3 Flavor Pumpkin Neapolitan Cookies (With Pumpkin, Chocolate, And Vanilla)

About These 3 Flavor Pumpkin Neapolitan Cookies

These pumpkin Neapolitan cookies have three different flavors in one cookie: pumpkin vanilla, pumpkin spice, and chocolate pumpkin! The best part? Despite their striking appearance, these pumpkin Neapolitan cookies come together easily. Why? There’s no need to make three different cookie doughs! Instead, the cookies are made with one chewy, buttery, pumpkin sugar cookie base. The recipe instructs you to flavor the same sugar cookie base with additional ingredients like pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and black cocoa powder. Cool, right?!

A Quick History of Neapolitan Ice Cream and Desserts

Whenever I develop a new recipe, I always do a little research about its origin. So I thought I’d share what I learned about Neapolitan desserts and ice cream:

Most Neapolitan desserts are based on the one dessert that started it all—Neapolitan ice cream. Neapolitan ice cream is a tri-flavored ice cream comprised of chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla flavors. However, the three flavors are pretty distinct from one another. That is, they’re not swirled or mixed together at all! Instead, they’re arranged side by side in one container with no packaging in between.

According to Wikipedia, Neapolitan ice cream is based on the Italian gelato dessert of spumoni. Spumoni recipes typically comprise of flavors with colors that represent the Italian flag (like pistachio for green, vanilla for white, and strawberry or cherry for red). However, Neapolitan ice cream was instead made with the most popular ice cream flavors at the time: chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla.

Although Neapolitan ice cream was most popular in the beginning of the 19th century, I’ve noticed a comeback in Neapolitan desserts in the food blogging world. Most recently, my friend Sarah Kieffer went viral for her classic Neapolitan sugar cookie recipe, as did my friend Amy Ho for her matcha and strawberry version.

Why You Should Make The Recipe

Here are all the reasons to make pumpkin Neapolitan cookies:

These pumpkin Neapolitan cookies are a unique twist on a popular cookie recipe by famed baker and blogger, Sarah Kieffer.

Last year, Sarah Kieffer, one of my favorite baker bloggers, released an extremely popular cookbook featuring 100 different cookie recipes. I baked these very popular Neapolitan cookies from her book. And since then, I’ve been daydreaming of different flavor twists to the recipe. My first twist? This fall-inspired, super-seasonal pumpkin Neapolitan version!

This pumpkin Neapolitan cookie recipe uses one dough to make three different cookie flavors within one cookie.

This is the perfect recipe for folks who have mastered basic baking recipes like cookies and brownies, but want to take things to the next level. These pumpkin Neapolitan cookies are made with recipe techniques that are attainable for any home baker. Despite their striking appearance, the recipe itself is actually pretty simple. Why? The recipe instructs you to make one single pumpkin sugar cookie dough base, and then divide that base into three portions. You then color and flavor the portions with pumpkin food coloring and cocoa powder. There’s no need to make three different cookie doughs!

These pumpkin Neapolitan cookies store well.

Some cookies—like the Toll House chocolate chip cookie recipe—are best when they’re still warm and gooey from the oven. Others, like my best snickerdoodle recipe and these pumpkin Neapolitan cookies, develop deeper flavors the longer they sit.

Don’t get me wrong! These pumpkin Neapolitan cookies are PLENTY delicious when fresh from the oven. But overnight? All three flavors become even more pronounced. You’ll be able to taste the pumpkin, the pumpkin spice, and black cocoa powder even more.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Now that I’ve convinced you to make pumpkin Neapolitan cookies, here’s your shopping list for the recipe:

Shopping List for Pumpkin Neapolitan Cookies

Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card for the exact ingredient quantities:

• all-purpose flour
• baking soda
• kosher salt
• unsalted butter
• granulated sugar
• canned pumpkin puree
• large eggs
• pure vanilla extract
• orange food coloring
• pumpkin pie spice
• ground cinnamon
• black OR Dutch-processed cocoa powder

And let’s talk about some key ingredients and potential substitutions:

All-Purpose Flour

You need 2 ½ cups plus 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour to make pumpkin Neapolitan cookies.

Does a 1-1 gluten-free all-purpose flour work in these pumpkin Neapolitan cookies?

