Pumpkin Spice Butter Cookies

^{This post has been sponsored by Tipperary Irish Cheddar Cheese and Butter. All opinions expressed are my own.}

With the arrival of autumn and Halloween, that means it's time for all things pumpkin - especially pumpkin spice. And today's cookies capture that essence perfectly. From their adorable pumpkin shape to their pumpkin spice and chocolate flavor, these cookies capture the delicious beauty of the season. However, what really transforms these simple pumpkin spice cookies into something special is the use of Tipperary Irish butter, whose rich and creamy texture and pure milky flavor elevate every bite. Celebrate Halloween this year with the buttery taste of Ireland.

Today's Pumpkin Spice Butter Cookies bring together American autumn tradition - and flavors - with the superb Irish dairy craftsmanship of Tipperary. The result is tender, melt-in-your-mouth cookies featuring a blend of chocolatey goodness, buttery richness, and warm autumn spices.

Now, without further introduction, let's get to it.

What to Expect - Recipe Overview

Taste and Texture

A balanced combination of rich and buttery, carrying warm autumn spices. Our Tipperary Irish Butter Cookies feature an incredibly tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture, with a far more luxurious mouthfeel than what you can create using standard butter. The cookies feature a crisp edge, which gives way to a tender crumb interior. In terms of flavor, these cookies are unabashed in their warming mix of pumpkin spice and chocolate. These are also perfect for your Halloween party!

Difficulty Level

Beginner-friendly, by baking standards. This recipe requires no special equipment - only basic mixing bowls and cookie cutters. This recipe does, however, involve tempering chocolate, but even so, that step is entirely optional. The key to success, for this recipe, lies in proper temperature and not overmixing the dough, both of which we'll touch on more later.

Preparation Process

• Total Time: About two hours from start to finish.
• Mixing: The recipe starts off with bringing together a dough from the ingredients listed below.
• Chill: Once the dough is formed, we chill the dough in the fridge.
• Roll and Cut: After the dough is chilled, we roll it out and cut the cookies.
• Bake: We bake the cookies in batches.
• Decorate: Once the cookies are fully baked, we decorate them with chocolate. This step is optional.

Perfect Pairings

• Warm Beverages: Coffee would be my go-to. Tea or warm spiced cider would also be delicious.
• Other Desserts: For entertaining, you might consider pairing these cookies with apple crisps, pumpkin bread, or apple pie.

More Pumpkin Goodness

• Pumpkin Spice Muffins: Plump raisins and sweet pecans make my Pumpkin Spice Muffins a quintessential autumn treat that can be enjoyed any time of day.
• Classic Pumpkin Pie: My Classic Pumpkin Pie is a back-to-basics recipe, producing a must-have treat for the autumn season.
• Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls: Pillowy soft cinnamon rolls infused with pumpkin goodness, topped with a cream cheese frosting and cinnamon sugar.

