These pumpkin cookies are soft, moist, and full of pumpkin spice flavor. Enjoy them alone or with cream cheese frosting for a delicious fall treat!
These pumpkin cookies are soft, doughy, and full of pumpkin spice flavor. You can think of them as little pumpkin muffin tops. They are not chewy like chocolate chip cookies. Instead, they are airy and moist. I love them alone (especially alongside a cup of coffee), but they are also delicious with cream cheese frosting.
If you need more reasons to love this pumpkin cookie recipe, here’s a big one: you don’t need to chill the cookie dough! When you’re in the mood for fall baking (which, for me, has been often lately), you can whip up these cookies quickly.
I hope you enjoy them as much as I do! Happy baking, friends.
Pumpkin Cookies Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this easy pumpkin cookie recipe:
- Pumpkinof course! Canned pumpkin puree works best for this recipe. It gives the cookies their soft, doughy texture and fills them with pumpkin flavor.
- All-purpose flour – Spoon and level to avoid too much left in the measuring cup.
- unsalted butter – For moisture and richness. Let it soften at room temperature for an hour before making the cookie dough.
- brown sugar – Sweetens the cookies and leaves them extra moist. Both light and dark brown sugar work well here, but I prefer the rich molasses flavor of dark brown sugar.
- Baking powder, baking soda and an egg. – They help the cookies puff up in the oven.
- Vanilla extract and pumpkin pie spice. – For a warm and cozy pumpkin spice flavor. If you don’t have a premade spice mix on hand, make homemade pumpkin pie spice with warming spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves.
- and sea salt – To make all the flavors stand out!
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to make soft pumpkin cookies
Did I mention that these pumpkin cookies come together in one bowl?
To make them, start by combining the wet ingredients. Add the softened butter and brown sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. (If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can use a large bowl and an electric mixer!) Beat until well combined, about 1 minute. Next, add the egg, followed by the pumpkin and vanilla.
Next, add the dry ingredients. Stir in pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the flour and mix on low speed until combined.
To shape the cookies, Use a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop dough onto 2 parchment paper-lined baking sheets.
Warning!
The cookie dough will be soft, almost more dough-like than dough-like. Alright!
You should be able to use a cookie scoop to spread them out onto the baking sheets. If you find the dough is too soft to scoop out, chill it in the refrigerator for 15 to 30 minutes to firm it up.
bake the cookies at 350°F until top is set and edges lightly browned, 12 to 15 minutes.
Let them cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Optional: freeze the cookies
You can enjoy these cookies alone, but topping them with cream cheese frosting makes them an even more decadent (and delicious!) treat.
Make my cream cheese frosting while the cookies are baking and chill in the refrigerator. When the cookies are completely cool, freeze and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Pumpkin purees vary. I have tried MANY brands over the years and have learned that some have a higher moisture content than others. I had great results using Whole Foods 365, Kroger, and Libby’s pumpkin in this recipe. I recommend avoiding Farmer’s Market Foods pumpkin, which is more watery than most brands I’ve tried.
- Make them dairy-free. Use softened coconut oil instead of butter. If you want to frost the cookies, use this easy vegan frosting.
- Bake one sheet at a time. Temperatures throughout the oven vary. For more even baking, bake one sheet of cookies at a time on a rack in the center of the oven.
- Save some for later. Unfrosted cookies keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. If you freeze them, store them in the refrigerator. These cookies also freeze well. Store them in an airtight container or bag and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let the frozen cookies thaw at room temperature or microwave them for about 30 seconds.
More Favorite Pumpkin Recipes
If you love these pumpkin cookies, try one of these cozy pumpkin recipes below:
Soft Pumpkin Cookies
serves 25
Prevent your screen from going dark
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Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
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In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using an electric hand mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar until well combined, about 1 minute. Add the egg and mix to combine, followed by the pumpkin puree and vanilla extract.
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Sprinkle pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt evenly over pumpkin mixture. Mix to combine, then add the flour and mix on low speed until combined, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. The dough will be very soft, like a thick dough that can be scooped out.
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Use a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop dough onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between dough balls.
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Bake, one sheet at a time, for 12 to 15 minutes, or until cookies are puffed and tops are set. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
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When completely cool, top with cream cheese frosting, if desired.
