Felicia's Pumpkin Cookies

This is a big-batch recipe that uses four sticks of butter and two full cups of pumpkin. The pumpkin makes these cookies soft and cakey rather than crisp, almost like a little spice cake you can eat with your hands. They puff up in the oven and stay tender for days.

The spice blend is generous: cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg in quantities that actually let you taste each one. Four teaspoons of cinnamon is bold, and the cloves add that warm, slightly sharp bite that screams fall baking. These smell incredible coming out of the oven.

Raisins and chopped walnuts go into every cookie, giving you chewy pockets of sweetness and nutty crunch against the soft pumpkin crumb. This recipe makes a serious quantity, which makes them ideal for holiday cookie trays, bake sales, or keeping a stash in the freezer.

Pro Tips

• Use canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling, which has added sugar and spice) for consistent results
• The batter will be very soft and sticky because of all that pumpkin. That’s normal. Don’t add extra flour
• Space the spoonfuls on the cookie sheet generously. These spread a bit as they bake
• They’re done when the edges are lightly golden and the tops spring back when gently pressed

Variations

• Cream cheese frosting: Top cooled cookies with a simple cream cheese icing for a classic pairing
• Chocolate chip swap: Replace the raisins with chocolate chips for a pumpkin chocolate chip cookie
• Glazed: Drizzle with a maple glaze (powdered sugar, maple syrup, and a splash of milk) for extra sweetness