With these pumpkin spice latte cookies you take your favorite fall flavors of pumpkin spice and bold espresso and blend them into a soft, sugary cookie topped with rich buttercream frosting.
Prepare the wet ingredients: In a large bowl, beat the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until the mixture is light and creamy.
Add the remaining wet ingredients: Add the egg, pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, instant espresso coffee, and pumpkin spice to the butter mixture. Beat until well combined.
Incorporate the dry ingredients: In the same bowl, sift in the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix until a smooth and homogeneous dough forms.
Shape the cookies: Using a #20 cookie scoop (or about 1 1/2 tablespoons per cookie), form dough balls and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Leave enough space between them.
Bake: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden. This recipe yields about 15 cookies.
Cool: Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
For the espresso buttercream:
Prepare the buttercream: In a bowl, beat the softened butter, heavy cream, powdered sugar, instant espresso coffee, and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy.
Decorate: To pipe the buttercream, place a piping bag inside a glass for easier handling, then fill it with the buttercream. Once the cookies have cooled completely, pipe a swirl of buttercream onto each one.
Finish with cinnamon: Sprinkle a pinch of ground cinnamon over the top of each cookie for a finishing touch.
Notes
Ingredient temperature: Make sure the butter and egg are at room temperature before starting. This makes mixing easier and creates a softer texture in the cookies.
Enhance the coffee flavor: If you prefer a stronger coffee flavor, you can increase the amount of instant espresso in the cookie dough or buttercream to 1 1/2 teaspoons.
Homemade spice blend: If you don't have pumpkin spice on hand, you can make your own blend by using 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon of ginger, and a pinch of ground cloves.
Variety of decorations: In addition to cinnamon, you can decorate the cookies with a light drizzle of chocolate or caramel over the buttercream for an extra touch of sweetness.
Keep them fresh: Cookies decorated with buttercream can be stored in the fridge to keep the frosting firm.