Soft pumpkin cookies with a chewy texture and delicious pumpkin spice flavor.
If you've ever tried baking pumpkin cookies, you probably know the struggle: they usually turn out more like little cakes than cookies, with a soft, bready texture instead of that classic chewy bite. After testing batch after batch (and working my way through more cans of pumpkin than I care to admit), I finally landed on a version that delivers the best of both worlds - soft and full of pumpkin flavor, but still with enough chew to feel like a real cookie.
This recipe uses melted butter for chewiness, the perfect balance of sugars for flavor and texture, and a simple trick for managing the extra moisture in canned pumpkin puree so your cookies don't bake up soggy. Every adjustment I made solves a common pumpkin cookie problem - so you can skip the trial and error and enjoy perfect pumpkin cookies on the very first try.
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Pumpkin Cookie Recipe
- Easy to whip up with no special equipment required.
- Reliable recipe backed by baking science and thoroughly tested.
- Perfect way to ease into pumpkin spice season baking!
Ingredients for Pumpkin Spice Cookies
This pumpkin cookie recipe uses real pumpkin puree and warm spices to make the perfect fall cookies.
- Pumpkin Puree - Make sure you use pure pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling. Canned pumpkin puree works best, as fresh pumpkins contain a lot more moisture and can make the cookie dough too wet.
- Butter - This recipe uses melted butter, which makes nice, chewy pumpkin cookies. Use unsalted butter so you can control the level of salt.
- Granulated Sugar - The white sugar gives the base for the cookies and helps them have a slightly crispy edge.
- Light Brown Sugar - Light brown sugar adds a deeper flavor, and its acidity also activates the baking soda, so don't leave it out or the cookies won't spread!
- Egg Yolk - Egg yolks add richness to cookies - we won't need the egg white, as we have enough moisture and binding from the pumpkin puree. Use a large egg.
- Vanilla - Use high-quality vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste for a good flavor base.
- Flour - All-purpose flour works best in this cookie recipe.
- Leavening Agents - We'll use both baking powder (to help the cookies puff up) and baking soda (to help them spread).
- Spices - I like to use ground cinnamon and ginger for those fall flavors - but you can use any blend of spices you like, including pumpkin pie spice.
See the recipe card for quantities and the full recipe.
Measuring Ingredients:
I always recommend weighing your ingredients with a kitchen scale, rather than using measuring cups. It's very difficult to measure accurately with cups, and this can mess up your bakes.
Recommended Equipment
I like to make this recipe by hand with just a large bowl and spoon, but you can use a stand mixer if you prefer, just be careful not to overmix the dough.
- Cookie sheets
- Mixing bowls
- Whisk
- Wooden spoon or rubber spatula
- Cookie Scoop
- Cookie Lifter
How To Make Pumpkin Cookies
This pumpkin cookie recipe comes together super quickly with just a few simple steps.
Blot the Pumpkin
Spread the pumpkin puree out on a plate and use a paper towel to blot the excess liquid out of it. This is important to stop the moisture from making the cookie dough too sticky and soft.
Repeat with fresh paper towels until there is barely any liquid coming off of it and it looks dry and flaky, rather than watery and mushy.
Wet Ingredients
In a large mixing bowl, combine the melted butter, both sugars, and blotted pumpkin puree. Whisk together just until combined. You can use a stand mixer on low speed if you prefer.
Egg and Vanilla
Add the egg yolk and vanilla to the mixture and stir them in.
Make sure the egg is at room temperature so it can incorporate properly without curdling.
Dry Ingredients
Sift the dry ingredients into a medium bowl, including the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices.
Mix together, then add them to the main cookie dough and mix until a soft dough forms.
Chill the dough for 30 minutes.
Roll the Dough
Once the cookie dough has chilled, preheat your oven to 350°F / 180°'C (160° fan-assisted) and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Scoop and roll the dough in your hands to make cookie dough balls - each ball should be about 2 tablespoons of dough. I like to use a cookie dough scoop for consistency.
Optional - roll each ball in cinnamon sugar for some extra flavor and crunch.
Bake
Bake the pumpkin cookies for 11-14 minutes until they are golden brown and baked all over.
Remove from the oven and let them sit on the sheet for 10 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.
I use this cookie lifter to transfer them without damaging them.
Tips for Easy Pumpkin Cookies
Blot the Pumpkin Fully - Pumpkin puree is about 90% water, so it adds a lot of liquid to cookie dough, which is why many recipes might give you cakey pumpkin cookies, rather than chewy. Make sure you thoroughly blot the pumpkin puree with paper towels to avoid a cakey texture.
Chill the Dough - These are melted butter cookies (just like my classic chocolate chip cookie recipe). Using melted butter instead of softened butter creates a denser, chewier cookie, instead of fluffy or airy. But if the dough is not chilled properly, then the butter doesn't have a chance to set and will spread too much in the oven. Chill for at least 30 minutes to an hour before baking.
Sugar Choice - I tested multiple variations of these pumpkin cookies with different ratios of white to brown sugar. Both are essential to achieve the cozy flavor and soft texture in the cookies.
White sugar gives a base sweetness and helps the cookies to spread and form slightly crispy edges. Whereas the brown sugar helps to absorb some of the moisture of the fresh pumpkin puree, it adds depth to the flavor and activates the baking soda for a soft but chewy cookie. You can play with the ratios if you'd like to experiment with different cookie textures, but don't leave the brown sugar out entirely.
