Pumpkin Raisin Cookies

These pumpkin raisin cookies are the soft, cakey kind that taste like autumn in every bite. A full cup of pumpkin puree in the dough creates an incredibly moist, tender cookie with a warm cinnamon backbone, studded with plump raisins and finished with a smooth butter-vanilla frosting.

The pumpkin puree does more than just flavor the cookies. It adds moisture that keeps them soft for days after baking, which is rare for a cookie without eggs. Most cookies dry out overnight, but these actually get better as they sit. The shortening in the dough helps too, producing a tender crumb without the crispness that butter would add.

No eggs in this recipe means the texture is more like a tiny pumpkin cake than a traditional cookie. They won’t spread much on the baking sheet or get crispy edges. Instead they puff up into soft, rounded mounds with lightly browned bottoms.

The frosting is a quick stovetop job: melted butter stirred with powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth. It sets into a thin, sweet glaze that adds just enough sweetness to complement the spiced, not-too-sweet cookie underneath.

Kitchen Tips

• Use canned pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. Pie filling has added sugar and spices that will throw off the balance
• Drop by teaspoonfuls and leave room between cookies. Even though they don’t spread much, air circulation helps them bake evenly
• Cool cookies completely before frosting or the glaze melts and slides off
• These freeze well unfrosted. Thaw and frost the day you plan to serve them

Variations

• Add ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans to the dough with the raisins for a crunchier cookie
• Swap raisins for dried cranberries for a tart, seasonal twist
• Stir a teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice into the frosting for a spiced glaze that echoes the cookie