I’m sorry, but I don’t know. I rarely bake with those types of flour replacements because they’re expensive and my household is fortunate not to have any gluten restrictions. However, if you replace the flour in this recipe with any gluten-free alternatives, please leave a comment so I can update this post accordingly!

Canned Pumpkin Puree

You need ¼ cup canned pumpkin puree to make pumpkin Neapolitan cookies.

What is canned pumpkin puree?

In the United States, most grocery stores sell canned pumpkin. Canned pumpkin consists of pumpkin (or sometimes, according to this Kitchn article about pumpkin puree, squash!) that is de-seeded, peeled, roasted, and pureed. Many American recipes instruct you to use this pumpkin puree in both sweet and savory recipes. My favorite brand of canned pumpkin puree is Libby’s 100% Pure Pumpkin.

I can’t get canned pumpkin puree where I live. What can I use instead?

According to my international readers, canned pumpkin puree can be difficult to get outside of the United States. But no worries! You can make your own pumpkin puree at home. Simply process a pumpkin or the yellow or orange squash of your choice (my favorite is butternut squash) by peeling its skin, slicing it in half, and carving out the pumpkin/squash seeds. Cut the pumpkin/squash into 1-inch chunks and place the chunks on an aluminum foil-lined sheet pan. Toss with 1 Tablespoon neutral oil. Bake at 400°F for 20 to 25 minutes, or until fork-tender. Then, use a food processor to puree the pumpkin/squash. Use the puree immediately, or refrigerate in a ziptop bag or an airtight container for up to 3 days. After that, freeze for up to 3 months.

If you plan on using homemade pumpkin puree to make this recipe, bring the pumpkin puree to room temperature. The cookies don’t spread as much if the pumpkin puree is cold.

Orange Food Coloring

You need 3 drops orange food coloring to make the pumpkin vanilla portion of the pumpkin Neapolitan cookies.

What kind of orange food coloring did you use to make these pumpkin Neapolitan cookies?

I used Americolor’s Pumpkin orange gel food coloring to make these cookies. You can buy it online like I did, or in specialty cake baking stores (New Yorkers—NY Cake has an extensive collection of Americolor food coloring gels).

In general, I prefer gel food coloring to liquid food coloring. I think that gel food coloring dyes the food more vibrantly. But in a pinch, liquid food coloring works just as well!

Help! I couldn’t find any orange food coloring. I could only find a pack of food color that contains red, yellow, green, and blue dyes. Can I make my own orange food coloring?

Yes! The most commonly available food coloring pack comes with just red, yellow, green, and blue dye. But don’t panic! You can use the red and yellow dyes to make your own orange color!

Most food coloring guides will instruct you to make equal parts red and yellow to make the orange color. However, for these cookies, I prefer a lighter orange color. A lighter color just enhances the natural pale orange color of the pumpkin cookie dough.

So, I recommend using 2 parts of yellow to 1 part of red instead. That is, to make these cookies, I would use 2 drops of yellow food coloring along with 1 drop of red.

I don’t love and/or want to buy food coloring. Can I skip it instead?

Yes, absolutely! If you don’t want to use food coloring, just skip it. Just know that the pumpkin vanilla segment of your cookie will come out paler. Its color will be more similar to that of a regular sugar cookie or snickerdoodle.

What about natural alternatives to food coloring? Is there a natural alternative I could use instead?

Yes! You can use ground turmeric in the pumpkin vanilla dough to dye the dough more orange. I would use maybe ⅛ or ¼ teaspoon? You don’t want to use too much—otherwise, you risk flavoring your cookies with turmeric!

Pumpkin Pie Spice

You need 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice to make the pumpkin spice portion of the pumpkin Neapolitan cookies.

What is pumpkin spice?

“Pumpkin spice” is the combination of spices frequently added to pumpkin desserts and baked goods to give it more flavor. Because on its own, pumpkin doesn’t really have a ton of flavor! It needs those spices to liven it up.

But real talk: There’s no dictionary-definition standard recipe for pumpkin spice. Instead, pumpkin spice is often a combination of spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, allspice, and sometimes black or white pepper. Depending on the recipe, the ratios of each spice will vary. However, most pumpkin spice recipes tend to be “cinnamon-forward.”

