For as long as I can remember, each fall I’ve set out on a quest to find or create the perfect, crispy pumpkin cookie recipe. Of course fluffy, pillowy pumpkin cookies are great, but sometimes I just want a crunchy cookie, ya know?

Countless Google searches led me to a few recipes that claimed to be the much sought-after crispy pumpkin cookie but left me a bit disappointed. At least in the crispy, crunchy category.

Just because I haven’t created the perfect, crispety, crunchety, pumpkin cookie, doesn’t mean I haven’t come across a few good ones along way.

Most recently, I made Picky Palate’s Giant Salted Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Cookies. Except I made them regular-sized, and with mini chocolate chips. Were they the crispy, crunchy pumpkin cookie I wanted? Not really. Were they delicious nonetheless? Absolutely!

And even better when washed down with a hoppy, double IPA.

And after making these cookies, I had some leftover pumpkin so I decided to try, once again, to create my own crispy pumpkin cookie recipe.

Are you sick of me saying crispy pumpkin cookie yet?

Probably. I’ll try to stop.

As it turns out, these turned into much more than just pumpkin cookies. I got inspired by my trip to the apple orchard, and decided to throw in a few other autumnal ingredients. So to the pumpkin I added apple cider and maple syrup. Of course cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg were in there too. Like, ALL the fall things.

Or if I called them All The. Fall Things. Cookies, Blink-182 might like them, huh?

All The Fall Things Cookies

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter flavored shortening
*you can use butter, this was my attempt to make them more crispy
4 Tbsp apple cider
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1 large egg
1 tsp pure vanilla
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Combine shortening (or butter) and apple cider in bowl of stand-up mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Add sugars and beat until fluffy.
3. Add pumpkin, syrup, egg and vanilla, beating until well combined.
4. Add flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger and mix until combined.
5. Place dough on baking sheet by heaping spoonfuls and flatten slightly with hand.
6. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Confession: I have no idea how long I actually baked these, I just kept checking on them. 12-15 minutes is my best guess. Oops.
7. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes on baking sheet, then transfer to cool rack to cool completely.

No, they’re not the perfectly crispy, crunchy pumpkin cookie I wanted buuuut they’re pretty dang great. They smell like autumn heaven. Like, if I knew how, I would turn the smell of these cookies into a candle. Luckily, they taste nearly as great as they smell so eating them will have to suffice.