Pumpkin cookies are one of the easiest ways to make your kitchen smell like fall without committing to an entire pie, cake, or cheesecake.
A little pumpkin puree, plenty of cinnamon, brown sugar, and vanilla can turn an ordinary batch of cookies into something that feels perfect for a cool autumn afternoon.
But here’s what makes pumpkin cookies interesting: they don’t all have to be the same soft, cakey cookie.
You can add chocolate chips, roll them in cinnamon sugar, sandwich them with cream cheese frosting, drizzle them with maple glaze, add oatmeal and pecans, or turn them into pumpkin whoopie pies.
And once you have one reliable pumpkin cookie dough, several of those variations become incredibly easy.
So grab that can of pumpkin from the pantry. These pumpkin cookie recipes will give you plenty of excuses to use it.
Start With Soft Pumpkin Cookies
Let’s begin with the cookie I make when I want something simple.
These aren’t thin and crispy chocolate-chip-style cookies. Pumpkin contains a lot of moisture, so these bake into wonderfully soft, tender cookies with an almost cake-like center.
What You’ll Need
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
How to Make Them
Preheat your oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt together.
In another bowl, beat the softened butter with both sugars until creamy.
Mix in the pumpkin, egg, and vanilla.
Add the dry ingredients and stir just until everything comes together.
Scoop rounded tablespoons of dough onto your prepared baking sheets, leaving some space between each cookie.
Because pumpkin cookie dough doesn’t always spread dramatically, you can gently flatten the tops if you prefer wider cookies.
Bake for approximately 11–14 minutes.
The edges should look set while the centers remain soft.
Let the cookies sit on the baking sheet for several minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
You could stop right here.
Or you could turn that simple pumpkin cookie into something much more exciting.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chocolate chips are probably the easiest addition you can make.
Prepare the basic pumpkin cookie dough, then fold in about 1 to 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips.
I like saving a few chocolate chips to press into the tops of the cookies immediately before baking.
It doesn’t change the flavor much, but it makes the finished cookies look far more tempting.
Semisweet chocolate gives you that familiar chocolate chip cookie sweetness, while dark chocolate creates a slightly richer cookie.
White chocolate works too, particularly if you’re adding cranberries.
Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies
Take the cozy cinnamon flavor up another level.
Prepare the pumpkin cookie dough but reduce the cinnamon in the dough slightly.
Then combine:
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
Scoop the cookie dough and gently roll each portion through the cinnamon sugar.
Arrange them on the baking sheet and bake as usual.
The coating creates a lightly crisp, sugary exterior while the middle stays soft.
These are especially good served slightly warm with coffee.
Maple Glazed Pumpkin Cookies
If you’re making pumpkin cookies for a fall party or Thanksgiving dessert tray, a simple maple glaze can make them feel much more special.
Bake your soft pumpkin cookies and let them cool completely.
Then whisk together:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1–2 tablespoons milk
- Pinch of salt
You want the glaze thick enough to stay on the cookie but loose enough to drizzle.
Spoon it over the cookies or drizzle it back and forth across the tops.
Give the glaze about 20 minutes to set before stacking or storing them.
The maple isn’t overpowering—it simply brings out the warm spices already in the cookies.
Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
Adding oats changes both the texture and personality of a pumpkin cookie.
Instead of feeling like a little piece of pumpkin cake, the cookies become heartier and chewier.
Add about 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats to your dough.
You may need slightly less flour because the oats absorb some of the moisture.
Then add any combination of:
- Raisins
- Dried cranberries
- Chopped walnuts
- Pecans
- Chocolate chips
My favorite combination is pumpkin, oats, dried cranberries, and pecans.
It feels particularly appropriate once Thanksgiving gets closer.
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Cookies
Pumpkin and cream cheese are hard to separate during fall baking—and for good reason.
There are two easy ways to combine them.
The first is simply frosting your cooled pumpkin cookies with cream cheese frosting.
Beat softened cream cheese and butter until fluffy, then add powdered sugar and vanilla.
Spread a small amount over each cookie and finish with cinnamon.
The second option is even better if you’re making cookies for a party.
Make sandwiches.
Place cream cheese frosting between two soft pumpkin cookies and gently press them together.
Now you’ve got something halfway between a cookie and a miniature pumpkin cake.
Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
If you like those cream cheese cookie sandwiches, take the idea one step further.
