These soft pumpkin cookies are thick and cakey with extra pumpkin spice flavor. The maple cream cheese icing is a delicious addition, but the cookies are just as wonderful plain. They’re quick, easy, and best of all—there’s no cookie dough chilling required! My advice is to blot the pumpkin puree to rid excess liquid and use a cookie scoop.
Pumpkin cookies! The two most beautiful words in the baking language. Well, besides apple pie and chocolate cake.
Diving into the fall baking season feels great and these pumpkin cookies are the best place to start. I’ve been perfecting cookie recipes for years and these, along with my pumpkin snickerdoodles, are some of my best. If you crave chocolate, my chewy pumpkin chocolate chip cookies use the same delicious cookie dough as the snickerdoodles. And if you prefer oats in your cookies, you will FLIP for my brown butter pumpkin oatmeal cookies.
Search my pumpkin recipes for more cookies because I’ve published A LOT.
Why You’ll Love These Pumpkin Cookies
- Texture: Unlike my pumpkin chocolate chip cookies where we play with ingredients to produce a chewy cookie, today’s cookies are soft and cakey. They aren’t dense and chewy like a traditional cookie. I wouldn’t describe them as fluffy as a cake—probably closer to a muffin. (Like little muffin top cookies.)
- Flavor: What they lack in chew/density, they make up for in flavor. By using extra cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and ground ginger, as well as using more brown sugar than regular white sugar, I guarantee these will be more flavorful than any traditional pumpkin cookie you’ve had before. We’ll also blot excess liquid out of the pumpkin so we’re left with more concentrated flavor.
- Ease: No cookie dough chilling! They’ll go from mixing bowl to oven in minutes, which is especially helpful if you’re baking with kids or if you’re as impatient as I am.
Best Pumpkin Cookie Baking Tip
Blot the pumpkin puree. I discovered this trick when I worked on my brown butter pumpkin oatmeal cookies recipe. Pumpkin is a water-heavy ingredient. Its moisture is wonderful for quick breads and cakes, but not necessarily cookies. By removing some of the moisture, you’re left with dense and flavor-packed pumpkin without all of the excess liquid. (Think about it: you don’t usually put liquid in cookie dough, right?) Using a paper towel, blot out some of the pumpkin’s moisture. No need to squeeze it completely dry.
Blotting the pumpkin is actually one of my tricks to prevent a cakey tasting cookie. (See my chewy pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.) Today’s pumpkin cookies are still going to be cakey because we’re using a lot of pumpkin. Still, ridding some of its moisture will improve the flavor and texture. Does this make sense?
Overview: How to Make Soft Pumpkin Cookies
The full detailed instructions are provided below, but let me guide you through the process first. Start preheating that oven now!
- Blot the pumpkin. After ridding some moisture, you’ll have a little less than 1 and 1/2 cups of pumpkin—I usually have about 1 and 1/3 cups (315g). Using anywhere between 1.33 – 1.5 cups of pumpkin is fine.
- Get your oven preheated. Prepare your baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. I swear by these mats! You can learn more in my Top 5 Cookie Baking Success Tips video and here’s how to clean silicone baking mats.
- Whisk dry ingredients. You need flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and ground ginger. You can use homemade pumpkin pie spice here! Pumpkin pie spice contains cinnamon and ginger, but I like adding more of both and know you’ll enjoy the extra flavor too.
- Mix the wet ingredients. You need an electric mixer for this recipe. Cream the butter and sugars together, then add the egg. Next add a splash of maple syrup to help thin out the dough, a little vanilla extract, and your blotted pumpkin. Mixture will look a little curdled at this point. Don’t fret, that’s normal.
- Mix the dry and wet ingredients together. Dough is thick and sticky, so I strongly recommend using a cookie scoop. The medium size cookie scoop is perfect because each dough ball should be around 1.5 Tablespoons of dough.
- Bake until the edges appear set. And here’s my tip for cooling: the longer the cookies cool, the better their flavor. It’s nearly impossible to wait before tasting one but just know that the flavors intensify after a day.
- Prepare the icing. Icing is optional, but I definitely don’t regret adding it. See next!
