These easy pumpkin cookies have crispy edges, with soft, chewy centers, and amazing pumpkin spice flavor! Tastes like fall! Just two bowls and a hand mixer is all you need.
I just wanted some pumpkin cookies that were NOT cakey and would hold their shape without turning into a gooey, sticky mess within 30 minutes. Is that too much to ask? Well, I couldn't find any so I made some for you!
My pumpkin cookies are filled with warm spices like ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg for big fall pumpkin spice flavor! We're using more brown sugar and granulated sugar in the recipe to give them structure—they are cookies, NOT cakeballs!
They have such an amazing texture, each cookie just melts in your mouth. You can make big, giant cookies, or small ones, whatever suits your fancy. I say big cookies are always better!
For more pumpkin spice flavor, try my pumpkin scones, pumpkin brownies, or pumpkin mousse!
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Why you'll love these easy pumpkin cookies
- They're easy and quick: You don't need a stand mixer or any special equipment beyond a cookie scoop to make these pumpkin cookies. We'll mix dry ingredients in one bowl and wet ingredients in another using a hand mixer. There's no need to chill the dough, so you can go straight to the oven, and have tasty pumpkin cookies ready to eat in minutes. Easy cleanup—just two bowls!
- They have crispy edges and soft centers: We're using two cups of sugar and a good amount of butter in the dough so these pumpkin cookies are in fact, cookies. They hold their shape and come out crispy around the edges with a pillowy, but not cakey, center.
- They're lower in moisture than other pumpkin cookies: The recipe only calls for ยพ cup of pumpkin puree, a lower amount of pumpkin than you might find in other recipes. Don't worry, you'll still get loads of that pumpkin flavor, but without overpowering the flour's ability to absorb the moisture. Therefore, NO MORE sticky, cakey pumpkin cookies!
- Available in two sizes: The versatility of this pumpkin spice cookie dough means that you can make about 2 dozen large pumpkin cookies (about 4 inches in diameter), or 4 dozen small ones (about 3 inches in diameter)! Use two scoops of dough for large cookies or one scoop for small.
Ingredients you'll need
- Canned pumpkin: Be sure you are using canned pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling!
- Brown sugar and granulated sugar: Combining these is the key to the structure of our cookies.
- Cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground ginger: These warm spices are the ultimate pumpkin spice medley that you crave in October and November. (and maybe September, too?)
- Unsalted butter, softened
- One egg
- Vanilla extract
- AP flour
- Baking powder and baking soda: We need both of these rising agents to lift the cookies and give them a pillowy texture.
- Kosher salt
TIP You can't have pumpkin cookies without pumpkin pie spice! I've made my own blend here. I love a ginger-forward cookie, so that flavor is very prominent in the recipe. Play with the ratios if you like. You could also add some cardamom, allspice or cloves. Choose your own adventure!
How to make pumpkin cookies
Recipe adapted from NYT Cooking.
Step 1: Whisk together the dry ingredients
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets or cookie sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
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Step 2: Cream together butter and sugar
In another bowl, use a hand mixer to cream together the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar for about 3 minutes. See tip below.
Step 3: Add the egg and pumpkin to the cookie dough
Add the egg, pumpkin purée, and vanilla to the sugar mixture and beat until they come together. It will look a little funny and curdled, but this is okay. Have no fear.
Step 4: Combine the wet and dry ingredients
Add the flour to the pumpkin mixture in two batches, mixing only until combined. Don't overmix. Make sure all of the flour is incorporated. The dough will be thicker than cake batter, but not as thick as typical cookie dough.
Step 5: Scoop out the cookies and bake!
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Use a cookie scoop to measure the dough. For giant cookies stack two balls of dough on top of each other, leaving 3 inches in between. Use one scoop for small cookies.
Bake 15-18 minutes, until the cookies are golden around the edges. Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer the parchment with the cookies to a rack to cool completely before serving. (For small cookies bake 12 minutes to 15 minutes.)
