Ingredients:

  • 1 cup (2 sticks/226g) unsalted butter, softened
  • ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
  • ¾ cup (150g) packed light brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup (120ml) pumpkin puree
  • 2 ¼ cups (281g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup (57g) chopped pecans, toasted
  • 3 tablespoons (38g) granulated sugar
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven; toast pecans until fragrant. Let cool and chop.
  2. In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and both sugars until light and fluffy.
  3. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract. Stir in the pumpkin puree until combined.
  4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt.
  5. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined. Do not overmix.
  6. Gently fold in the toasted, chopped pecans.
  7. Cover the dough and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (or up to 2 hours). This is crucial to prevent spreading!
  8. Preheat oven. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
  9. In a small bowl, combine the granulated sugar and cinnamon for the coating.
  10. Use a small cookie scoop (or a spoon) to scoop out balls of dough. Roll each ball in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
  11. Place the coated dough balls onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie. Bake until the edges are set and the centers are slightly soft.
  12. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.