Maple Cream Cheese Icing
The cookies are wonderfully flavorful on their own, but I wanted to see how they’d taste with a little accessory on top. I love pumpkin and cream cheese together (hello pumpkin cake), as well as pumpkin and maple together (hello pumpkin scones). I tested a hybrid cream cheese frosting/maple glaze topping and definitely don’t regret it! This maple cream cheese icing is phenomenal. Give the cookies a quick dip and taste for yourself.
Note: the icing doesn’t really set so if you want to stack/transport these pumpkin cookies, skip the icing. Or for a different flavor, these cookies would also be delicious with salted caramel frosting.
These are honestly the only thing I want to eat for the entire fall season.
Print
Super Soft Pumpkin Cookies
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 32 cookies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These soft pumpkin cookies are thick and cakey with extra pumpkin spice flavor. The maple cream cheese icing is a delicious addition, but the cookies are just as wonderful plain. No cookie dough chilling required!
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 cups (340g) fresh or canned pumpkin puree
- 3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice*
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) packed light or dark brown sugar (I use and recommend dark)
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup, milk, or orange juice (see note)
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Maple Cream Cheese Icing (Optional)
- 3 ounces (85g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup (90g) confectioners’ sugar
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) pure maple syrup
- pinch ground cinnamon (about 1/8 teaspoon)
Instructions
- In this recipe, it’s best to use pumpkin that has had some moisture removed. Blot the pumpkin with paper towels to rid excess moisture. No need to squeeze it completely dry. I usually place it in a paper towel lined bowl and let the paper towel soak up some moisture. A clean kitchen towel works too, but the pumpkin can stain. After ridding some moisture, you’ll have a little less than 1 and 1/2 cups of pumpkin—I usually have about 1 and 1/3 cups (315g). Using anywhere between 1.33 – 1.5 cups of pumpkin is fine. Set aside until step 4. Or cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day. It can be cold when you add it to the dough.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and ginger together in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream the softened butter and both sugars together on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and mix on high until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the maple syrup, vanilla, and blotted pumpkin and mix on high until combined. Mixture will look a little curdled—that’s ok.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, then mix on low speed until combined. Dough is thick and sticky. Scoop or roll cookie dough, around 1.5 Tablespoons of dough per cookie, and place 3 inches apart on the baking sheets.
- Bake for 14-15 minutes or until edges appear set. The centers will look soft. Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. The longer the cookies cool, the better their flavor—I like them best on day 2!
- Optional Icing: Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese in a medium bowl on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy. Beat in the butter until combined. Add the confectioners’ sugar, maple syrup, and a pinch of cinnamon (about 1/8 teaspoon), then beat on low speed until smooth and creamy. Taste. Add more cinnamon if desired. Dip the tops of the cooled cookies into icing or spread it onto each cookie with a knife.
- Cover leftover iced cookies tightly and store at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Cookies without icing can be covered tightly and stored at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: To make ahead, you can cover and chill the cookie dough for up to 48 hours. Bring to room temperature before shaping into balls and baking. You can also freeze the cookie dough for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature before shaping into balls and baking. You can also freeze the cookie dough balls for up to 3 months. It’s best to thaw the dough balls and bring to room temperature before baking. Iced cookies or cookies without icing freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Medium Cookie Scoop | Cooling Rack
- Pumpkin: Do not use pumpkin pie filling; use pure pumpkin puree. While using fresh pumpkin puree is fine, I always have better results with canned. You’ll need a little less than 1 standard 15 ounce can. No matter if you use fresh or canned, blot the pumpkin as directed in step 1.
- Spices: You can use 2 teaspoons of store-bought or homemade pumpkin pie spice in this recipe. This is in addition to the cinnamon and ginger already called for in the recipe. Instead of prepared pumpkin pie spice, you can use 1/2 teaspoon each: ground nutmeg, ground cloves, ground allspice, and ground ginger.
- Maple Syrup: The 2 teaspoons of maple syrup, milk, or orange juice are really just to help thin out the cookie dough. 2 teaspoons isn’t much, but it does help. I love using maple syrup, but milk or orange juice work too. Orange is excellent with pumpkin—see my pumpkin bread!
- Optional Add-Ins: Feel free to fold 1 and 1/2 cups of chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, chopped nuts, or dried cranberries into the dough after you mix the wet and dry ingredients together.
Keywords: pumpkin cookies
Is it possible to use slightly less sugar and not ruin the cookie consistency/texture? I made what looks like a similar pumpkin cookie that called for 2/3 cup both brown and white sugar and It was plenty sweet….I just didn’t love the texture. Thanks!
