Pumpkin Butter Swirl Cookies

Adapted from Eric Kim at the New York Times’ “Gochujang Caramel Cookies”, these cookies are a great autumn version of a classic sugar or snickerdoodle cookie.

10 cookies

Ingredients

For the swirl:

• 1 tbsp butter, at room temperature (14g)

• 2 tbsp pumpkin butter, at room temperature (46g)

• 1 tsp pumpkin spice or cinnamon

• 1-2 tsp all purpose flour (as needed)

For the cookies:

• 7 tbsp butter, at room temperature (98g)

• 1 cup granulated sugar (200g)

• 1 large egg, at room temperature (50g)

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

• 1 tsp pumpkin spice or cinnamon

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (185g)

Directions

1. Make the swirl: In a small bowl, mix the 1 tbsp butter, pumpkin butter, and pumpkin spice together. Add 1 or 2 tsp of flour if the mixture seems runny (it should be the consistency of natural peanut butter).

2. Make the cookie dough: In a large bowl, add the remaining 7 tbsp butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla. Using a rubber spatula, smear all the ingredients together and then mix vigorously until light and fluffy looking, about 2 minutes. Stir in the baking soda, salt, pumpkin spice, and flour until no dry spots remain. Dollop 3 blobs of the swirl mixture over the dough. Mix once or twice with the rubber spatula to just barely swirl it in (do not overmix). Refrigerate dough for 15 minutes.

3. Bake the cookies: Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350F with a rack set in the middle. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat. Once dough has rested, using a 1/4 cup ice cream scoop (or just estimate with a big spoon), plop out 5 evenly-spaced mounds of the cookie dough onto the baking sheet (you can smear a little more pumpkin butter onto the tops of the cookies if any don’t look streaky enough). Bake for 12-13 minutes, until the edges of the cookie are golden and feel firm while the center looks soft and maybe just slightly underbaked. Remove cookies from oven and let them cool completely on the baking sheet. Transfer to a plate or container once cool. Repeat to make the second batch. Cookies are best eaten within 2 days, after which they tend to dry out.