Tipperary Irish Butter Cookies - Ingredient Checklist

For the Cookies

• 8 ounces Tipperary Irish Butter, softened
  • The Butter Matters: This is the star ingredient of the recipe. Tipperary Irish Butter features a silky, ultra-creamy texture and is great for spreading on bread or crackers, or enjoying as is. Tipperary butter is made from only grass-fed cows that have been treated with zero growth hormones. Available at Shop Rite Stores. For today's recipe, Tipperary Irish Butter is how we achieve our cookies' rich texture and buttery flavor.
  • Room Temperature: Remove the butter from the fridge about one to two hours before use. We want the butter soft for optimal mixing and even baking.
• 1 whole egg + 1 egg yolk
  • Extra Yolk: An extra egg yolk adds richness and helps to bind the dough.
  • Room Temperature: I say this a lot, but we want our ingredients to be room temperature. Room temperature eggs mix more easily, combining more uniformly with the softened butter. This means more even distribution, and even distribution means more even baking. Simple.
  • Substitute: Before you ask, yes, your egg substitute of choice will work just fine.
• 1 cup brown sugar
  • Why Brown Sugar: Because light brown sugar not only provides sweetness, but also a molasses depth that really works to complement the pumpkin spice.
  • Pack Tight: When measuring, pack the brown sugar tightly for consistent results. Yes, this does in fact make a difference.
  • Substitute: Dark brown sugar also works. You could also mix white sugar with about one tablespoon of molasses.
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • Pure Vanilla: If you don't mind spending a few extra dollars, I find that pure vanilla extract provides more depth of flavor and really enhances the buttery richness of the cookies. Vanilla just works so well with both pumpkin spice and butter.
  • Which Style to Use? My go-to, for a long time, has been Madagascar vanilla, but any pure vanilla extract will work.
  • Substitute: Almond extra will work, but will change the flavor profile quite a bit. As to imitation vanilla, if that's all you've got on hand, it will work just fine - and will save you a few dollars.
• 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
  • Why all-purpose? For this particular recipe, baking flour will result in cookies that are too fragile, while bread flour will result in hard, tough cookies. Thus, all-purpose flour is what we're using.
  • Rule of Flour: As a rule, always assume a recipe uses all-purpose flour unless it specifically calls for either bread flour or baking flour.
  • Don't Pack: Scoop the flour into your measuring cup, then level it off. Do not pack it into the measuring cup. Yes, this is in contrast to the brown sugar.
  • Substitute: As always, your gluten-free flour of choice will get the job done, but may change the flavor ever so slightly.
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • Leavening: Gives the cookies some slight lift, which in turn imparts them with a tender texture, but without turning them cakey.
  • Baking Powder Expires: As I always suggest, check the expiration date on your baking powder. Expired baking powder provides less lift.
  • Essential: Just to emphasize, the baking powder is essential for getting the texture right. You cannot omit it.
• Pinch of salt
  • Binds the flavors: A pinch of salt works to enhance all of the flavors, while also helping to bind them together.
  • Just a pinch: We're only looking for about ¼ of a teaspoon of salt.

For the Toppings:

• ⅓ cup granulated sugar, for sprinkling
  • Note: For sprinkling. Do so while the cookies are warm to ensure the sugar adheres.
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice mix
  • Our Signature Blend: Our pumpkin pie spice is a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and cloves. Mixing your own is so easy and allows you to tailor the ingredients to suit your palate.
  • Substitute: Naturally, your preferred brand of pumpkin spice will get the job done just fine and save you some time.
• ⅓ cup milk or white chocolate for decorating
  • Decent Quality: Use a decent quality chocolate so that it melts smoothly for clean piping lines.
  • Substitute: Yes, you can indeed use white chocolate, which will provide a beautiful contrast to the cookies. Dark chocolate would also work well.

Pro Tips for Perfect Results

Butter Temperature is Important

The Tipperary Irish Butter should be just soft enough to leave a fingerprint when pressed, but not melted or overly soft. This texture creates the ideal, creamy texture in your finished cookies and will spread evenly when mixing the dough.

Room Temperature Ingredients

I say this every chance I get, and I'm saying it again now. Bake with room temperature ingredients. Yes, it makes a big difference. Room temperature ingredients allow for easier and more even mixing, as well as more even baking.

Chill the Dough

Do not skip chilling the dough. Chilled dough cuts cleanly and holds its shape during baking. If you want nicely shaped cookies, chill your dough.

Even Baking

Every oven has hot spots and cool spots. There's no escaping this. Thus, to achieve even baking, rotate your cookie sheets about halfway through baking.

Spice Timing

You want to apply the pumpkin spice while the cookies are warm. This ensures that it will adhere to the cookies and helps draw the flavor out of the spice and into the cookies themselves.

Print

And those are our Pumpkin Spice Butter Cookies, courtesy of Tipperary dairy products. If you enjoyed this recipe, or have any questions or suggestions, be sure to let us know in the comments below. We always love hearing from you.

Happy Baking!

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