Zestful Kitchen Bakes The Best Pumpkin Cookies for Fall

Portable, fun to make, easy to gift, and open to countless flavor variations, cookies are everyone's favorite sweet treat. In the test kitchen's first all-cookie book, The Perfect Cookie, we've created a one-stop shop for every cookie recipe you could want, from simple side-of-the-saucer snacks like Shortbread Cookies to intricate treats like Italian Rainbow Cookies and holiday cookies like Peppermint Candy Canes. Each of the 250 recipes are kitchen-tested to not only work, but to exceed expectations every time. And with almost 25 years of experience baking cookies and bars of all kinds, we've also provided all the tips and tricks for executing perfect cookies every time.

The fall baking season has begun for Lauren from Zestful Kitchen. One of the first items on her list? The Pumpkin Pecan Cookies from our newest release, The Perfect Cookie.

"This pumpkin cookie recipe spiked my curiosity immediately for its unique pumpkin-concentrating method," Lauren writes. "[America's Test Kitchen's] pressing method was unlike anything I had seen before and I was curious to give it a try. Plus, what’s more seasonal than a pumpkin cookie?"

For a pumpkin cookie that was crisp and shortbread-like, and that baked up with a flat surface that we could coat with a flavorful glaze, we had to figure out a way to remove the excess liquid from pumpkin puree, which accounts for pumpkin cookies baking up cakey and dense. We landed on a unique method that removes moisture without adding heat: We spread the canned puree thin on the underside of a baking sheet and soaked up excess moisture with paper towels until 1 cup of puree reduced all the way down to ⅓ cup. Adding this paste to the dough resulted in a fine crumb once the cookies we baked.

The cookies received rave reviews. “These Pumpkin-Pecan Cookies are tender, and lightly sweetened with a wonderfully nutty note," Lauren wrote. "Made with a pumpkin paste and seasoned with cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger, these pumpkin cookies are the perfect fall treat. From start to finish, America’s Test Kitchen really thought of it all when it comes to cookie baking.”

What’s your favorite cookie? Let us know in the comments! For the recipe for Pumpkin Pecan Cookies, read Lauren's post. And for more from The Perfect Cookie, read these posts:

• Talking “The Perfect Cookie” with Project Editor Sacha Madadian
• The Best Back-To-School Gift for Teachers? A Tin Full of Delicious Cookies
• Treats SF Bakes Classic Coconut Tea Cookies
• Butter Loves Company Makes Deceptively Simple Sandwich Cookies