Hi Carmell, you can try reducing the sugar, but it does play a big role in texture and structure of baked goods (and taste). If you decide to do any experimenting, let us know what you try.
I think I’ll leave the sugar alone! Thanks for the quick reply! Do you think I could use salted butter and reduce the amount of salt , as that’s what I’ve got on hand…..
These completely melted in the oven.I followed the recipe to a T. What a disappointment! Should’ve chilled the dough. Also, the melted blob cookies tasted way too vegetal for my tastes.
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These are amazing! I can always count on Sally to have the best recipes. Easy to make and loved by the whole family.
★★★★★
Yum! Best pumpkin cookies ever! My coworkers shared the recipe with me and I was skeptical to try a new pumpkin cookie recipe because the one I’ve used for so long is great. But these are better! Flavor is delicious and they’re so soft.
★★★★★
I’m commenting even before the cookies are out of the oven because the dough is super. I added Maker’s Mark Whiskey soaked raisins and dark Ghana chocolate chips. I’m allergic to cane sugar so used coconut sugar instead of brown sugar with a teaspoon of Molasses and Monk Fruit instead of the white sugar. We grow pumpkins on our ranch and I seek out pumpkin recipes. I roast the pumpkins and freeze the mashed pumpkin for use all year. They are Haiku Honey Ball pumpkins grown on the lower slopes of the Haleakala volcano.
OUT OF THE OVEN – delicious , soft pumpkin pillows!!! Thank you.
These taste amazing! I followed the recipe exactly for the cookies, skipped the icing. However, my cookies are flat like pancakes. I do live in Denver, CO at some altitude but any troubleshooting ideas? Thanks!
Hi Catherine! I wish we could help, but have no experience baking at high altitude. Some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html Here’s some tips to keep cookies from spreading as well. Happy baking!
How do they freeze once baked and not frosted?
Hi Catherine, they freeze really well if baked+frozen for up to three months. Just thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving. Hope you enjoy these cookies!
So delicious. Thank you for the recipe, Sally! I made these with a maple glaze (just maple sugar and powdered sugar). The one thing worth emphasizing (even though Sally mentions it) is that these are so much better a day or two later. I made them for a dinner and was initially disappointed when I tried them right out of the oven. Two days later I was eating several a day.
★★★★★
These cookies are delicious! I added chocolate chip cookies and that made them even better. I accidentally added 2 tablespoons of maple syrup instead of teaspoons but the cookies still turned out fine
★★★★★
They are indeed SUPER SOFT, its like eating the inside of a pumpkin pie but in cookie form.
★★★★★
This recipe is a winner! Delicious and cake like, these cookies will become a favorite! I added chocolate chips and the cookies were fabulous!!
★★★★★
I have a glass container filled with cookie dough. I baked a sheet of cookie after 30 minutes still raw in the middle. Put Pumpkin Puree in a dish with paper towels , then drained and blotted. Followed recipe, what did I do wrong ?
Hi Tori, Are you trying to make these as cookie bars instead of individual cookies? If so, we haven’t tested them but the bake time will depend on what size pan you are using. You can always loosely cover the pan with aluminum foil partway through the bake time if the tops are browning before the center is fully baked.
I don’t like pumpkin and I think pumpkin spice is alright at best, but my best friend LOVES it so I made these for her birthday. I taste-tested one to make sure the texture was right and I ate 4!! HOLY these are A M A Z I N G. Like delicious spiced muffin tops. I’ve bought 4 more cans of pumpkin to keep in the pantry now for “emergency last minute cookies.” They’re outstanding!
★★★★★
Hi Sally, I’ve been learning a lot about baking from you. Thank you so so much! I had one small question for you. Do you think I can substitute butter with other oils, such as coconut oil or olive oil? I’m moving to my hometown in Japan next year, and butter (salted/unsalted) is quite expensive. I was hoping to bake using less butter if possible. Thank you!
Hi Kasumi, In a lot of recipes that call for room temperature butter you can use solid coconut oil – you will need a solid to cream with the sugar. However, it really depends on the specific recipe and of course the taste of your baked goods will change.
