Melt-in-your-mouth pumpkin cookies have all the cozy flavors of pumpkin pie in cookie form. Spiced with cinnamon and pumpkin spice, these cookies epitomize the fall season in the best way. A simple icing is the perfect touch for the sweet morsels.
Pumpkin cookie dough is freezer-friendly, and I love making a double batch of dough and freezing half for later! That way, I can have pumpkin cookies baked in no time whenever my family wants them. For more delicious pumpkin dessert recipes, try my pumpkin cake, pumpkin bread, or pumpkin cupcakes.
Ingredients
Leavening — baking powder and baking soda together yield the best thick, fluffy pumpkin cookies.
Spices — ground cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice add all the fall warmth to these cookies.
Butter — use unsalted softened butter. Check out my post for how to soften butter quickly if you forget to set it out beforehand.
Sugar — you need granulated sugar and brown sugar. Light brown sugar adds moisture and a lovely molasses flavor to the cookies.
Egg — egg helps to bind the cookie dough.
Vanilla — use high-quality store-bought or homemade vanilla extract.
Pumpkin — use canned pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling.
Icing — for the icing, you need powdered sugar, whole milk, cooled melted butter, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt.
How To Make Pumpkin Cookies
1. Whisk together all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside for now.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or an electric mixer), combine the softened butter, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Beat on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes until well combined.
3. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix on low for 1 minute until the mixture is lightened in color and fluffy.
4. Add the pumpkin puree and mix on low to combine.
5. With the mixer still on low, gradually add in the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined. Scrape the bowl down and use a spatula to fold in any remaining flour. Cover and refrigerate the cookie dough for 30 minutes so it firms up.
6. Use a 1½ tablespoon-sized triggered cookie scoop to portion the cookies to be about 1½-inches in diameter. Scoop the cookies directly onto 2 prepared baking sheets lined with parchment paper, leaving about 2 inches of space in between each cookie to give them room to spread. Bake the cookies for about 11 minutes at 350°F, until the edges are lightly golden and the centers are just set. Let them cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
7. Make the powdered sugar glaze in a medium bowl. Start by sifting in the powdered sugar. Then add the milk, cooled melted butter, vanilla, and salt and whisk the mixture until it is completely smooth. Cover and set aside until the cookies have cooled completely.
8. Once the pumpkin cookies have cooled down, drizzle icing over each one or dip the tops of each cookie in the icing. The icing will set up after about an hour.
Recipe Variations
- Add different spices: I love to add up to ½ teaspoon of ground cardamom or ginger, or up to ¼ teaspoon of allspice, ground cloves or freshly grated nutmeg. 1 cup of diced candied ginger stirred into the mixed dough will give a nice added bite to these cookies.
- To ice the cookies: You can either lightly drizzle the glaze over the tops or dip the top of each cookie into the glaze.
- Add flavors to the glaze: For maple icing, use maple syrup and 2 tablespoons of milk (instead of ¼ cup milk). You can also add spices to the glaze, such as ground cinnamon, ground ginger powder, and grated nutmeg.
- Frost with cream cheese frosting instead of powdered sugar glaze if you love a fluffy frosting.
- Make pumpkin sandwich cookies by spreading buttercream or chocolate ganache between 2 cookies.
Soft vs. Chewy Cookies
These delightfully soft, cakey pumpkin cookies bake up moist and fluffy thanks to the egg and pumpkin working together! They’re the perfect cookie to pair with a sweet glaze. For chewy pumpkin cookies, try my pumpkin chocolate chip cookies and pumpkin snickerdoodles.
Do I Need to Blot the Pumpkin Puree?
Blotting pumpkin puree is only necessary if you are working with very watery puree. If using fresh pumpkin puree or the canned pumpkin is super watery, you can blot the pumpkin on paper towels to remove excess moisture.
Stack 2 to 3 layers of paper towels, and spread the pumpkin puree over the top. Let it sit for 10 minutes, then scrape the pumpkin from the paper towel with a spatula. Measure it, and add it to the cookie mixture.
How to Store
To store leftover pumpkin cookies, transfer them to an airtight container and keep them at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 1 week.
You can also freeze them. Place the baked cookies on a lined baking sheet and freeze until solid. Transfer to a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. You can freeze them glazed, but if you plan to freeze part of your batch, I recommend leaving those unglazed and glazing them once defrosted.
Pro Tips For Making This Recipe
- Measure your flour correctly! Adding too much flour to the pumpkin cookie recipe is the most common mistake. The best and easiest way to measure flour is by using a scale. If you don’t have one, then fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off.
