Pumpkin Swirl Sugar Cookies

This best pumpkin cookie recipe includes chocolate chips and marshmallows. It’s my favorite seasonal pumpkin recipe!  This is the best pumpkin cookie recipe.

pumpkin cookie recipeMy sis-in-law has been making daily trips to the chiropractor.  Which is super duper crappy… for her.  For me, it’s been not so bad, because I volunteered to spend my afternoons with her kindergartener {Hubs calls him Happy Man} and let me tell you, he is a character.

This is the same kid who, two years ago, gave me the full on Ralphie wink-mouthclick-doublefingerguns move.  What do you say to a three year old who does this?!  {P.S. If you don’t get this reference, may I suggest watching this hysterical Christmas movie.  And getting out more.}

The first day I picked him up, we had an interesting conversation which began with this comment from the back seat, “So, how’s your brakes?”

**crickets chirping**  Ummm…

pumpkin cookie recipe

“Fine, thanks.  How are yours?”  He then regaled me with stories of changing brakes.  This kid and his dad, and my husband, changed the brakes on both families cars one day.  It was months ago, but he remembers it like it was yesterday.  “Yours were so bad, we had to take the whole wheel off!”  {replace the rotor}

The second day, we came up with words that start with the letter “J” as we drove home.  Aunt Jen.  Jellybeans.  Jumprope.  After lunch, I reminded him that pushing in his chair was a necessity, because the dog would certainly jump up on the table and eat his brownie.  And, as we all know, chocolate is poison for dogs, so we have to watch out for that.

“I’m glad I’m not a dog.  Because then I wouldn’t be able to eat chocolate.”  Hmm.  Me too, now that I think about it.  “But if I was a dog, I could run fast.”

I mean, it’s something to consider.

pumpkin cookie recipe

After lunch, Happy Man helped me whip up some pumpkin sugar cookie dough.  Here are some actual phrases spoken during this activity.  I’ll just leave it up to you to decide which of us said which phrase.

“That pumpkin looks like throw up.”
“We never pack the flour down.”
“I don’t need to wash my hands.  I licked them clean.”
“Can we taste test?”

The truly disappointing part about this was how long the dough has to chill.  You just can’t get away with an hour or two in the fridge.  It needs several hours, preferably overnight.  An eternity to a 5-year old.  I told him we could eat our cookies after school the following day.  He did not seem pleased.

pumpkin cookie recipe

Perhaps this is a good time to insert a brief note about my style.  I’m not a perfectionist AT. ALL., as my husband is so fond of reminding me.  I’m sure there is a good way to make this cookie look like a perfect spiral.  If you used smaller chocolate chips and marshmallows, it would roll easier and keep it’s shape better.  It might even look like it was out of a magazine.

I’m sure in part because I have no gift for making food look fussy and gorgeous, my recipes tend to have a quick-and-dirty kind of rough look to them.  This cookie does not look like a perfect spiral, and I like that.  There are big chunks of chocolate a marshmallow peeking out, and I like that too.  It is not my goal to use this blog to create an idyllic world that the everyday home cook has little time/patience/skill for.  This is an everyday cookie that anyone can make.  Make it as pretty or as ugly as you want.

I like them ugly.

And so does Happy Man.

printable gift tag{Get the Pumpkin Swirl Sugar Cookie gift tag here}

 

 

 

More pumpkin recipes you’ll love!

pumpkin krispiesPumpkin Spice Krispies pumpkin-chiffon-pie-3Pumpkin Chiffon Pie pumpkin-roll-bars-9Pumpkin Roll Bars

 

4.8 from 5 reviews
Pumpkin Swirl Sugar Cookies
 
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A pumpkin spice sugar cookie with chocolate chips and marshmallows.
Author:
Recipe type: Cookies
Serves: 5 dozen
Ingredients
  • 1 cup shortening
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • ½ tsp. nutmeg
  • ½ tsp. ginger
  • 5 cups flour (+ more for rolling)
  • chocolate chips (I used bittersweet)
  • mini marhsmallows
Instructions
  1. Cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs, pumpkin, and vanilla, and mix well.
  2. Add salt, soda, baking powder, and spices and mix well. Add flour and mix until combined.
  3. Wrap dough tightly in plastic and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
  4. Divide dough into three equal sections. Place one section on a floured surface, and roll into a rectangle, about ¼" thick.
  5. Spread chocolate chips and marshmallows onto dough *(see note). Starting on a long side, roll dough into a log.
  6. Slice log into generous 1" slices, and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-11 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned.
  7. Repeat with remaining dough sections.
Notes
I did not specify an amount for the chocolate chips or marshmallows, because you can use as much as you want. I found that it was tough to roll them and keep them together with lots of chips and marshmallows, so used around 1-2 handfuls of each. Is that exact enough?

pumpkin cookie recipe

pumpkin recipe

36 thoughts on “Pumpkin Swirl Sugar Cookies”

  3. Heidi

    Thanks for visiting me and commenting at OneCreativeMommy.com. I’d love it if you linked up some of your great ideas at One Creative Weekend on my site. The party is open Fridays-Wednesdays every week. Hope to see you there!

    I’m excited to check out your great site!

    Reply ↓
  7. kitchenriffs

    I’m with Happy Man – I like them ugly too! As long as they taste good, who cares how they look? Yeah, yeah, we’re food bloggers and are supposed to have beautifully stylized photos, but I figure if the food is good enough to eat, it’s good enough to photograph. Very funny post – thanks.

    Reply ↓

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  12. Miz Helen

    Hi Jen,
    We would love your Pumpkin Swirl sugar Cookies, they look delicious. Enjoy your weekend and thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
    Come Back Soon!
    Miz Helen

    Reply ↓
  13. Nancy @ gottagetbaked

    Lol how freaking adorable is Happy Man? And what a smart kid. I literally laughed out loud when I read “that pumpkin looks like throw-up.” My favourite line of his – hands down. The one about licking his hands clean is a very close second. These cookies look beautiful – I’m with you, I’m not a perfectionist either. I could polish off a dozen of these and like Happy Man, would’ve found it hard to wait a whole day too before eating them!

    Reply ↓
  15. Michelle

    Yum! These look delicious. I love anything Pumpkin. Thanks so much for linking up to Creative Thursday. Can’t wait to see what you share this week! Have a wonderful week.
    Michelle

    Reply ↓
  16. Catherine

    Dear Jen, these cookies look positively delightful! I just came by from the Gooseberry Patch! You have a beautiful blog…and aside from the delicious recipes, I also love this script font…very pretty touch. Please do visit soon. Blessings, Catherine

    Reply ↓

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  20. Holly Morales

    These look amazing! I LOVE sugar cookies and pumpkin…and baking…and could probably go on. Just found your page and I just know I’ll be pinning recipes like crazy. Thank you for the cute story. I love reading little back stories to recipes and projects. :o)

    Reply ↓

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  26. Maria A.

    These sound wonderful. I’m surprised that the marshmallows don’t melt into nothingness. Being the basically lazy person that I am, I think I’d just mix in the marshmallows and chocolate chips and call it a day. The whole refrigeration and rolling it out part doesn’t do it for me.

    Reply ↓

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