In the United States, many spice and herb companies will sell their own blends of pumpkin spice. Each will taste slightly different. For my recipes, I usually use McCormick Pumpkin Pie Spice or Simply Organic Pumpkin Spice.

I can’t get pumpkin spice where I live. What should I do instead?

If you can’t get pumpkin spice where you live, don’t worry! You can make your own at home by combining more commonly available spices together. My favorite recipe for pumpkin spice is in the next section below.

How To Make Pumpkin Spice

To make pumpkin spice, combine:

• 5 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon cloves

That’s it! Note that the recipe above will make around 2 Tablespoons of pumpkin spice; however, you only need 1 ½ teaspoons for this pumpkin chocolate chip cookie recipe. You can save the rest of the pumpkin spice for another pumpkin recipe. If you want a suggestion, I highly recommend these NOT Cakey (But Chewy!) Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Black OR Dutch-Processed Cocoa Powder

These pumpkin Neapolitan cookies need 2 Tablespoons of black OR Dutch-processed cocoa powder to make the chocolate portion of the cookies.

Dutch-Processed Cocoa Powder versus Natural Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

Cocoa powder, when used in baking recipes, comes in two varieties: Dutch-processed and natural unsweetened.

Natural unsweetened cocoa powder is more typical. It is cocoa powder in its purest form. It is slightly reddish brown in color and results in deeply flavored chocolate goods. Because it is slightly acidic, it is often paired with baking soda in baking recipes. This pairing helps create a chemical reaction that will cause the baked good to rise in the oven.

Dutch-processed cocoa powder is natural unsweetened cocoa powder that’s been treated with alkaline to neutralize its acidity. This treatment gives it a darker color and milder flavor. It is the cocoa powder that is used for making midnight-black baked goods like Oreos.

Okay, makes sense. But then what’s black cocoa powder?

Black cocoa powder is Dutch-processed cocoa powder that’s even MORE heavily treated with the alkaline solution. Doing so results in an almost charcoal black cocoa powder with an even deeper intense chocolate flavor. For my pumpkin Neapolitan cookies, I used black cocoa powder. That’s why the chocolate portion of my cookies is so dark!

Where do I find either black or Dutch-processed cocoa powder?

Black cocoa powder is typically available in specialty herb and spice shops. However, I just order mine online. Amazon sells many varieties of black cocoa powder. However, my personal favorite is this black cocoa powder from King Arthur Baking Company.

You can easily find Dutch-processed cocoa powder in the baking aisle of every major grocery store. My favorite Dutch-processed cocoa powders in the grocery store are Ghirardelli Unsweetened Dutch Process Cocoa and Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa.

How To Make Pumpkin Neapolitan Cookies

Here are the basic steps to make pumpkin neapolitan cookies from scratch:

First, make the pumpkin sugar cookie dough base.

1. First, prep your ingredients. (Prep Time: 5 minutes)
   Luckily, prepping the ingredients for this pumpkin Neapolitan cookie recipe is fairly easy. Simply measure out all the ingredients and make sure that ingredients like butter, pumpkin, and the egg yolk are at room temperature.
   
   
2. Now, make the pumpkin sugar cookie dough base. (Work Time: 5 minutes)
   The pumpkin Neapolitan cookie dough base comes together fairly easily. Simply beat together the butter and sugar, add the pumpkin, egg yolk, and vanilla, then add the dry ingredients. That’s it!

Then, divide and flavor the cookie dough.

1. Divide the sugar cookie dough base into three, equal portions. (Work Time: <5 minutes)
   After making the cookie dough, scrape it out onto the counter and shape it into a rough ball. Use a bench scraper to divide the dough into three, even portions. You can eyeball it, but I used a digital kitchen scale to make sure I had an even amount of dough for each flavor. If you’re a perfectionist like I am, rest assured I included exact measurements in the recipe!
   
   
2. Make the pumpkin vanilla cookie dough. (Work Time: <5 minutes)
   Place one third of the cookie dough in the stand mixer and add 3 drops of food coloring. Mix until combined. Hooray! You just completed the pumpkin vanilla flavored portion of the pumpkin Neapolitan cookies.
   
