Pumpkin Spice Cookies
- By Amy Dong
- Updated Nov. 5, 2023
These Pumpkin Spice Cookies are packed with pure pumpkin, fall spices, cinnamon chips, and white chocolate chips. They’re soft, chewy, and don’t require any chilling!
In This Article
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Video: Watch Us Make This Recipe
Why This Recipe Stands Out
When we need to satisfy a serious fall sweet tooth, we reach for one of two cookie recipes: Chewy Pumpkin Snickerdoodles or these soft and tender Pumpkin Spice Cookies. Here’s why we love them:
- Fall Flavors: As expected, we use a generous amount of pumpkin puree and fall spices in these cookies. But we also add white chocolate chips, cinnamon chips, and a spiced icing.
- Texture: The pumpkin puree leaves these cookies super soft and moist like a slightly chewier muffin top.
- No Chill: These cookies don’t need to be chilled before baking. So, from start-to-finish, they’re part of our ready-in-under-30 minutes recipes.
- Keep Well: These cookies stay super tender and soft even after a few days in the fridge. So, they can easily be made in advance.
- Easy: These cookies are easy-to-make: there’s no special techniques involved. Just mix and bake!
Key Ingredients
- Pumpkin Puree – Make sure to use 100% pure pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling.
- Spices: We add cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves to these cookies for that warm, spiced goodness that makes the whole house smell heavenly.
- White Chocolate Chips – White chocolate chips pair amazing with pumpkin, and make these cookies melt in your mouth.
- Hershey’s Cinnamon Chips – You don’t see these in many recipes, but they’re so good – grab them when you can, as these are seasonal, during the holidays only!
- Icing – We love the addition of this spiced icing made with powdered sugar, milk, butter, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Substitutions And Variations
This recipe uses simple pantry staples that leave room for variation. Take a look at some of these easy substitutions and additions:
- Flour: Make these Pumpkin Spice Cookies gluten free by substituting the all-purpose flour with 1:1 GF Baking Flour.
- Pumpkin: If you’re seriously craving these cookies but don’t have pumpkin puree on hand, mashed sweet potato can be substituted in a pinch.
- Chocolate Chips: The white chocolate chips and cinnamon chips can easily be substituted for any other kind of chocolate. Feel free to use milk or dark chocolate for an equally delicious outcome.
- Nuts: Feel free to mix in your favorite nuts. We think walnuts, pecans, or even pumpkin seeds would be amazing in these cookies.
- Icing: Feel free to omit the icing or replace it with a cream cheese icing like in this Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Icing recipe.
Step-By-Step Instructions
- In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, blend together the butter and sugar until smooth. Add pumpkin, egg, vanilla, and beat until creamy. Combine dry and wet ingredients. Then mix in chips. Tip: dab excess water content off of the pumpkin puree before using, as this helps cookies turn out more chewy vs. cake-y.
- Form cookie dough into rounded tablespoons and place on parchment lined baking sheet. Bake at 350F for 12 minutes.
- Combine icing ingredients, slowly adding milk as needed for glaze consistency. Once cookies are cooled, drizzle the icing on top and enjoy!
For full list of ingredients and instructions, see recipe card below.
How To Prep Ahead
These cookies are a great prep-ahead option for parties, family gatherings, or just to enjoy at home. Take a look at our best prep-ahead tips:
- Dry Ingredients: As always, feel free to mix the dry ingredients for these cookies in advance and store in an airtight container on the counter until ready to bake.
- Icing: You can easily make the icing for these cookies in advance and store it in the fridge for up to a week. Just let it come to room temperature before drizzling.
- Cookies: These cookies are still amazing after a few days. So, feel free to make them in advance and store them in the fridge for a few days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Commonly Asked Questions
You’ll get major pumpkin flavor with these cookies, since we use a whole cup of pumpkin puree. You’ll also definitely be able to taste the fall spices. The texture of these cookies is more soft, tender, and pillowy than normal cookies due to the pumpkin. However’ they’re still more chewy than muffin tops.
We recommend storing these cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. After that, they should be frozen. Although they keep indefinitely in the freezer, they’ll be best enjoyed before the 3 month mark.
When you look at the ingredients of pumpkin puree, you’ll see just pumpkin. Pumpkin pie filling, on the other hand, is a blend of pumpkin and sugar and different flavorings and spices. For this recipe, make sure to use 100% pumpkin puree.
Yes! Although you don’t need to chill the dough, you can absolutely throw it in the fridge if you have to run and get something done before baking. Just let the dough come back to room temperature before baking.
If you want to make these into oatmeal cookies, we recommend using our Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookie recipe and substituting the white chocolate and cinnamon chips from this recipe along with the glaze.
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Pumpkin Spice Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- ½ tsp table salt
- ½ cup salted butter, softened (not melty)
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 1 cup pumpkin puree, Libby's brand preferred
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup white chocolate chips, more if desired
- ½ cup cinnamon chips, more if desired
For the Icing:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 3 TB whole milk
- 1 TB salted butter, melted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F, with rack on lower middle. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Place pumpkin puree in a dish and dab off excess water content with paper towels. Set aside.
- In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, blend together the butter and sugar until smooth. Add pumpkin, egg, vanilla, and beat until fully combined and creamy.
- Combine the dry ingredients together with the wet ingredients until incorporated. Add in white chocolate chips and cinnamon chips, and mix to combine.
- Form rounded tablespoons and drop onto cookie sheet, and flatten slightly, keeping 2 inches apart.
- Bake 12 minutes or until golden. Let cookies cool on baking sheet until they can easily be transferred.
- Combine all glaze ingredients in a bowl, and whisk with fork until smooth. Add milk a bit at a time, if needed for drizzling consistency. Drizzle or spread icing over cooled cookies.
Notes
- Libby’s brand of 100% pure pumpkin puree tends to be thicker and less watery than other brands. Dabbing off excess water moisture lends to a chewier vs. a more cake-y texture.
- Feel free to swap the white chocolate and cinnamon chips with milk or dark chocolate chips.
- Try mixing in pecans, walnuts, or pumpkin seeds for added crunch.
- Looking for another delicious fall cookie? Try these Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies or these Chewy Pumpkin Snickerdoodles.
- If you enjoyed this recipe, please come back and give it a rating. We ❤️ hearing from you!
Nutrition (per serving)
More To Bake And Eat
- The Best Pumpkin Cheesecake – This pumpkin cheesecake is even better than Cheesecake factory! The rich, satiny pumpkin filling is laid in a spiced gingersnap crust for optimal fall flavor.
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread – When you bite into this pumpkin bread you’ll taste molten chocolate chips, fall spices, and pure pumpkin goodness. We love that this recipe uses a whole can of pumpkin so there’s no waste!
- Pumpkin Cupcakes – These pumpkin cupcakes will have your house smelling like a dream! And we can’t get enough of the whipped cream frosting.
- Chewy Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting – These pumpkin cookies are soft, chewy, spiced, and delicious. A cream cheese icing and pumpkin chips are must-have additions.
- Favorite Pumpkin Scones with Spiced Glaze – These pumpkin scones rival your favorite bakery’s. Made with only fresh, pure ingredients and topped with a perfect spiced glaze, we know you’ll love them!
Source: Chew Out Loud, adapted from allrecipes