These melting moments pumpkin cookies are not only adorable, they also taste amazing, are super soft, and easy to make. They are also a great option for a Fall treat for those who do not like the pumpkin spice flavour. These cookies look like pumpkins but the flavour is similar to that of a sugar cookie.
I made these the other day with my two toddlers. My little ones love baking, but love it even more when we add food colouring, The other bonus with this recipe is it does not use any eggs.
My kids and I had a great time baking these cookies and was a great Fall activity to share together.
How To Make These Cookies
Making the Dough
To make these cookies start by whisking together flour, cornstarch, and salt in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
In a large bowl mix room temperature butter and powdered sugar. You can mix by hand, an electric mixer, or in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment on. Mix until butter and powdered sugar are well combined and smooth. Add in the vanilla extract.
Gradually add in the flour mixture and mix until well combined.
Scoop out 3 tablespoons of dough and place in a separate smaller bowl, this will be for the stems of the pumpkins. Add in the green food colouring and mix until well combined. Gradually add in more green food colouring until the get the colour you desire. Set aside.
In the large bowl add in the yellow and red food colouring to make the orange pumpkin colour. If you have orange food colouring on hand you can just use that, but most food colouring sets do not come with orange. Keep adding in more yellow and red until you get the desired orange colour. I find you want to add two parts yellow to one part red to get a nice orange colour. Mix well so all dough is coloured evenly.
Shaping The Cookies
To shape the pumpkin cookies scoop out 1 and 1/2 tablespoons worth of the orange dough. In your hands roll into a smooth ball. Gently squish the dough to flatten slightly. Using your thumb and index finger squish the dough on parallel sides to great an oval. Place on a lined baking sheet.
To form the pumpkin lines use the rounded portion of a fork press it into the cookie four times.Two on the left side and turn the fork and make two indents on the right side.
Pinch off a portion of the green dough, shape into a stem and press it against the top side of the cookie.
Continue these steps with the remaining dough until all the pumpkin cookies are formed. Place cookies 2 inches apart on the baking sheet.
Bake for 11-13 minutes at 350F or until cookies are golden brown on the bottom. Let cookies cool for 5 minutes on the pan before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.
Bake them on your own or bake them with your kids, either way I’m sure you’ll love with these Melting Moments Pumpkin Cookies!
If you make these cookies you can tag me on Instagram @jessiebakestreats and please leave me a review below. I’d love to hear from you!
For more ideas you can follow me on Pinterest.
You Might Also Love
- Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes
- Halloween Peanut Butter Spider Cookies
- Jack O’lantern Halloween Focaccia Bread
- Pumpkin Bread with Streusel Topping
- Pumpkin Crinkle Cookies
Melting Moments Pumpkin Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 & 1/2 C all purpose flour
- 1/2 C cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 C unsalted butter room temperature
- 1/2 C powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- red, yellow, and green food colouring
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium sized bowl whisk together flour, cornstarch, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl cream butter and powdered sugar until smooth.
- Add in the vanilla, mix well.
- Gradually add in the flour mixture and mix until well combined.
- Take out 3 tbsp worth of dough and place in separate bowl, this dough will be used for the pumpkin stems. Add in the green food colouring and mix. tart with 1/4 tsp and keep adding more until you get the colour you desire.
- In the large bowl add in the red and yellow food colouring. Start with 1 tsp red and 1/2 tsp yellow. Keep adding more food colouring until you get the orange colour you desire. Make sure the colouring is well mixed into the dough.
- To assemble the pumpkins scoop out 1 & 1/2 tsp of the orange dough. Roll dough in your hands to make it smooth. In your hands, gently push down on the dough to flatten it slightly. Then with your thumb and index finger squish two parallel sides to create an oval shape. Place dough on the cookie sheet.
- To form the pumpkin lines press the rounded section of a fork into the cookie. Do two indents on the right side, then turn fork and to do more indents on the left side (see picture above).
- Pinch of a piece of the green dough and shape into a stem and stick it onto the top of the orange cookie.
- Repeat this with the remaining cookies. Place them 2 inches apart of the baking sheet.
- Bake for 11-13 minutes or until bottoms are golden brown.
- Allow them to cool on the pan completely before moving.
- Enjoy!
Jen
These were so much fun to make! My kids had so much fun shaping the pumpkins and adding the little stems. They absolutely melt in your mouth and are delicious and they are also nice and quick to make. They came out just as described in the recipe.
Jessie M
Thank you for the review Jen! I love hearing that your kids had fun making them!
Jillian
Highly recommend this recipe. I was skeptical at first since I do not normally bake with cornstarch and it is only 6 ingredients, but this makes it even better. It’s simple, fun, and they turn out amazing! It is a great recipe to make with kids and the cookies certainly do melt in your mouth!
Jessie M
Hi Jillian, I'm happy your family enjoyed making and eating these cookies. Thank you so much for the review!
Ali
Fool proof cookies! We successfully baked these (even with the help of 2 toddlers) and they turned out perfectly! Love that they have no egg, so I'm not so worried about inevitable tasting from my helpers. Super cute and festive! Such a great idea
N Dyck
These cookies took me too much time to make. I followed your instructions exactly but the batter was extremely sticky and difficult to form into balls. I had to chill it for awhile before even attempting to form pumpkin shapes. After all this, the baked cookies were so fragile they fell apart when picked up, and to top it all off they were inedible with a strange floury taste. My husband and I each ate one and I threw the rest in the garbage. What a waste of a morning!
Jessie M
Hello, I'm sorry these cookies did not turn out for you. I'm not sure why the batter was so sticky. I have made these cookies and other variety of shapes with this recipe and have not run into this problem.
Katie
These were simple and quick. My son and I enjoyed them… I add about a 1/4 c more sugar. Next time I may try a different vanilla for a stronger flavor. Soft not chewy. Definitely melt away in your mouth. Can’t wait to enjoy this great fall holiday treat with my coffee in the morning 😁
Jessie M
Thank you for trying my recipe. I'm glad you enjoyed them!
Marisa
I've tried this recipe a few times now, they just aren't quite worth the time & effort for me! Super cute, great project for kids at the dough is the exact consistency of play-doh, but I even tried TRIPLING the vanilla and adding extra sugar, and still all I taste is flour. Maybe they'd work with the addition of some chocolate somehow.
Jessie M
I'm sorry you did not enjoy the recipe. Yes, the cookies don't have a strong flavour to them. I do find that my kids and nephews like the flavour. Everyone's tastes are different 🙂