Don't Overmix - It is very easy to accidentally overmix cookie dough - that's why I prefer to make it by hand, rather than with a mixer. If you do use an electric mixer, be very careful to use a low speed and only mix until the ingredients are combined at each stage. Overmixing can make the pumpkin cookies gummy and dense.
Pumpkin Cookies Recipe Variations
There are so many ways to jazz up these cookies to really enhance the flavors of pumpkin and spices.
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies - Easily turn these into chocolate chip cookies by adding in 1 cup of your favorite chocolate chips. They go particularly well with white chocolate chips.
- Oatmeal Pumpkin Cookies - Check out my pumpkin oatmeal cookie recipe for a cozy twist on these cookies that is perfect for the fall season.
- Iced Pumpkin Cookies - Dip or drizzle your pumpkin cookies with powdered sugar icing or cream cheese glaze for extra sweetness and flavor. You could even add a touch of maple syrup to the icing like I do on my pumpkin donuts - or sprinkle some chopped pecans on top.
- Pumpkin Cream Cheese Cookies - Use this recipe to make stuffed cookies by baking some cheesecake filling in the middle. Check out my pumpkin cheesecake cookies recipe for step-by-step instructions on how to do this.
- Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting - Try sandwiching two pumpkin cookies together with a layer of cream cheese frosting. The texture of the cookies really lends itself to this because they are so soft and easy to bite into.
- Spice Variations - As pumpkin has such a subtle flavor, most pumpkin recipes get so much flavor from the spices that are added. You can play around with the spices in this recipe to find your own favorite blend as a great way to customize the cookies. Try cloves or nutmeg!
Storage
As these pumpkin cookies contain more moisture than other cookies, they can go a little soggy if stored in an airtight container. It's best to store them in a single layer with a paper towel underneath them, and if possible, leave the lid of the container not quite sealed. Store them like this at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions
You can make the cookie dough ahead of time and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
I highly recommend scooping the dough into balls before you do this, so that when you are ready to bake, you can just pop the cookie dough balls right onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake them. You can bake straight from frozen, just add an extra minute or two onto the bake time, and keep an eye out for the visual cues that they are baked.
Pumpkin Cookies FAQs
If you have a question about this recipe that isn't answered here, please write it in the comment section, and I will get back to you as soon as I can.
I highly recommend using a can of pumpkin puree for these cookies, rather than fresh pumpkin. That's because fresh pumpkin has a much higher moisture content than canned, so even after blotting it can add too much liquid to the cookie dough. Though we want moist cookies, too much liquid can make them sticky and dense.
Yes, you can freeze pumpkin cookies! I recommend freezing the unbaked cookie dough for the best results. Roll the dough into balls first and then freeze. When ready to bake, you can bake from frozen - just add an extra minute or two onto the bake time and keep an eye out for signs that they are ready.
More Pumpkin Recipes
If you love these pumpkin cookies, you may want to try some of these pumpkin dessert recipes:
Recipe
Pumpkin Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup Pumpkin Puree 80g
- 1 stick Unsalted Butter 113g (melted)
- ½ cup Granulated Sugar 100g
- ½ cup Light Brown Sugar 110g
- 1 Large Egg Yolk (room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1½ cups All-purpose Flour 180g
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon (or pumpkin pie spice)
- ½ teaspoon Ground Ginger (or pumpkin pie spice)
Equipment
- Wooden Spoon or rubber spatula
Instructions
- Spread the pumpkin puree out on a plate and use a paper towel to blot the excess liquid out of it. This is important to stop the moisture from making the cookie dough too sticky and soft. Repeat with fresh paper towels until there is barely any liquid coming off of it and it looks dry and flaky, rather than watery and mushy.⅓ cup (81 ⅔ g) Pumpkin Puree
- Add the melted butter, both sugars, and blotted pumpkin puree to a large bowl and whisk together just until combined. You can use a stand mixer on low speed if you prefer, but it is not necessary.1 stick (113 g) Unsalted Butter, ½ cup (100 g) Granulated Sugar, ½ cup (110 g) Light Brown Sugar
- Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract, and mix them in.1 Large Egg Yolk, 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- Sift the dry ingredients into a separate bowl, including the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices. Mix them together, then add them to the main cookie dough and stir just until a soft dough forms and there are no more lumps of flour.1½ cups (180 g) All-purpose Flour, ½ teaspoon (½ tsp) Baking Soda, ½ teaspoon (½ tsp) Baking Powder, ½ teaspoon (½ tsp) Salt, ½ teaspoon (½ tsp) Ground Cinnamon, ½ teaspoon (½ tsp) Ground Ginger
- Chill the dough for 30 minutes to let the butter firm up.
- Once the cookie dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°'C (160° fan-assisted) and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Scoop and roll the dough in your hands to make cookie dough balls - each ball should be about 2 tablespoons of dough. I like to use a cookie scoop for consistency. Optional - roll each ball in cinnamon sugar for some extra flavor and crunch.
- Bake the pumpkin cookies for 11-14 minutes until they are golden brown and baked all over.
- Remove from the oven and let them sit on the sheet for 10 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely. I use a cookie lifter to transfer them without damaging them.
Chris
I made a batch of these and they turned out great! It definitely put me right into the fall mood. Thanks for the recipe!