   
3. Make the pumpkin spice cookie dough. (Work Time: <5 minutes)
   Wipe down the bowl and place another third of the cookie dough back in the stand mixer. Add the pumpkin pie spice and ground cinnamon. Mix until combined and the dough turns into a pale brown, tannish color. Congratulations! You just made the pumpkin spice portion of the pumpkin Neapolitan cookies.
   
   
4. Make the chocolate cookie dough. (Work Time: <5 minutes)
   Wipe down the bowl one last time and place the final third of cookie dough back in the stand mixer. Add the cocoa powder and mix until combined. You just made the chocolate portion of the pumpkin Neapolitan cookies! You now have all the components to finish assembling the cookies.

Now, scoop and shape the pumpkin Neapolitan cookies.

1. Portion the pumpkin vanilla cookie dough. (Work Time: 5 minutes)
   The fastest and easiest way to portion cookie dough is with a cookie dough scoop. Use a 1-Tablespoon cookie dough scoop to portion the vanilla dough into cookie dough balls, placing the cookie dough balls on a lined sheet pan as you go. Don’t worry about placing them on the sheet pan for baking just yet. We still need to assemble the pumpkin Neapolitan cookies!
   
   
2. Portion the pumpkin spice cookie dough. (Work Time: 5 minutes)
   If you want the different portions of the cookies to be REALLY distinct from one another (learn more in the Baker’s Tips section), wipe down the inside of the cookie dough scoop with a paper towel. Then, use the scoop to portion the pumpkin spice dough into cookie dough balls. Place them next to the vanilla cookie dough balls.
   
   
3. Portion the chocolate cookie dough. (Work Time: 5 minutes)
   Finally, wipe down the inside of the cookie dough scoop one last time. Then, use the scoop to portion the chocolate dough into cookie dough balls. Place them next to the vanilla and pumpkin spice cookie dough balls. At this point, you should have clusters of vanilla, pumpkin spice, and chocolate cookie dough balls next to each other. There should be 18 total clusters. Each cluster represents one single pumpkin Neapolitan cookie!

Assemble the pumpkin Neapolitan cookies.

1. Shape the pumpkin Neapolitan cookies. (Work Time: 5 minutes)
   Now comes the fun part! Take one of the cookie dough clusters—containing one pumpkin vanilla dough ball, one pumpkin spice dough ball, and one chocolate dough ball—and press them together so that they adhere together and form one giant cookie dough ball. Repeat until you have 18 tri-colored cookie dough balls.
   
   
2. Coat the pumpkin Neapolitan cookies. (Work Time: 5 minutes)
   To go the extra mile, I rolled each Neapolitan cookie dough ball in sugar, similar to how I would roll my best snickerdoodles in a cinnamon sugar coating topping. This extra sugar makes the cookies sparkly and fun!

Finally, bake the pumpkin Neapolitan cookies.

1. Arrange the pumpkin Neapolitan cookies for baking. (Work Time: <5 minutes)
   Place the coated cookies at least 3 inches apart on half sheet pans lined with parchment paper. The cookies will spread a lot, so I only put between 6 to 8 cookie dough balls on each sheet pan. Then, gently pat each cookie with your palm to flatten slightly. Doing so helps the cookies spread evenly in the oven.
   
   
2. Bake the pumpkin Neapolitan cookies. (Bake Time: 10 minutes)
   You need to bake the cookies for 10 minutes, or until the edges and bottoms of the cookies have set and feel firm to the touch. The centers should still look a little doughy—that’s totally normal, I promise! It’s the secret to perfectly chewy centers.

Recipe Troubleshooting and FAQ

FAQ: Neapolitan Cookie Recipe Techniques

Can I refrigerate the pumpkin Neapolitan cookie dough overnight before baking?

Yes! In fact, I encourage you to do so. Why? There’s research that states that resting your cookie dough will lead to a more delicious, flavorful cookie. You can learn more in this Serious Eats post about the science behind the best chocolate chip cookies.

Although you can refrigerate the pumpkin sugar cookie dough base, I highly encourage you to divide the sugar cookie dough base into the different flavors first. That way, the extra time in the refrigerator allows the flour and sugar to absorb more flavors from the freeze-dried strawberries and cocoa powder. You can refrigerate these different doughs and then scoop and portion them into the pumpkin Neapolitan cookies. However, I encourage you to scoop and portion them into the cookies and THEN refrigerate them as dough balls. Again, doing so will make a more flavorful cookie!

