These pumpkin spice cookies are soft, chewy and perfect for fall. They’re filled with flavor thanks to the pumpkin, vanilla extract, & fall spices. Then they’re rolled in cinnamon sugar for a delicious coating that’ll remind you of snickerdoodles.Â
Can you believe we’re already almost half way through September??? Have you been hopping on the fall bandwagon? Raking leaves & picking apples?
Last weekend I spent Saturday enjoying the sunshine (and getting a sunburn). Then Sunday arrived and  fall came overnight. The air was crisp, the leaves were yellow & orange, baristas were in full force making pumpkin spice lattes, and everyone made the wardrobe transition from cutoffs to cable knit sweaters. Seriously, the fall-ness was in overdrive.
Now, when it comes to fall – I always feel like there’s 2 groups of people: the ones rejoicing and the ones dreading the end of summer. I typically fall into the latter, but I love fall because it’s the perfect excuse to get back in the kitchen and start baking. I’ve been slacking.
Plus, there’s so many delicious fall flavors for inspiration: pumpkin, apples, zucchini, sweet potato… pumpkin… maple…. pumpkin. Everything tastes warm, cozy & delicious.
So to start off the autumn inspired treats (even if you’re still lounging by the pool)- today we’re making pumpkin cookies. Soft, chewy, never cakey, pumpkin cookies that are filled with vanilla, spices and brown sugar goodness.
Think of them like pumpkin snickerdoodles. Or the fall cousin of soft & chewy ginger molasses cookies. Seriously, the flavor is off the hook.
So what makes these pumpkin spice cookies so delicious you ask????
First, we’re starting with real butter (not margarine or shortening) for the most flavor. Then we’re using a combo of brown sugar and white sugar. Whenever I can use brown sugar in baking, I almost always opt for it because it adds a delicious caramel undertone and creates super chewy cookies. A total win-win.
Then we’re adding lots of vanilla (no skimping here), and a combo of cinnamon, nutmeg & ground cloves. The star of the show is obviously pumpkin – but it’s the brown sugar, vanilla & spices really make it shine. It’s a fall party of flavors. And me & my cable knit sweaters, fall booties and plethora of scarves are joining in on the fun.
One of the really important things I wanted in these cookies was for them to be chewy & cookie-like in texture. We add a lot of moisture with the pumpkin, so we need to be careful. To combat the extra moisture/water added with the pumpkin – you’ll notice that there’s only 1 egg in the batter. And we’re using cornstarch and cream of tarter to keep them soft and chewy.
Problem solved.
Then the cookie dough is chilled prior to baking, and we’ll form the dough into balls and roll them in cinnamon sugar. Could you honestly think of anything better???? The cinnamon sugar adds a delicious coating, extra cookie texture, and that perfect snickerdoodle-esque appearance. Seriously, the deliciousness factor of these pumpkin cookies is off the chain.
If you love pumpkin – make sure to try these favorites too:
- Baked Pumpkin Doughnuts – I could honestly eat these cake doughnuts for breakfast from September 1st – December 1st
- Pumpkin Cheesecake – An awesome alternative to pumpkin pie.
- Pumpkin Bread – I made this for Jay’s work and it was gone before noon….
What’s on your fall baking to-do list?
Pumpkin Spice Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 and ½ cups all-purpose flour , spooned and leveled
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ¾ teaspoons baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- â…› teaspoons ground cloves
- ¾ cup unsalted butter , softened to room temperature
- ¾ cup packed brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- ½ cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
For the Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 and ½ teaspoons cinnamon
Instructions
- Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg & ground cloves.
- In a separate large bowl beat together the butter and sugars until fluffy. Turn the mixer down to low then beat in the egg, vanilla and pumpkin.
- Slowly add in the flour mixture. The dough will be very sticky.
- Cover the bowl with clingfilm and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.
- When ready to bake, take the dough out of the fridge.