Pumpkin whoopie pies use soft, round pumpkin cakes with a generous layer of creamy filling in the middle.
Use the basic pumpkin cookie batter, but make the cookies slightly larger and try to keep them uniform.
Once baked and completely cooled, pair cookies of similar size.
Spread or pipe cream cheese filling onto the flat side of one cookie, then place another on top.
For a cleaner finish, use a piping bag to add the filling.
They’re a little more indulgent than regular pumpkin cookies, but they’re fantastic for fall gatherings.
Pumpkin Cookies with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
Sometimes frosting deserves to be the star.
For a cinnamon cream cheese frosting, beat:
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 4 tablespoons butter, softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Beat until smooth and fluffy.
Spread the frosting over completely cooled pumpkin cookies.
Finish with a tiny sprinkle of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice.
If you’re making these ahead, keep the frosted cookies refrigerated because of the cream cheese.
Pumpkin White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
This combination moves pumpkin cookies straight into late-fall holiday territory.
Fold white chocolate chips and dried cranberries into the basic dough.
The white chocolate adds sweetness while the cranberries provide little tart bites that stop the cookie from becoming too sugary.
Orange zest is also excellent here.
Just a teaspoon or two of fresh zest can brighten the entire batch.
These look beautiful on Thanksgiving cookie trays because the cranberries add little pops of color.
Pumpkin Pecan Cookies
If you prefer nuts over chocolate, toasted pecans are an easy choice.
Toast the pecans briefly before chopping them.
That step matters.
Raw pecans can disappear into a strongly spiced cookie, while toasted pecans have a deeper flavor and better crunch.
Fold about 3/4 cup chopped toasted pecans into the dough.
You can leave the cookies plain or add maple glaze once they’re cool.
Pumpkin + pecan + maple is a particularly good fall combination.
Brown Butter Pumpkin Cookies
This variation takes a little extra work, but the flavor is worth it.
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
It will bubble and foam before little brown specks begin appearing at the bottom. Once the butter smells nutty and toasted, remove it from the heat.
Let it cool before using it in your cookie dough.
Brown butter adds a deep, caramel-like flavor that pairs wonderfully with brown sugar, pumpkin, and cinnamon.
Add chocolate chips or pecans if you want, but these cookies have plenty of flavor without either.
Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
Want pumpkin flavor without a heavily spiced cookie?
Keep things simple.
Use pumpkin puree, vanilla, and just a small amount of cinnamon rather than the full combination of ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.
Roll the cookie dough through granulated sugar before baking.
The result is a softer fall-inspired take on a classic sugar cookie.
You can also use cinnamon sugar if you want more of a snickerdoodle flavor.
Pumpkin Cookies with Salted Caramel
This is another variation where you don’t have to change the dough at all.
Bake your favorite pumpkin cookies.
Cool them completely.
Then drizzle a small amount of salted caramel sauce over each one.
For even more texture, add chopped toasted pecans before the caramel sets.
The little bit of salt balances the sweetness and makes the pumpkin spices stand out.
These are rich, so you don’t need much caramel.
Pumpkin S’mores Cookies
Pumpkin and s’mores may not be an obvious combination, but this is a fun one for Halloween parties and cozy fall nights.
Add chocolate chips and crushed graham crackers to pumpkin cookie dough.
Toward the end of baking, press a few mini marshmallows into the top of each cookie.
Return them to the oven briefly until the marshmallows soften.
You get pumpkin spice, melted chocolate, graham crackers, and gooey marshmallow in the same bite.
Kids will probably make these disappear quickly.
Pumpkin Sandwich Cookies
You don’t have to stick with cream cheese filling.
Once you’ve baked a batch of soft pumpkin cookies, turn them into sandwich cookies using:
- Vanilla buttercream
- Maple buttercream
- Cinnamon frosting
- Chocolate ganache
- Salted caramel buttercream
Match cookies that are approximately the same size.
Pipe filling onto one, place another cookie on top, and gently press.
For parties, smaller sandwich cookies usually work better because they’re quite rich.
Pumpkin Cookie Bars
Don’t feel like scooping several trays of cookies?
Make bars instead.
Spread pumpkin cookie dough into a parchment-lined baking pan and bake until the center is set.
Let everything cool before slicing.
You can keep the bars plain or spread cream cheese frosting over the entire surface.
