Butternut Squash Cookies (Pumpkin Cookies)

These fall favorite pumpkin cookies are made with freshly roasted butternut squash puree, perfect for the foreseen canned pumpkin shortage!

These cookies are famous (or should I say…infamous) in my family. Let me tell you a bit about them: basically October 1 every year we decide it’s time for pumpkin cookies. And we make them. And make them. And make them. Through all the cold winter months to keep us warm fat (or something). We have been making them for years from an old church cookbook. It’s pretty easy to remember because it’s mostly “one of everything.” The batch is always a double batch. The icing gets eaten from the bowl sometimes. And they’re always gone very, very quickly.

I traded up in this recipe and made some cookies that were truly next level. The secrets? Use alllll the pumpkin pie spices, instead of just cinnamon. AND: fresh roasted butternut squash purée in place of canned pumpkin.

You heard me. Did you know that most canned pumpkin is actually butternut squash? And that jack-o-lantern pumpkins are not actually very tasty if you try and eat them? And the canned pumpkin from Libby is a variation of squash that actually looks a whole lot like a butternut? And that the very same company is saying there may be a canned pumpkin SHORTAGE?! It’s all true!! Roasting the squash and puréeing it for later was perfect. I even just threw it into the freezer for a few days until I was ready to go! Plus, I got a great deal on a bunch of squash at the farmers market.

These cookies are definite crowd-pleasers: They’re puffy like muffin tops. Puffy pumpkin pillows. With alliteration like that, you know it’s got to be good.

This recipe was also the very first one I photographed with my new camera. And let me tell you…it is not just the camera that makes the photographer! It’s much harder work than I was expecting, and I’m still working through the learning curve. Luckily, I have tons of starting help from my awesome blog friend Nagi. She has put out this AHMAZING ebook, called The Food Photography Book. It’s perfect for what I need, which are the basic basic basics! It’s over 180 pages of complete awesome. I’ve been reading them all during my lunch breaks, and printed out the cheat sheet for shutter speeds and f-stops and use it for every shoot. I hope you can learn as much as I am from her. I can only hope my skills will continue to improve under her guidance! Disclosure: I will receive a percentage of her book sales as an affiliate if you buy her book through the links on my page.

What kinds of cookies are holiday favorites in your house? And have YOU bought Nagi’s book yet?

5 from 2 votes

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Pumpkin (Butternut Squash) Cookies

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 40 +

Author 918 Plate

Ingredients

Cookies

• 1 C. shortening
• 1 C. sugar
• 1 C. roasted butternut squash puree
• 1 egg
• 1 t. vanilla
• 2 C. flour
• 1 t. baking powder
• 1 t. baking soda
• 1 t. cinnamon
• 1/4 t. allspice
• 1/4 t. nutmeg

Icing

• 1 8 oz package cream cheese
• ½ stick butter
• 2 t. vanilla
• 1 lb powdered sugar

Instructions

1. Cream shortening, adding sugar until mixture is smooth.
2. Add pumpkin, egg, vanilla
3. Mix in all dry ingredients.
4. Drop by teaspoons on to cookie sheet, bake at 375 for 10 to 15 minutes.
5. Mix it all together, until it makes icing!

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