Pumpkin Spice Latte Cookies

Here’s the thing: I’ve never had a Pumpkin Spice Latte. When people hear this, the majority gasp in disbelief. There is a still fraction of the population (albeit small) who tell me they haven’t, either. I like pumpkin spice and I like espresso, I’ve just never tried one. Truth be told, I’d probably love it and drink a day’s worth of calories in 15 minutes. It’s probably in my best interest to never try one. Although I haven’t had the actual latte, I dreamed up (and LOVE) these delicious Pumpkin Spice Latte Cookies!

These Pumpkin Spice Latte Cookies turn out soft, spiced, and with a hint of espresso. They’re not too sweet, so they’re perfect for frosting. You can frost them with royal icing, as I have here, or maybe top them with a buttercream like I did with my Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies with Vanilla Bean Buttercream.

There are a few specialty ingredients for this one. I’ve found it difficult to find espresso powder–especially that isn’t already hard as a rock–at my local grocery store. I use King Arthur Flour’s brand (link [here]), as it’s very fine and made specifically for baked goods.

I can *never* find the meringue powder that’s needed for the royal icing in my local grocery store. You can find it in craft stores and cake decorating supply shops, and you can also find it online [here].

There are no special tools necessary to make this recipe, but I do have a few that make the job easier. I use silpats (like this one [here]) when baking, which makes the cookies brown up a little slower and makes for easy cleanup. I also find that using squeeze bottles (like these [here]) to flood my cookies is much more convenient than trying to spoon it on.

You see the blog, so you know I’m clearly not going to skip out on the calories if a pumpkin spice latte is amazing (she types as she eats her THIRD cookie). So tell me–am I missing out?

Other posts you  may like:

Chocolate Espresso Shortbread

Gingerbread Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin Hazelnut Cheesecake

Pumpkin Challah

Pumpkin Meringue Tart

Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes

Maple Cinnamon Cookies

Recipe adapted from Sweetopia (link here).

Pumpkin Spice Latte Cookies

Your favorite coffee house treat in cookie form! Does it get any better than this??

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Servings 3 dozen cookies (depending on cutter size)

Ingredients

  

Pumpkin Spice Latte Cookies:

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• pinch ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp espresso powder (see note)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature (2 sticks)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 3 Tbsp pumpkin purée
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Royal Icing:

• 2/3 cup water
• 3 Tbsp meringue powder (see note)
• 1 tsp cream of tartar
• 2 lbs powdered sugar, sifted

Instructions

 

For Cookies:

• In a small bowl, combine dry ingredients (flour, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, espresso powder, and salt). Set aside.
• Combine the butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix the butter only until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then mix briefly to incorporate. 

  (Adding too much air to the dough will cause the cookies to spread, so avoid overmixing!)
• Add pumpkin puree, eggs, and vanilla extract. Mix to combine, then scrape down the sides of the bowl.
• Add dry ingredients. Mix until the dough begins to clump (do not overmix, or your cookies will be tough).
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead briefly to form a ball. Cut the ball in half and form each half into a disc. Wrap each disc in plastic and chill in the refrigerator one hour.
• Preheat oven to 350F. Working with one disc at a time, roll the dough out on a floured surface to about 1/4 inch thick. Cut out desired shapes and place on parchment or silpat-lined baking sheets (see note).
• Scraps may be re-rolled, and should be chilled as necessary so that the dough can be worked with easily. Place the baking sheets with the cut cookies in the refrigerator to chill for at least 10 minutes before baking.
• After chilling, bake 8-12 minutes, or until edges are golden (see note). Allow cookies to cool completely on a wire rack.
  

For Royal Icing:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine water, meringue powder, and cream of tartar. Using the whisk attachment, beat mixture until soft peaks form. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides as necessary.
• With the mixer running on low speed, gradually add the powdered sugar. Beat mixture until combined.
• Color royal icing as desired. I outlined my cookies in royal icing, To frost the rest of the cookie, add enough water (you won't need much!) to make the icing a pourable consistency, and "flood" the cookies with the remaining icing.
• Royal icing dries out quickly, so be sure to keep it covered with plastic or inside squeeze bottles (see note) if you're not using it right away.

  Frost/decorate cookies as desired.

  Enjoy!

Notes

Note on espresso powder: I've found it difficult to find espresso powder--especially one that isn't already hard as a rock--at my local grocery store. I use King Arthur Flour's brand (link [here]), as it's very fine and made specifically for baked goods.

Note on meringue powder: I can never find meringue powder in my local grocery store. You can find it in craft stores and cake decorating supply shops, and you can also find it online [here].

Note on silpat: I use silpats (like this one [here]) when baking, which makes the cookies brown up a little slower and makes for easy cleanup. If you're lining your pans with parchment, your cookies will be done sooner.

Note on bake time: The bake time will depend on the size of your cookies, so keep an eye on them! It's also a good idea to bake like-sized cookies together to ensure they're all done at the same time.

Note on flooding cookies: I find that using squeeze bottles (like these [here]) to flood my cookies is much more convenient than trying to spoon it on.

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