Name: Pumpkin Shortbread Cookies
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 6 h 30 min
Yield: 12
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 8 tablespoons (4 ounces) unsalted butter, very soft; 1/2 cup granulated sugar; 1/4 cup canned pumpkin puree; 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice; pinch of freshly grated nutmeg; 1 cup plus 6 tablespoons flour; 3/4 teaspoon salt; 12 pecan halves; 4 teaspoons maple syrup; 1/2 cup coarse (turibinado) sugar for rolling the edges of the cookies in

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Another stunning Thanksgiving cookie option is ready for you! These Pumpkin Shortbread cookies are rolled in crunchy sugar and topped with a maple glazed pecan. So simple, yet stunning.

Orange pumpkin shortbread with a glazed pecan on top of each cookie.

My love for shortbread came later in life, because as you know, a gooey chocolate chip cookie is slightly more visually appealing than a plain butter cookie. But once I understood the appeal of a simple butter cookie in the form of my Honey Shortbread, I never changed my mind. Butter cookies are legit.

These Pumpkin Shortbread cookies are a chance to use high quality butter and strong spices. The maple-glazed pecan on top is entirely optional, but super pretty for a cookie tray!

Orange pecan topped cookies on white round plate.

One secretly amazing thing about baking with pumpkin is that it replaces egg in most recipes. So yes, these cookies are plenty moist without an egg and they’re meant to not contain any baking soda or baking powder. You can find all of my eggless recipes here.

Ingredients

Small bowls of spices, softened butter, pecans, and sugar.

Butter. One stick (8 tablespoons of butter) that is extremely soft. We want these to bake up perfectly flat, so we’re stirring them together by hand (rather than whipping air into the batter with an electric mixer). I leave the butter out on my kitchen counter overnight for the perfect consistency. Check out the video in the recipe card to see what the perfect temperature looks like.
Sugar. One-half cup of granulated sugar.
Pumpkin. One-quarter cup of canned pumpkin. I really prefer the Libby’s brand because the pumpkin is dark orange and makes the prettiest color cookies. If you use another brand, your cookies might not be as orange. I’ve noticed the Trader Joe’s brand of canned pumpkin is more yellow (and I heard a rumor it contains butternut squash). It’s truly fine to use any type of canned pumpkin, but if you really want that rich orange color, use Libby’s.
Pumpkin Pie Spice. One-half teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice blend.
Nutmeg. An extra pinch of nutmeg elevates these cookies so much, don’t skip it!
Flour. One of the strange things about shortbread is that you do not want it to rise or puff up while baking. And for this reason, no leaveners are used (no baking soda, no baking powder or eggs!) This recipe uses only 1 cup plus 6 tablespoons of flour to hold the dough together.
Salt. Three-quarters of a teaspoon of fine sea salt. Do not skip this, because this balances the flavors and makes the spices pop!
Pecans. It’s entirely optional to decorate each pumpkin shortbread cookie with a glazed pecan half, but it’s very pretty if you do! Since this recipe makes one dozen cookies, you need 12 perfect pecan halves.
Maple Syrup. A very small amount of maple syrup (4 teaspoons) to brush on top of each pecan half for a pretty glaze.
Coarse Sugar. One-half cup of very coarse turbinado sugar for rolling the cookies in. This helps each cookie look like it has sparkly edges, plus it brings delicious crunch. ‘Sugar in the Raw’ is the brand you’re looking for when shopping.

How to Make Pumpkin Shortbread

Tan bowl with super soft butter, pumpkin, sugar and spices.

In a medium bowl, stir together the softened butter, sugar, pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice and nutmeg. Stir very well with a spatula until well-blended.

Next, evenly sprinkle half of the flour and salt on top. Stir until blended; add the remaining half of the flour and stir again. This will take a few minutes, be patient.

Ball of orange dough on a marble cutting board.

Log of orange dough rolled in coarse sugar on wooden cutting board.

Once the dough is fully together (and no streaks of flour remain), dump the dough onto a piece of parchment or wax paper. Gather it into a ball, press it into a rectangle, and then use your hands to roll it into a log. Refrigerate for 6 hours (or overnight).

Once the cookies have fully chilled, preheat the oven to 350. Roll the log of pumpkin shortbread dough in the coarse sugar, slice into 1/2-inch slices.

Twelve pumpkin shortbread cookies with a glazed pecan on top.

Place the cookie slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Press a pecan half on top of each cookie, and then bake for 15-17 minutes. Just before serving, brush the pecans with the maple syrup.

One pumpkin shortbread cookie with bite missing leaning on another cookie.

Storage

These pumpkin shortbread cookies keep on the counter in an airtight container for up to 3 days. You can freeze the dough log for up to 3 months until needed. Defrost in the fridge overnight, slice and bake as normal.

Yield: 12