Help! My cookies came out too puffy. They didn’t sink after baking and don’t look flat like yours. What did I do wrong?

Ah, yes. Did you use volume measures and measure out ingredients with measuring cups? Cookies are one of the baked goods that are VERY susceptible to variations in volume measurements. 

What does that mean? Cup measures can vary dramatically, depending on how the baker fills them. A baker who scoops out flour from a measuring cup and packs it down will have a “heavier” measuring cup filled with more flour than a baker who simply scoops the flour into the cup and levels it off once it’s filled. This is why bakers love measuring by weight with a digital scale instead of by volume with measuring cups. It’s much more reliable and completely eliminates the inconsistencies that come from using measuring cups and volume measures.

It’s likely that your cookies didn’t flatten because your cup of flour was too heavy. Did you scoop your measuring cup into a bag of flour, pack down the flour, and then lift it out and into your mixing bowl? If so, that’s no bueno. The correct way to fill a dry measuring cup is to spoon the dry ingredient into the measuring cup until it forms a small mound within the cup. Use a butter knife or bench scraper to level off the mound so that the ingredient is flush with the top edges of the measuring cup. Furthermore, if your bag of flour has been sitting around untouched for a while, you’ll need to aerate it. Simply whisk the flour in its bag with a small fork or whisk before scooping it into your measuring cup. 

I told you using a digital scale was easier, right? 

Help! I had the opposite problem. My cookies came out way too flat and spread too much. What did I do wrong?

Okay, first things first: was your butter SUPER soft when you made these cookies? Like, if you were to poke the butter, your finger would go right through it? And did the dough feel greasy when you assembled the cookies?

If so, your butter was way too soft. Not a lot of people know this, but it’s actually possible to oversoften your butter. When recipes instruct you to bring your butter to room temperature, they mean bring it to a temperature between 65° and 70°F. Perfectly softened butter should still be slightly cool to the touch, and the butter should hold their shape when lightly poked. If your butter is too soft and melty, it can have adverse effects on the final product. That is, cookies will spread too much when baked, and buttercream frosting will turn out soupy and liquidy.

Luckily, you can easily fix this issue! After assembling the cookies, refrigerate for about an hour or so before baking. Chilling the cookies will firm up the butter and prevent the cookies from spreading too much in the oven.

FAQ: Storing Pumpkin Neapolitan Cookies

How To Store Pumpkin Neapolitan Cookies

After baking, the pumpkin Neapolitan cookies can be stored in an airtight container or zip-top bag at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Can you freeze pumpkin Neapolitan cookies?

Yes! You can freeze these cookies in the following ways:

1. Freeze the UNBAKED pumpkin Neapolitan cookies.
   Follow the recipe instructions to make the pumpkin Neapolitan cookie dough balls. However, there’s no need toll them in the sugar topping—you’ll freeze the cookies without them! Instead, place the cookie dough balls in a small sheet pan. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 1 hour, or until the cookie dough balls are frozen solid. Transfer the cookie dough balls to a zip-top bag and freeze for up to 1 year.
   
   To bake the frozen cookie dough balls, follow the recipe’s instructions for preheating the oven. As the oven preheats, roll each cookie dough ball in the granulated sugar. There’s no need to thaw the cookie dough beforehand. Follow the recipe instructions for arranging the cookie dough balls on a sheet pan. Bake for 12 minutes, or until the edges have set but the centers are still gooey.
   
   
2. Freeze the BAKED pumpkin Neapolitan cookies.
   Individually wrap any leftover pumpkin Neapolitan cookies in two layers of plastic wrap, then a layer of aluminum foil. The aluminum foil will prevent the cookies from absorbing any other flavors or odors in the freezer. When ready to serve, transfer to the refrigerator to chill overnight. Rewarm in the microwave or in the oven at 350°F for 5 minutes before serving.

Video Tutorial for Pumpkin Neapolitan Cookies

@hummingbirdhigh

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♬ Stuck in the Middle – Tai Verdes

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