Tips for perfect pumpkin cookies
- Butter should be soft, but not overly soft. If it's so soft it's almost melted, this will affect the texture of the cookies. They may spread a lot more.
- There is a high sugar to butter ratio, this is what gives the cookies their structure. So when creaming the butter and sugar together, it will not be as light and fluffy as it is for other pumpkin cookie recipes you may have made.
- When you open your can of pumpkin, be sure to stir it up before measuring. The pumpkin fibers can settle in the can, and the water in it will rise to the top. This could affect the moisture level in your dough and make your cookies turn out cakey and sticky instead of crisp on the edges.
- You'll get a slightly different texture if you use a sheet pan vs an airbake cookie sheet. They are both delightful, but the cookie sheet will give you a more crispy, chewy texture throughout.
- I used this cookie scoop which is just slightly larger than a tablespoon. If you use one that is larger or smaller, your cooking times may vary.
FAQ
No, don't use homemade or fresh pumpkin puree. The moisture content may be much higher than canned, and that would throw off the texture of the cookies.
No, you don't need to dry out or "blot" the puree before making this pumpkin cookie recipe. Another one of the many reasons these are so easy to make! I've balanced the amount of flour and the amount of pumpkin so this step isn't necessary.
These cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. Stack them between layers of parchment paper so they don't stick together.
Yes, pumpkin cookies are easy to freeze. First, lay them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and place in the freezer. (This will keep them from getting broken before they freeze.) Once frozen, transfer them to an airtight container with parchment layered in between each cookie to prevent sticking.
More cookie recipes
- Pecan Sandies Cookies also scream fall and you can make them in one bowl.
- If you're here for the holiday flavor of it all, take a gander at these classic Spritz Cookies.
- Earl Grey Madeleines also have a crisp edge and a soft center, so are they cookies or cakes? Who cares?! They're delicious.
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Recipe
Easy Pumpkin Cookies Recipe
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Ingredients
- 1¾ cup flour
- 2 teaspoon ginger
- 1½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 12 tablespoon unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ¾ cup canned pumpkin
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets or cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- In another bowl, use a hand mixer to cream together the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar for about 3 minutes. It won't be light and fluffy like typical cookie dough, see note.
- Add the egg, pumpkin purée, and vanilla to the sugar mixture and beat just until they come together. It will look a little funny and curdled, but this is okay. Have no fear.
- Add the flour to the pumpkin mixture in two batches, mixing until just combined. Make sure all of the flour is incorporated. The dough will be thicker than cake batter, but not as thick as typical cookie dough.
- Use a cookie scoop (about 1 tablespoon size) to stack two balls of dough on top of each other for large cookies, leaving 3 inches in between. (Use one scoop for small cookies.)
- Bake 15-18 minutes for large cookies, 12-15 minutes for small cookies, until they are golden around the edges. Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then gently slide the parchment paper with the cookies onto a rack to cool completely before serving. (The cookies will be too soft when they come out of the oven to move individually to the rack without breaking, so keep them on the parchment.)
Notes
- Butter should be soft, but not overly soft. If it's so soft it's almost melted, this will affect the texture of the cookies. They may spread a lot more.
- There is a high sugar to butter ratio, this is what gives the cookies their structure. So when creaming the butter and sugar together, it will not be as light and fluffy as it is for other cookie recipes you may have made.
- When you open your can of pumpkin, be sure to stir it up before measuring. The pumpkin can settle in the can, and the water in it will rise to the top. This could affect the moisture level in your batter and make your cookies turn out cakey and sticky instead of crisp on the edges.
- You'll get a slightly different texture if you use a sheet pan vs an airbake cookie sheet. They are both delightful, but the cookie sheet will give you a more crispy, chewy texture throughout.
- I used this cookie scoop which is just slightly larger than a tablespoon. If you use one that is larger or smaller, you cooking times may vary.
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