Pumpkin Patch Cookies
Sometimes inspiration comes from the most unexpected places. For these Pumpkin Patch Cookies, it came from the six years I spent running my wax melt business, The Scented Squirrel. One of my fall bakery-style scents was called Cookies at the Pumpkin Patch, which blended Snickerdoodle with Vanilla Pumpkin Marshmallow. When I started baking, I thought it would be fun to bring that fall fragrance to life as something you could actually eat. I also plan to create more recipes inspired by some of my other bakery-inspired scent blends.
These cookies are my edible interpretation of that fragrance. I started with a soft pumpkin snickerdoodle thumbprint cookie that is rolled in a fragrant blend of vanilla sugar, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and cardamom before baking. Each cookie is then finished with a dollop of marshmallow frosting in the center.
I love that something I once created as a scent has found its way into my baking years later, bringing together two creative chapters of my life.
Pumpkin Patch Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
2¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg yolk
⅓ cup pumpkin puree
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Cinnamon-Spice Sugar
¼ cup vanilla sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
⅛ teaspoon ground cardamom
Marshmallow Frosting
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup marshmallow fluff
Instructions
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and cardamom. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and creamy, about 2–3 minutes.
Beat in the egg yolk, pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract until well combined.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture, mixing just until a soft dough forms. Be careful not to overmix.
Cover and refrigerate the dough for 1–2 hours
While the dough is chilling, beat the softened butter with a mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla extract. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar, ½ cup at a time. Once all the powdered sugar has been incorporated, beat on high speed for 2–3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Gently fold the marshmallow fluff into the frosting by hand. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, combine the vanilla sugar, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and cardamom.
Scoop approximately 1 tablespoon of dough and roll it into a ball. Then roll each ball in the cinnamon-spice sugar, then arrange the cookies about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
Using the back of a ¼-teaspoon measuring spoon, make an indentation in the center of each dough ball.
Bake for 9–11 minutes, or until the edges are set but the centers are still soft. The cookies may puff slightly while baking.
After removing the cookies from the oven, carefully use the back of the ¼-teaspoon measuring spoon to re-form the indentations if they have puffed up during baking.
Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Once the cookies are completely cool, spoon the marshmallow frosting into the center of each cookie.
Makes 30–36 cookies
