These sourdough pumpkin cookies bake up perfectly and are full of warm spices. They have a deliciously sweet cinnamon sugar coating and boast a slight sourdough tang.
I love all things pumpkin, and I can’t think of a better way to kick off the autumn season than with these soft and fluffy sourdough discard pumpkin cookies. They are the perfect addition to your fall baking list and will fill your home with the warmest scents of autumn. They come together quickly and are super easy to whip up.
These cookies are baked with sourdough discard which adds that slight sourdough flavor that I love so much. If you are a fan of sourdough cookies, you’ll love these sourdough chocolate chip cookies, sourdough discard monster cookies, and this collection of sourdough Christmas cookie recipes as the holidays are coming up!
Share these delicious treats with a pumpkin lover in your life, or keep them all to yourself, I won’t judge!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Sourdough discard – It’s always nice to have a good lineup of discard recipes like this one for leftover starter, especially if you are an avid sourdough baker. Check out this post for a collection of healthy sourdough discard recipes you’ll love!
Simple – No fancy tools or equipment is needed for this cookie recipe! It is easy to make, and requires only simple pantry staples.
Flavorful – My favorite thing about this recipe is the added tang from the sourdough starter mixed with the decadent warm spices. These little cookies are packed with delicious pumpkin flavor!
Ingredients
Pumpkin pie spice – You can find pre-made pumpkin pie spice at the store. You can also make your own blend by combining spices like cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice.
Butter – If you would like, you can substitute ghee or homemade ghee. Just make sure the ghee is chilled before creaming it with the sugar.
Vanilla extract – Making your own homemade vanilla extract is simple and takes any dessert to the next level. It also makes a great gift coming up on the holiday season.
Pumpkin puree – Pumpkin puree from the grocery store or homemade fresh pumpkin puree will work for this recipe. Be sure to use pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling.
Sourdough discard – Discard or active starter will both work for this recipe. If you are new to sourdough, learn how to make your own sourdough starter in this post to get started on your journey.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
How to Make Sourdough Pumpkin Cookies
Step 1: In a small-medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, 1 ½ tsp of the pumpkin pie spice, and the baking soda until combined. Set aside.
Step 2: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, and ¼ cup of the white sugar for about 1 minute.
Step 3: Whisk in the egg and egg yolk, and the vanilla until combined.
Step 4: Stir in the pumpkin puree and sourdough discard until well combined.
Step 5: Fold in the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until everything is just combined and the cookie dough has formed. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 – 3 hours or up to overnight.
Step 6: When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Mix together the remaining ¼ cup sugar and 1 tsp of pumpkin pie spice until combined.
Step 7: Divide the cookie dough evenly between 12 dough discs, and roll each ball/disc into the sugar mixture, then place on the baking sheet.
Step 8: Bake cookies for 12 – 14 minutes or until the cookie has spread evenly, the edges are golden brown, and the middle is still slightly soft.
Step 9: Let cool for about 10 minutes on the pan, then transfer to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Tips
- If making homemade pumpkin puree, drain any excess liquid before adding it to the bowl.
- Be sure to mix the dough carefully and not over mix to avoid tough cookies.
- Use cooled browned butter instead of simply melted butter to elevate and add a richer nutty flavor to these cookies.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, active starter or discard will work for this recipe.
Store baked cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for 3 – 4 days.
These sourdough pumpkin cookies have a slight sourdough tang that we all know and love without being overpowering. This recipe will develop a deeper flavor the longer the dough sits in the fridge.
More Pumpkin Recipes from the Farmhouse
- Sourdough Pumpkin Coffee Cake
- Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Pumpkin Ice Cream
- Pumpkin Pie from Scratch
- Sourdough Pumpkin Bread
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love it if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone.
Easy Sourdough Pumpkin Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice, divided
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- 1 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup white sugar, divided
- 1 egg + 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup pumpkin puree
- ⅓ cup sourdough discard
Instructions
- In a small-medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, 1 ½ tsp of the pumpkin pie spice, and the baking soda until combined. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, and ¼ cup of the white sugar for about 1 minute.
- Whisk in the egg and egg yolk, and the vanilla until combined.
- Stir in the pumpkin puree and sourdough discard until well combined.
- Fold in the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until everything is just combined and the cookie dough has formed. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 – 3 hours or up to overnight.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix together the remaining ¼ cup sugar and 1 tsp of pumpkin pie spice until combined.
- Divide the cookie dough evenly between 12 dough discs, and roll each ball/disc into the sugar mixture, then place on the baking sheet.
- Bake cookies for 12 – 14 minutes or until the cookie has spread evenly, the edges are golden brown, and the middle is still slightly soft.
- Let cool for about 10 minutes on the pan, then transfer to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Notes
- Please double check amounts when using the multiplying feature in the recipe card.
- If making homemade pumpkin puree, drain any excess liquid before adding it to the bowl.
- Be sure to mix the dough carefully and not over mix to avoid tough cookies.
- Use cooled browned butter instead of simply melted butter to elevate and add a richer nutty flavor to these cookies.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
10/10 cookies! I went with the brown butter and the result was excellent.
Can these be long fermented?
Tried softened room temperature butter, instead of brown melted and cooled butter to play around with a chewier texture, but this means I opted out of that nice nut flavor. My cookies came out super fluffy and soft. The recepie yeiled closer to 24 cookies for me. I left the dough in the fridge overnight, which made it very easy to work with in the morning. The cookies smell like classical American Fall. I can’t get over it. The flavor is even better. The pumpkin and sourdough come through creating a warm and not over sweet inside to the cookies. This combinded with the sweet sugar and pumkin spice outside/crust is incredible. So don’t skip on that sugar and spice coating for a perfect balance.
I give the recepie a 5 star rating. The recepies on this website are realible and deliver time and again. Kudos, Lisa, for your hard and thoughtful work.