Description
Delightfully soft and spiced butternut cookies featuring mashed butternut squash for moisture and subtle sweetness, perfectly balanced with warm cinnamon and nutmeg. These cookies offer a unique twist on classic fall flavors and are easy to prepare in just 30 minutes.
Ingredients
Scale
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup butternut squash, cooked and mashed
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) to ensure it reaches the right temperature for baking the cookies evenly.
- Cream Wet Ingredients: In a mixing bowl, cream together the mashed butternut squash, softened butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, which helps create a tender texture.
- Add Egg and Vanilla: Beat in the egg and vanilla extract thoroughly until well combined, adding moisture and flavor to the dough.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, and nutmeg to evenly distribute the leavening agents and spices.
- Combine Wet and Dry: Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture into the wet ingredients, stirring gently until just combined to avoid overmixing which can toughen the cookies.
- Form Cookies: Drop spoonfuls of the cookie dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spacing each about 2 inches apart to allow for spreading while baking.
- Bake: Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are golden brown, which indicates they are perfectly cooked.
- Cool: Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes to set before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely, preserving their texture.
Notes
- Make sure the butternut squash is well-mashed to avoid lumps in the dough.
- Do not overmix the dough once the flour is added to prevent tough cookies.
- If you prefer softer cookies, slightly reduce baking time by 1-2 minutes.
- These cookies store well in an airtight container for up to one week.
- For a nutty flavor, consider adding 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans to the dough.
