These pumpkin spice cookies are good. Really good. They are powdered sugar-dusted nuggets of goodness with tender, golden insides. I adapted them from a very basic recipe for polvorones, which I have always known as Mexican wedding cookies, a simple, not-too-sweet shortbread-like cookie made with nuts and no leavener.
Polvorones usually call for a good amount of butter, but I cut the butter in half in order to incorporate pumpkin purée. I also swapped in coconut oil for the remaining butter (since I like the taste and coconut goes well with pumpkin) and ended up with vegan cookies. The cookies are a little less crumbly than their all-butter counterparts, but I loved them nonetheless. Don’t have coconut oil? Go for butter instead. Either way, definitely make these cookies.
Pumpkin Polvorones (Mexican Wedding Cookies)
Polvorones are also known as Mexican wedding cookies—this pumpkin-flavored twist on the classic recipe is the perfect treat for fall. These tender and nutty whole wheat pumpkin pecan cookies are so simple to make. They’re vegan if you use coconut oil instead of butter, but if you are a butter lover or if that is all you have on hand, go with the butter. Little hands might like to help roll the dough into balls. I daresay these cookies might be better on day two. Recipe yields 18 to 24 cookies.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Lightly toast the pecans in a skillet over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, under they are nice and fragrant. Remove from heat. You can either use a food processor to finely chop the pecans (about 10 pulses should do it, don’t blend so well that you end up with pecan butter) or finely chop the pecans with a chef’s knife on a cutting board (let the pecans cool until they’re comfortable to touch before chopping).
- In a large bowl, beat the coconut oil or butter, pumpkin purée, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, allspice and salt with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Gradually add the chopped pecans and flour, beating on low speed after each addition until well blended.
- Using a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop or your hands, shape the dough into 1-inch balls (if using a scoop, roll each ball between your palms to smooth out the edges). Place the cookies on the baking sheet, leaving about 1 ½-inch space around each cookie (the cookies will not expand in size).
- Bake for 14 to 15 minutes, until the bottoms of cookies are lightly browned. Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet. Pour the powdered sugar into a small bowl and roll the warm cookies liberally to coat in powdered sugar. Taste, and if the cookies aren’t quite sweet enough to delight, roll them again in powdered sugar. Let the cookies cool on a wire rack.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Kraft’s recipe for Mexican wedding cookies.
Make it vegan: Be sure to use the coconut oil instead of regular butter.
Nutrition
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