Sourdough Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Well, it’s that time of year! 🎃

Starbucks has officially released their Pumpkin Spice Latte, which means we are officially allowed to declare that fall has arrived. And honestly, I am not mad about it.

So, naturally, it only makes sense that I share my Sourdough Pumpkin Spice Cookie recipe now.

These cookies are so delicious if you like a cookie that’s just slightly sweet, with a warm hint of spice. They have a soft, chewy texture and almost a little bit of a gingerbread-esque flavor thanks to the pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon.

And of course, you get a little extra depth of flavor from the sourdough starter. You can use either active starter or discard for this recipe, so it’s a great way to use up some of that extra starter sitting in your fridge.

A quick note about pumpkin pie spice

One thing I’ve learned is that not all pumpkin pie spice is created equal.

Every brand uses a slightly different ratio of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves, so the flavor of these cookies can vary quite a bit depending on what you use.

My personal favorite, hands down, is the organic Great Value pumpkin pie spice from Walmart. I know—of all the fancy options out there, Walmart is the winner! 😂 But I really love the flavor and the balance of spices in this particular blend.

👉 Great Value Pumpkin Pie Spice

If you already have a pumpkin spice blend you love, absolutely use it. And if you make your own pumpkin pie spice, even better!

But if you’re looking for a recommendation, give the Walmart one a try. I think it works especially well in this recipe.

Don’t skip the brown butter!

The first thing you’ll want to do is brown your butter.

I actually find the easiest way to do this is in a small oven-safe dish in my toaster oven. I let the butter cook until it’s bubbling and you can see that beautiful golden-brown color developing around the edges and on top.

You can absolutely brown your butter on the stovetop, too. Just keep a close eye on it because butter can go from perfectly browned to burnt pretty quickly!

Once it’s browned, let it cool to room temperature before moving on with the recipe. You don’t want hot butter going into your dough.

Making the cookie dough

Once your brown butter has cooled, you’ll mix it with the honey, brown sugar, and salt. I recommend mixing this at medium to medium-high speed until it resembles wet sand.

Next, add your egg yolk and continue mixing for another minute or two. You’ll notice the mixture become lighter in color and a little creamy.

Then add your sourdough starter, pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract and mix by hand until everything is well combined.

Finally, add your dry ingredients—flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon. Continue mixing by hand until you have a smooth, cohesive cookie dough. The dough will be pretty soft, but don’t worry, it will firm up in the fridge.

Cover the dough and put the bowl in the refrigerator.

Why I like to cold ferment these cookies overnight

As with so many of my sourdough recipes, I encourage an overnight cold ferment.

Now, is it absolutely necessary? No.

You can mix the dough, chill it for a little while, scoop it, and bake the cookies the same day. They will still be delicious.

But giving the dough a night—or even a couple of nights—in the refrigerator allows the flavors to develop more. I think it gives these cookies a deeper, more complex flavor that is absolutely worth the wait. It also gives you a little more flexibility so you can bake them whenever you want. I like to mix the dough late at night, and then it’s ready to bake whenever I am the next day.

So if you have the time, let them hang out in the fridge overnight. Your future self will thank you. 😉

Shaping and baking

When you’re ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Scoop out the dough into roughly 1–2 tablespoon portions. I like to shape mine into little hockey pucks—about 2 inches across and roughly ½ inch tall.

I find this shape gives me the best results because the cookies spread just enough while still baking evenly.

Place them on your parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving some room between each cookie for spreading.

Bake for about 12 minutes, then rotate the pan 180° and bake for another 5-6 minutes or so.

The tricky part with these cookies is knowing exactly when they’re done because the dough is already fairly dark, so you can’t rely on color the way you can with a traditional sugar cookie.

Keep an eye on them toward the end of baking. You want the edges set and the centers still a little soft. They will continue to firm up as they cool.

Let them cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.

And that’s it!

A warm, soft, slightly chewy pumpkin spice cookie with a little sourdough tang and all those cozy fall spices.

Basically, fall in cookie form. 🎃🍪

A few final tips

• Use your favorite pumpkin spice blend. The spice ratios vary significantly between brands, so don’t be afraid to adjust based on what you like.
• Don’t skip cooling the brown butter. Hot butter can affect the texture of your dough and can partially cook the egg yolk.
• Cold ferment if you can. The cookies will work without it, but I think the flavor is noticeably better after an overnight rest.
• Don’t overbake them. They can be difficult to judge visually because of their dark color. When in doubt, slightly underbaked is better than overbaked.
• Use active starter or discard. Both work beautifully here, making this a great discard recipe.

If you make these, I’d love to know what pumpkin spice blend you used! And if you try the Great Value organic blend, let me know if you agree with me that it’s the best one. 😂

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