These came out heavenly. The author said that the dough appears somewhat curdled but I failed to pay attention. I did not mix diligently so I did not have a nice homogenous dough. But only three cookies came out funky. The rest were awesome.
I loved them without icing. They were kinda like a soft almost gooey pumpkin bread which I really like. But my wife and daughter are not fans of soft bread and were unimpressed….until….I added the icing. There were 30 iced cookies on the counter when my daughter bit into one iced cookie and said, “I am going to sit here and eat every one of them.”
The icing is the ticket.
I have been craving cakey iced cookies for quite some time and these gems did the trick. All I have to do now is find a place to hide a few from my wife and daughter.
★★★★★
Could not stop eating these. Had to send some to work with the husband because it made so many, and I would have eaten the whole batch! The perfect chocolate chip pumpkin cookie. I tried one from Crumbl and knew Sally’s would be even more amazing, and it definitely was!
★★★★★
I made this recipe just as written. They are so yummy! My husband walked in from work and literally are four in about one minute! My daughters love them too! I added chopped pecans and I frosted them.
Also, I love your website! I have made many of your recipes and I tell people about you all the time!
★★★★★
Hey Sally, is there any way to make this recipe vegan? Thank you
Hi Sally,
I am planning to make this recipe but was wondering if I could make this with earth balanced vegan butter sticks? Also for the milk can I use non dairy milk?
Thank you for sharing with us 🙂
Hi Ransford, We haven’t tested this recipe with vegan substitutes but let us know if you try!
Thank you for this amazing recipe! I chilled half of the dough accidentally (I didn’t have enough space to bake all) and the chilled ones turned out even better in my opinion- the flavour of the pumpkin was more noticeable. Either way they were amazing!
★★★★★
5 stars, as always! I made these with Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 gluten free flour (and 1/2 cup tigernut flour just because it was expiring and I wanted to get rid of it). They are soft and delicious. The icing was perfect, and the exact amount needed for the cookies. Thanks for another great recipe, Sally!
★★★★★
Review from teen baker –
THESE WERE SO CRAZY GOOD! My family (I guess me..) was craving a fall dessert. I made them on the weekend, and it made quite a bit. We took them to my grandparents a week later and they said they tasted fresh out of the oven. Thank you, Sally! I love your recipes, I always check your website first 🙂
★★★★★
Delicious!! But I definitely recommend getting an ice cream scooper. I made do without but they didn’t look very pretty. I also added some extra pumpkin spice to the frosting which turned out well. Will definitely make again.
Absolutely delicious cookie recipe! The cookies don’t need the maple icing, but it does make them extra good. Perfect cookie for the fall!
★★★★★
These are super tasty! Made these earlier this week, and I’m loving them. I’m amazed how soft they are. 🙂
★★★★★
I made these for a friend’s birthday and everyone couldn’t stop raving about them! Highly recommend topping with the maple cream cheese icing, it’s *chef’s kiss*. Do you think I could use the cookie part of the recipe for pumpkin whoopie pies? Any modifications?
★★★★★
Hey Julie! So glad these were a hit. Yes, these pumpkin cookies make wonderful pumpkin whoopie pies!
Hi…I’m commenting on a recipe on your site for Chocolate Chip Cookies. I could have sworn you mentioned using MELTED butter, yet, when I printed out the recipe it calls for room temperature butter. Did I, perhaps, print out the wrong recipe ? Also, about the pumpkin cookies. Do you blot out liquid from canned pumpkin, or just fresh ? I’ll be using canned and I was going to blot using paper toweling over a bowl (the same method I use when draining liquid from yogurt to make it nice and thick). Thank you !!
Hi Nancy! Which chocolate chip cookie recipe? Here are my favorite chewy chocolate chip cookies and the recipe uses melted butter. (I swear by this recipe!)
Do you think these would work with a regular frosting in order for the children to decorate them for Halloween? any frosting suggestions?
Hi Donna, These cookies don’t have flat tops so they aren’t the best for decorating. I recommend using these Sugar Cookies and to flavor them we love adding 1/2 – teaspoon cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, or a combination of nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, etc. No other changes to the recipe are necessary.
Oh, wow! They are really amazing! I made simple, with chocolate chips and walnuts. Good with coffee or milk. Thank you
★★★★★
Would this recipe translate well into bar-form?
I can’t see why not! I recommend a 9×13 inch baking pan. I’m unsure of the best bake time though.