METHOD

1. Preheat your oven to 180˚C/160˚C fan oven and prepare two baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper.

TO MAKE PUMPKIN SPICE

To make your own pumpkin spice mix (if you don’t have any) combine the cinnamon, ginger, ground nutmeg and ground cloves together and mix until combined. This will make more than you need so set the rest aside for making cakes, pies or another batch of cookies. 

TO MAKE THE MAPLE PECANS

1. Add the maple syrup and a pinch of salt to a large bowl. Add the pecans and stir until well coated in the maple syrup. 
2. Transfer onto a lined baking tray and bake in the oven for 14 minutes. Once ready, take them out and set them aside to cool (but keep the oven on). 

TO MAKE THE PUMPKIN SPICE COOKIES

1. To start, it’s essential to dry out your pumpkin puree thoroughly. Skipping this step will affect the cookie’s texture and bake. In order to remove the excess moisture, take the canned pumpkin puree and spread it on a plate. Gently press it with a paper towel to remove the water it contains, repeating this process at least four times. You’ll know it’s ready when hardly any liquid transfers onto a paper towel after drying.
2. In a separate small bowl, combine the flour, 1 tablespoon of the pumpkin spice mix, baking soda, baking powder and salt. 
3. In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and light brown sugar together using an electric mixer at high speed. Continue until the mixture becomes light and fluffy, for about 1 to 2 minutes. 
4. Now, add the egg yolks and vanilla extract to the mixture and continue mixing on medium speed until the texture becomes pale and fluffy. 
5. Next, incorporate the dried pumpkin puree into the mixture, mixing on medium-low speed until well combined. Follow this by adding the previously prepared dry ingredients, and mix on low speed just until they are fully combined.
6. Roughly chop ¾ of your maple-roasted pecans. Using a spatula, gently fold them into your cookie mix combining until distributed throughout. 
7. Using 2 tablespoons or an ice cream scoop, form the dough into balls or mounts and place on your prepared baking sheet, leaving about 5cm space between them. You should be able to fit about 6 per baking sheet.
   TIP – If the dough is a little sticky, place it in the fridge for about 10 minutes before continuing.
8. At this stage, you can add a couple more of the maple-roasted pecans to the top of your cookies. Do sprinkle a little flaky sea salt over each cookie to bring out its natural sweetness.
9. Bake your pumpkin spice cookies for 12-14 minutes, until golden. If you prefer fudgier centres to your cookies, bake for 12 minutes. 
10. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to finish cooling. For the best taste and texture, enjoy these pumpkin spice cookies after they have cooled for at least 15 minutes.