Soft cake-like pumpkin cookies with strong hints of coconut, topped with cream cheese icing.
Cocktail party season is about to ramp up as we gallop into the final months of the year (honestly, can you even believe it's almost November??). In cocktail-speak, this means you wear something a little glitzy without being over-the-top-neon, pull out some strappy shoes, and think about dishes that are just one or two bites. Ideally they wear a little glitz too. As for the drinks, they're festive, creative, and colorful.
To get you all ready for the season, a group of us put together a (virtual) Progressive Eats Cocktail Party. There's an explanation of this group at the bottom of this post!
My contribution to the menu, these little pumpkin cookies, is what happens when the girl next door you've know your whole life gets a makeover from the Kardashians. (I refuse to link the K family, they get plenty of press without me adding to it.)
We know these cookies, we had them as kids. But I decided to add coconut oil to the butter along with a bunch of orange zest and cardamom for an exotic little nibble that melts in your mouth. To finish them off, I piped a little dollop of cream cheese icing on top and showered them with glittery sprinkles. Perfect for any party.
Pumpkin-Coconut Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature (2 sticks)
- 1 cup coconut oil
- 1 ⅓ cups sugar
- Zest from 1 large navel orange about 2 tsp
- 2 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 15- ounce can pumpkin
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
Cream Cheese Icing
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1 stick butter room temperature (4 ounces)
- ¼ cup confectioners sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch kosher salt
Instructions
Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Using a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip the butter until it turns a pale yellow, about 3 minutes. Add the coconut oil, sugar and orange zest, and continue mixing for another minute. Add the eggs and mix until they're completely incorporated into the batter. Mix in the vanilla extract and pumpkin.
- Combine all of the dry ingredients (from the flour through the spices) in a medium bowl and mix thoroughly with a whisk. Fold into the pumpkin mixture in thirds using a spatula. There's no need to go crazy with this, just fold it in until the flour is absorbed. The batter will be fairly thick.
- Using a small ice cream scooper (about 1" in diameter) scoop the cookie batter onto the parchment paper, 1" apart. These cookies spread only a little. I can fit 20 scoops easily on a baking sheet.
- Bake for 10 minutes, or until the tops are set. Remove and keep on the baking sheet for another minute.
- (While the first baking sheet is baking, I set up the second sheet with scoops of batter.)
Cream Cheese Icing
- Combine all of the ingredients together in a medium bowl. Using a hand mixer, whip the ingredients together until smooth.
- Either pipe or smear icing on the cookies. For an easy way to pipe the icing, put it in a ziplok bag and snip a corner for a piping bag!
Notes
If you're interested in some other pumpkin dishes I've collected from some of my favorite blogs, visit my Pumpkin Love Pinterest Board.
Liz
Perfect party nibbles, Susan! And a terrific sweet for this autumn cocktail party. So glad you've joined us 🙂
cheri
Hi Susan, decadent little cookies, love the frosting. yes, this year is definitely flying by, wish there was a way to slow it down.
Jeanette | Jeanette's Healthy Living
Love the orange and all the spices in these cookies! I'm a fan of coconut oil - love the fragrance it lends.
Ansh
Prettyness!! These are so pretty and nutty! Love em!
Terra
Love your recipe, and the addition of orange! They look so delicious! Hugs, Terra
Julie
Love putting cardamom in my cookies. These look so pretty and tasty!
apuginthekitchen
Perfect little cookies and would be great at a cocktail party. I am actually planning a menu with all finger foods for a party, these would be just perfect. They look wonderful.
Jenni
Wow, Susan! Thank you for saving my by taking my place this month and for doing it so deliciously! Pumpkin and orange are so lovely together, and I love the spices you chose to enhance these guys. Delightful!
Lauren @ Healthy Delicious
Yay pumpkin! These are perfect for a fall party. Or any party. I'm perfectly content to eat pumpkin cookies in June. 😉
Jane, The Heritage Cook
What a fun bite of pure heaven Susan! I'm most definitely drooling now and can't wait to make these for the holidays!
Pamela @ Brooklyn Farm Girl
Both the icing and the cookies look incredible! I just want to reach through the screen and grab one.. ok 3! 😉
Lana@NeverEnoughThyme
I really like that you used cardamom in these! It's my favorite and I always try to add it in where I can. Delicious!
Filtr Nasos
Thank you for the recipe.
Very tasty happened.
I regaled colleagues from accounting.
All praised!