- Use room temperature ingredients. Set the refrigerated ingredients out about an hour beforehand so they can warm to room temperature. This makes them easier to incorporate into the cookie dough.
- Use pure canned pumpkin: The only ingredient on the can should be pumpkin. Do not use pumpkin pie filling, which has added spices and sugar.
- Chill the pumpkin cookie dough. The batter is quite loose after it is mixed. The 30-minute chilling time is so important so the cookies do not spread too much while baking.
- Use a cookie scoop so the cookies are equal in size. This promotes even baking, and makes it easier to scoop out the dough!.
- Let the cookies cool completely before icing. If they are still warm, the icing will melt and run off the cookies.
- Use leftover pumpkin puree in one of these delicious pumpkin recipes like pumpkin dip, pumpkin scones, or pumpkin pancakes!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can freeze the cookie dough for up to 3 months before or after shaping it into cookie dough balls. To freeze the whole batch of dough, transfer it to a large freezer bag or freezer-safe container. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before shaping the dough and baking.
To freeze the dough after shaping it, place the dough balls on a lined baking sheet and freeze for about an hour or until solid. Transfer to a freezer bag or container and freeze. Thaw in the refrigerator before baking.
While you can use fresh pumpkin puree, canned puree tends to work better because it isn’t as watery. Too much moisture in the pumpkin puree can cause the cookies to spread too much or bake up with doughy centers. Canned puree also tends to have a deeper pumpkin flavor, making the cookies that much better! If you do decide to use fresh puree, be sure to blot it with paper towels to remove excess moisture.
To make gluten-free pumpkin cookies, swap the regular all-purpose flour for your favorite gluten-free all-purpose baking flour as directed by the package. Gluten-free flours tend to need more moisture to hydrate and bake well, so add 2 tablespoons of milk to the cookie dough when adding the pumpkin puree, or check the flour package for recommended adjustments.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this pumpkin cookies recipe, then don’t forget to rate it and let me know how you got on in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
Pumpkin Cookies Recipe
Video
Equipment
- Stand Mixer with paddle attachment
- Large baking or cookie sheet
- 1½ tablespoon-sized triggered cookie scoop
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour (300g)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed (220g)
- ½ cup granulated sugar (100g)
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup pumpkin puree (240g)
For the Icing:
- 2 cups powdered sugar (240g)
- ¼ cup whole milk (60mL)
- 2 tablespoons butter melted and cooled
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
For the Cookies:
- In a medium bowl, whisk to combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or an electric hand mixer), combine the butter, light brown and granulated sugars. Beat on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes until well combined.
- Add the egg and vanilla, then mix on low for 1 minute, until lightened in color and fluffy. Add the pumpkin and mix on low for about 30 seconds to combine. With a rubber spatula, scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl and mix again until the ingredients are evenly distributed.
- With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until just combined. Scrape the bowl down one last time and use a spatula to fold in any remaining flour. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- After the dough has been chilling for 15 minutes, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Use a 1½ tablespoon-sized triggered cookie scoop to portion the cookies to be about 1½-inches in diameter. Scoop the cookies directly onto the prepared pans, leaving about 2 inches of space in between each cookie.
- Bake the cookies for about 11 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden and the centers are just set. Let cool on the sheet tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the icing:
- In a medium mixing bowl, sift the powdered sugar. Add the milk, melted butter, vanilla and and salt and whisk the mixture until it is completely smooth. Cover and set aside until ready to use.
- Once the cookies are competely cool, drizzle or dip the tops of each in the icing.
Notes
- Measure your flour correctly! Adding too much flour to the pumpkin cookie recipe is the most common mistake. The best and easiest way to measure flour is by using a scale. If you don’t have one, then fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off.
- Use room temperature ingredients. Set the refrigerated ingredients out about an hour beforehand so they can warm to room temperature. This makes them easier to incorporate into the cookie dough.
- Use pure canned pumpkin: The only ingredient on the can should be pumpkin. Do not use pumpkin pie filling, which has added spices and sugar.
- Chill the pumpkin cookie dough. The batter is quite loose after it is mixed. The 30-minute chilling time is so important so the cookies do not spread too much while baking.
- Use a cookie scoop so the cookies are equal in size. This promotes even baking, and makes it easier to scoop out the dough!.
- Let the cookies cool completely before icing. If they are still warm, the icing will melt and run off the cookies.
- Use leftover pumpkin puree in one of these delicious pumpkin recipes like pumpkin dip, pumpkin scones, or pumpkin pancakes!
