Pumpkin Spice Pinwheel Cookies

Pumpkin Spice Pinwheel Cookies are everything great about fall’s favorite flavor! Soft and chewy with a swirl of pumpkin spice is just the ticket to fall!

Yesterday was Halloween, but you know what now is the perfect time to mix and match all three of the upcoming holidays. Dates don’t matter anymore – just embrace whatever flavors make you happy! So here we are still in fall, but Christmas stuff has completely thrown up everywhere! This is a mash up of a traditional Christmas Cookie with a pumpkin spice twist! The addition of the pumpkin makes these soft and chewy instead of the more traditional pinwheel shortbread texture. But that’s not a bad thing! Actually it’s a perfect blend of cookies in one.

Being a Halloween baby, the love of pumpkin spice is basically ingrained in my DNA. There is no way I could let the fall season continue without posting at least one pumpkin spice recipe. And seeing as I have a whole category dedicated to my love of pumpkin, there is no shortage for you to enjoy, too! 

What You Need to Make This Recipe

The ingredients for this recipe are super simple, as all slice and bake cookies should be. But a few tips and tricks will keep these pristine. 

Pumpkin Cookie Dough Layer

• Butter, room temperature
• Sugar
• Pumpkin Spice
• salt
• Canned Pumpkin – not pumpkin pie filling
• Egg
• Vanilla Extract
• All Purpose Flour

Pumpkin Spice Brown Sugar Swirl Filling

• Brown Sugar
• Egg Yolk
• Pumpkin Spice
• Pumpkin Puree

How to Make Pinwheel Cookies

These cookies don’t follow the typical layered cookie approach, instead using pumpkin spice and brown sugar filling. 

For Cookie Dough

1. In a large bowl, or a bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat together the butter, sugar, teaspoon of pumpkin spice, and salt until light and fluffy on medium speed. After scrapping down the sides of the bowl, next add in the pumpkin puree, egg and vanilla mixing again.
2. Slowly add in the flour and mix together until a dough forms. 
3. Wrap the finished dough in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for about 1 hour. 
4. While the dough is chilling, mix together the pumpkin swirl filling by beating together the remaining half of the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, egg yolk, and pumpkin spice. Set aside. 
5. Roll out the dough between two layers of liberally floured parchment paper into a 15 inch by 10 inch rectangle. You can use a silicone mat as the bottom layer, and parchment for the top if desired. 
6. Spread the filling over the dough, leaving about 1/2 inch at the end of the dough so that you can seal the log. 
7. Roll the dough up from the far end toward you, sealing with a swipe of water on the bare edge of the dough. Wrap the roll of dough in plastic wrap and freeze for at least 6 hours, or overnight before slicing. 

To Bake

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Cut the frozen dough roll into 1/4″ thick slices, placing each cut cookie about 2″ apart on the baking sheet. Bake until the edges are light brown, about 10-12 minutes. Cool on the cookie sheet for 1-2 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely. 
2. To finish, you can drizzle with a pumpkin spice frosting of 1 cup powdered sugar, 2-3 Tablespoons of milk, a pinch of salt, and dash of pumpkin spice. Stir together and drizzle over the cooled cookies. 

Pro Tips for Making This Recipe

There are definitely a couple of tricks to make this cookie recipe perfect. 

Drain your pumpkin puree

What? Yes, not all pumpkin purees are created equal. I used Libby brand for this recipe, but others are much softer. To drain your puree, I recommend measuring out slightly more pumpkin than what the recipe calls for- and lining a bowl with several paper towels. Plop the pumpkin on top of the paper towels and allow it to wick away any additional water or moisture in the pumpkin puree. Then measure out the required amount of pumpkin for the recipe. 

Freeze, Don’t Refrigerate

Because this dough is softer than typical slice and bake cookies, it is a good idea to freeze the dough overnight prior to cutting. A few hours in the refrigerator won’t cut it. 

Frequently Asked Questions 

Why is there no baking powder or baking soda in this recipe?

The pumpkin puree provides enough lift to create a soft and chewy cookie without using additional leaveners like baking powder or baking soda! 

What do you use to roll out cookies?

For these cookies, roll out the dough between two layers of parchment paper. Because the dough is soft, liberally sprinkle the bottom piece of parchment with flour, and the the top of the dough before laying a second piece of parchment on top. Roll it out sandwiched between the parchment so it does not stick to the rolling pin. 

Should I chill these cookies or freeze them before cutting?

Because this dough is much softer than regular pinwheel cookies, I recommend freezing the dough before slicing and baking them. They will hold their shape while cutting much better than if the dough were simply chilled. Cut using a very sharp knife to ensure they cut beautifully. 

Can I decorate these cookies?

Absolutely! I love the frosting drizzle on top. You can also dunk them in a soft frosting. Or prior to cutting the log of cookie dough, you can create multiple variations and roll it in sparking sugar or nonpareils or sprinkles to create an edge of decoration.

More Inspired Homemade Recipes

Vegan Pumpkin Snack Cake

Raspberry Swirl Pound Cake – Starbucks Copycat

Cinnamon Swirl Loaded Breakfast Sandwich

Almond Pinwheel Christmas Cookies

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