dough can be stored airtight in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.

One accidentally broke and I had to eat it.

I boxed up the rest for my Gran’s birthday and made a little gift for a friend:)

#choosejoy

Recipe from Averie Cooks.