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Sourdough pumpkin cookies combine the nutritional benefits of sourdough with the rich, cozy flavors of pumpkin spice. They’re a great way to use your sourdough discard to create a tasty fall treat that everyone will love. Whether you’re a pumpkin lover or just looking for a creative spin on classic cookies, these are sure to become a favorite recipe!

I don’t know about you, but I’m SO ready for the fall baking to commence and these soft and spicy pumpkin cookies seemed like the perfect place to start. Pumpkin is one of my favorite flavors to mix with sourdough because the mild sweetness of pumpkin blends perfectly with the sourdough tang. If you’re craving cookies, don’t forget to try my famous sourdough chocolate chip cookies!

Table of Contents

Why You’ll Love These Pumpkin Cookies

Fall Flavors: The warm spices of pumpkin pie spice combined with real pumpkin purée make these cookies the perfect fall treat.
Sourdough Benefits: Using a sourdough starter discard adds a probiotic culture, lowers the glycemic index, and reduces phytic acid, making these cookies healthier than traditional cookies. Add a long ferment to your cookies for better sourdough benefits or bake right away.
SO Soft: These cookies are incredibly soft and palatable. I couldn’t stop with one. These cookies have a slight cake like texture, so think less chewy and more squish.

Why Use Sourdough Discard?

If you hang around here long enough, you’ll see that I bake a LOT of sourdough discard recipes. I make everything from sourdough discard granola bars, to sourdough pop tarts AND my favorite sourdough discard churros!

Why take the time to incorporate sourdough discard into my everyday recipes?

Well, as a nurse and a mom, I prioritize eating REAL, unprocessed foods. Our family avoids foods that are packaged, full of preservatives and non-fermented grains because we want to avoid the many chronic illnesses that have been linked to eating highly processed foods. (Source).

Sourdough has many astounding health properties. First, the fermentation properties of sourdough help to break down phytic acid in the grains it’s combined with.

Phytic acid is the major storage form of phosphorus in our foods. It occurs naturally in many grains but unfortunately, studies have found that it is also the major cause of food malabsorption in many individuals!Source

Baking with sourdough can help to break down the phytic acid that contributes to abdominal inflammation and malabsorption. Sourdough discard recipes have fermentation properties, however, if you don’t give the starter some time to ferment the grains, the phytic acid won’t break down as completely as recipes that proof overnight.

Tips and Tricks for Pumpkin Cookies

Blot The Pumpkin Puree: If you don’t take the time to blot your pumpkin puree, it can make this batter too thin and the texture won’t be right. Be sure to absorb that extra moisture for best results!
Use Room Temperature Ingredients: For the best results, make sure your butter and eggs are at room temperature before starting. This helps the cookie dough come together smoothly.
Long Ferment the Dough: To enhance the sourdough flavor and add additional fermentation benefits, wrap the cookie dough in plastic wrap and let it chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes but up to 3 days.
Don’t Overmix: After combining the dry and wet ingredients, avoid overmixing, which can lead to tough cookies.

Supplies

Large mixing bowl
Medium bowl
Small bowl for dry ingredients
Hand mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment
Wooden spoon or rubber spatula
Parchment paper for prepared baking sheets
Cookie scoop or ice cream scoop
Wire rack for cooling
Ziploc bag for storage

Ingredients:

Canned pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
Sourdough Discard
All-purpose flour
Baking powder
Baking soda
Salt
Pumpkin pie spice
Ground cinnamon
Ground ginger
Butter, room temperature
Light or dark brown sugar (I use and recommend dark)
Granulated sugar
Egg (room temperature)
Pure maple syrup
Pure vanilla extract
Powdered Sugar
Cream Cheese

Step-by-Step Instructions

Blot the pumpkin.

Using absorbent paper towels, gently blot the pumpkin puree. I like to line a bowl with paper towels and scoop the pumpkin into it. Then I let it sit for a few minutes to absorb extra moisture. Before adding, I blot the top with additional paper towels. After blotting you should have roughly 1 cup of pumpkin puree.

2. Preheat Oven to 350

Line baking sheets with parchment paper, set aside.

3. Whisk dry ingredients. You need flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and ground ginger. Pumpkin pie spice already contains cinnamon and ginger, but I like adding more of both for depth of flavor.

4. Mix the wet ingredients. You’ll need a stand mixer for this recipe. Cream the butter and sugars together, then add the egg. Next add sourdough discard, a little vanilla extract, and your blotted pumpkin. Mixture will look a little curdled at this point which is expected.

5. Mix the dry and wet ingredients together. This dough is thick and sticky, so I strongly recommend using a cookie scoop. This is the only way to get a uniform, smooth-looking cookie.

6. Long Ferment (Optional): For the best results, cover the cookie dough with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes but preferably up to 3 days. This step helps the flavors develop and reaps the best sourdough benefits.

7. Bake until the edges appear set. Bake cookies at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and let the cookies cool on a wire rack. Allow the cookies to cool completely before icing

8. Prepare the icing. Icing is optional, but I recommend it. It’s a bit of a sticky icing so keep that in mind if you plan to transport. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine cream cheese, cream, maple syrup, powdered sugar and cinnamon. Mix until a drippy glaze forms. You can drizzle on the cookies OR dip like I did. I may have eaten a few of these while continually dipping in a bowl of icing. No judgment here!

8. Cool and Store

Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-4 days, or freeze in a Ziploc bag for longer storage.

These soft and chewy sourdough pumpkin cookies are the perfect fall treat, bringing together the comforting flavors of pumpkin spice and the unique tang of sourdough discard. Whether you’re new to sourdough discard recipes or a seasoned pro, these cookies are a delicious way to celebrate the flavors of fall!

Sourdough Pumpkin Spice Cookies With Maple Icing

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Author: thesourdoughartisan
Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 2 dozen 1x

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Instructions

Blot The Pumpkin Puree

Add 1 cup of pumpkin puree to a bowl lined with paper towel. Let it sit for a few minutes to absorb extra moisture. Before adding to stand mixer, blot the top with additional paper towels. After blotting you should have roughly 1 cup of pumpkin puree, possibly a bit less which is fine.

Preheat Oven to 350

Line baking sheets with parchment paper, set aside.

Whisk dry ingredients. Combine 3 cups AP flour, 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, 1 and 1/2 ground cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon ginger. Whisk until well incorporated.

Mix the wet ingredients. Cream 3/4 cup softened butter, 1 cup brown sugar, and 3/4 cup granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and combine. Next add 1/2 cup sourdough discard, 1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract, and roughly 1 cup of blotted pumpkin puree. The mixture will look a little curdled at this point which is expected.

Mix the dry and wet ingredients together. Use the paddle attachment of your stand mixer to mix the dry ingredients into the wet until just incorporated. Do not overmix. This dough is thick and sticky, so I strongly recommend using a cookie scoop. This is the only way to get a uniform, smooth-looking cookie.

Long Ferment (Optional): For the best results, cover the cookie dough with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes but preferably up to 3 days. This step helps the flavors develop and reaps the best sourdough benefits.

Bake until the edges appear set. Bake cookies at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Cookies should be slightly crispy on the edges but soft in the center. Remove from oven and let the cookies cool on a wire rack. Allow the cookies to cool completely before icing

Prepare the icing. Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat 3 ounces of softened cream cheese in a medium bowl on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy. Beat in the 2 TBS butter until combined. Add 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar, 2 TBS maple syrup, and pinch of cinnamon. Beat on low speed until smooth and creamy. Drizzle or dip cookies in icing.

Cool and Store