- Preheat the oven to 350F degrees and line 2 cookie trays with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- In a small bowl whisked together the sugar and cinnamon for the cinnamon sugar coating.
- Form the dough into balls of about 1.5 tablespoons in size, then roll in the cinnamon sugar coating and flatten slightly
- Place the cookies on the cookie sheets about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for about 8-10 minutes until the tops look just set.
Nutrition
Suzette
Can these cokes be frozen (minuses cinnamon sugar) prior to baking?
I usually freeze cookies to bake later…but not sure if this recipe would work since it has pumpkin.
Fiona
You could definitely freeze the cookies before baking. I’d first form the cookies into balls, then flatten them slightly, place in a ziploc bag and freeze. Then when you’re ready to bake, you could roll them in the cinnamon sugar and bake them in the oven (you wouldn’t need to bring them to room temperature first). They’d probably take an extra minute or two to bake. 🙂
Teresa
Yes freezing made mine taste better.I made some for Christmas 2016 ,along with 5 batches of all kinds of cookies. Our plans changed I put all of my batters in the freezer .Pulled them out as needed it was great. I had 2 batches together of my pumpkin cookies in good tupperware for 5 months in the freezer. I made them for a family reunion . OMG everyone wanted more.They came out so great. The time in freezer absorbed and blended the flavors better I guess .They came out awesome. I let the batter thaw out in fridge and used my small scoop while it was still cold and rolled the in cinnamon sugar and placed on lined cookie sheets.I think if you freeze them do it in a batch air tight container .The only thing I did different was add a little cream cheese extra pumpkin and 2 eggs. I have a rare old cookbook that had a similar receipt in it and its falling apart..I am so glad to see this post with this receipt.
Liz
Hi Fiona, I’d like to try this recipe, but I am in Australia and we don’t have canned pumpkin. Can I substitute the same quantity of cooked pumpkin that has been well drained and then mashed?
Fiona
That should definitely work. Like you said, you’ll just want to be careful that it’s well drained. If the dough seems very sticky, you could add 1 or 2 more tablespoons of flour. I hope you enjoy the cookies!
Jacqui Bellefontaine
These cookies look really delicious. It’s hard to get canned pumpkin in the UK but if I track some down I shall definitely give them a try, meanwhile Ill pin the post so I can find it again.
Anne Lawton
These look like snickerdoodles with pumpkin – yum!
Fiona
Exactly – I love the combo of spices & pumpkin. Thanks for checking out the recipe 🙂
Erin
These look so good! I love anything that has pumpkin in it.
Fiona
Couldn’t agree with you more! I always want to start pumpkin baking on September 1
Jill
Hi Fiona,
How many cookies does this recipe make? They look terrific!
Jill
Fiona
Thanks Jill! This recipe should make about 30 cookies total 🙂
P
Why can’t i use canned pie filling??
Fiona
Pumpkin puree is pure pumpkin, whereas pumpkin pie filling has spices and sugar added and is thinner in consistency than pumpkin puree. Also, depending on the brand the amount of sugar and spices will be different. Therefore it’s not really interchangeable in recipes because there would need to be an adjustment in the amount of sugar and the spices added, and perhaps an increase in flour. Without testing, I can’t be sure what the adjustments would need to be.
Adina
Hello, where did you find pumpkin puree? All I could find was the normal Libby’s canned pumpkin and pumpkin pie filling. Thank you.
Fiona
The Libby’s 100% pure pumpkin is pumpkin puree, or you can make your own too: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/pumpkin-puree-recipe.html 🙂
Stacy
Have you ever added choc chips or white choc chips to this recipe? Is it possible to stire those in right before baking if you did?
Got my dough made and in the fridge, it already smells so delicious:)
Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Robin
These are AMAZING!!!!!
No need to wait until fall….I will make these year round. My new favorite!
Thanks
Fiona
Happy to hear I’m not the only person who loves pumpkin year round 😉 So glad you loved the cookies!