Cookie bars are particularly useful when you’re baking for a crowd because you can cut them into whatever size you need.
Small squares work beautifully on a Thanksgiving dessert table alongside pies and cheesecakes.
One Pumpkin Cookie Dough, Four Fall Flavors
If you’re baking for a party, here’s an easier approach than making four completely different recipes.
Prepare a large batch of pumpkin cookie dough.
Divide it between four bowls.
Then turn each bowl into something different.
| Cookie | Add-In |
|---|---|
| Chocolate Chip | Semisweet chocolate chips |
| Maple Pecan | Toasted pecans + maple glaze |
| Cranberry | White chocolate + dried cranberries |
| Snickerdoodle | Cinnamon-sugar coating |
You can create a whole fall cookie platter without making four separate doughs.
It’s also a fun way to figure out which variation your family likes best.
Why Are Pumpkin Cookies So Soft?
If you’ve baked with pumpkin before, you’ve probably noticed something.
Pumpkin cookies often come out cakier than regular cookies.
That’s because pumpkin puree contains a lot of water.
That extra moisture creates steam as the cookies bake, contributing to their soft, fluffy texture.
If that’s exactly what you want, perfect.
If you’d prefer a slightly denser cookie, gently blot some moisture from the pumpkin puree with paper towels before adding it to your dough.
Don’t remove all the moisture. You’re simply reducing it a little.
Using an egg yolk instead of an entire extra egg in certain recipes can also help keep pumpkin cookies from becoming too cakey.
Five Little Things That Make Better Pumpkin Cookies
You don’t need complicated baking techniques, but these details help.
Use pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. Pie filling already contains sugar and spices.
Don’t overmix your dough. Once the flour goes in, mix only until everything is combined.
Give cookies enough space. Even thick pumpkin cookies need room on the baking sheet.
Let your baking sheet cool between batches. Putting cookie dough onto a hot pan can change how quickly the dough spreads.
Don’t overbake them. Soft pumpkin cookies should still look tender in the middle when you remove them from the oven.
They’ll continue setting as they cool.
What Spices Work Best with Pumpkin?
Cinnamon is the obvious starting point.
From there, you can build your own pumpkin spice blend using ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice.
For a mild pumpkin cookie, use mostly cinnamon with a little nutmeg.
For a stronger fall flavor, add ginger and a tiny amount of cloves.
Cloves are powerful, so you don’t need much.
You can also use prepared pumpkin pie spice when you don’t want to measure several individual spices.
Vanilla isn’t technically a spice in the same sense, but don’t skip it. It rounds out all those warm flavors.
How to Store Pumpkin Cookies
Because pumpkin cookies contain plenty of moisture, storage matters.
Let them cool completely before placing them in an airtight container.
If you stack them while they’re still warm, condensation can make them sticky.
Plain pumpkin cookies can generally be kept at room temperature for several days.
Cookies with cream cheese frosting or filling should be refrigerated.
You can also freeze unfrosted pumpkin cookies.
Place parchment between the layers and store them in a freezer-safe container. Let them thaw at room temperature and decorate afterward.
Which Pumpkin Cookies Should You Make First?
Start with the classic soft pumpkin cookies if you’ve never made them before.
Chocolate lovers should immediately try the pumpkin chocolate chip version, while anyone who loves cozy cinnamon flavors will probably prefer pumpkin snickerdoodles.
For Thanksgiving, I’d choose maple pecan or white chocolate cranberry.
For Halloween, the pumpkin s’mores cookies are a fun option.
And if you’re making dessert for a fall party, it’s hard to beat pumpkin whoopie pies with cream cheese filling.
Or make one big batch of dough and try several.
That’s probably the most fun option anyway.
A Cookie Jar Full of Fall
There are plenty of elaborate desserts worth making during autumn, but sometimes all you really want is a warm cookie and a cup of coffee.
That’s where these pumpkin cookie recipes shine.
Start with a simple soft pumpkin cookie and then make it your own. Add chocolate chips. Roll it in cinnamon sugar. Fold in toasted pecans. Drizzle it with maple glaze. Sandwich two cookies around cream cheese frosting.
You don’t need fifteen complicated recipes to enjoy fifteen different pumpkin treats.
Sometimes you just need one good cookie dough, a can of pumpkin, and an excuse to turn on the oven.
And on a chilly fall afternoon, that’s more than enough.
