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
Kathy bennett
These cookies sound great and I can’t wait to try them. My mom likes them too so I’m sharing the recipe with her.
Fiona
I hope you both love them!
Theresa
Well I was on Pintrest today looking for an Amazing Soft & chewy fall cookie for our families “Fall Color Drive Tradition we do all together each year. I always make a Thick chewy Fall Butter cookie cutout into different Leaf shapes, & tinted with Fall Food coloring Gels. I usually make at least 5 dozen or more it has been my families favorite fall cookie, well my daughter-in-law also is a Pumpkin Lover As well as myself! LOVE IT!! and she loves a cream cheese frosting on top. This will be our NEW XTRA Fall cookie to Enjoy alongside The Leaf Cookies!! I am SO EXCITED to see her face BECAUSE IT’S A surprise! Do you happen to have a Great Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe That you Could Share Because instead of the cinnamon/sugar topping Aka Snickerdoodle type! YUM!! I’m gonna replace that with her favorite ingredient Cream Cheese! A BIG THANK YOU FOR THIS NEW ADDITION TO OUR TRADITION!!
Fiona
I’m so glad you loved the cookies! That sounds like such a fantastic way to celebrate fall. For a cream cheese frosting recipe – you could try the cream cheese frosting recipe from this cake: https://www.justsotasty.com/apple-spice-cake-cream-cheese-frosting/ (I think you might have extra left over), or for more of a cream cheese glaze you could try the glaze recipe from this pumpkin bread:https://www.justsotasty.com/pumpkin-bread-with-cream-cheese-glaze/
Chagit
Could these be made ahead and frozen as in after I bake them?
Fiona
Definitely. You could also freeze them as the cookie dough balls, then bake them from frozen. They’d probably require 1 more minute if baking from frozen.
Lori S
Baked these tonight! They were delicious. Shared the link to your recipe on my new blog!
Veronica
My cookies came out higher than the ones you have pictured. Therefore they took about 11- 12 m on to bake. Is there a reason they did not spread out as much?
Fiona
Without being in the kitchen – my guess would be too much flour. Before measuring the flour, it’s always a good idea to whisk it first and then spoon and it into the measuring cup and level off the top.
Justina
Mine came out higher and baked longer as well. Whisked and measured exactly. I liked that they were crispy outside and cakey inside! Really delicious.
Gabriela P
Hello! I tried this recipe and the flavor is amazing! One thing: idk what I did incorrectly. I left them in balls and put in the oven but they stayed balls…was a suppose to flatten them out before putting in the oven? Or what did I miss?
Rachael
These sound so tasty! You’re ingredient list says 1 egg, but then the instructions say to mix in 1 egg yolk. I put the whole egg in, and the dough consistency seems fine, but curious as to which one it should be? Thanks!
Fiona
Yikes – that’s a typo! You’ll use the whole egg. Thanks for bringing it to my attention 🙂
Jessi
In the ingredients it say one egg, but in the recipe instructions it says to add the yolk. Are you using a whole egg? Or just the yolk?
Fiona
My apologies! That’s a typo in the instructions – fixing it now 🙂 . You’ll use the whole egg
Heather
These cookies are an absolute hit! People that don’t even like pumpkin loved these cookies when I made them! They were absolutely delicious, and my family has been begging me to make more! So many people asked for the recipie! If you’re looking for a pumpkin cookie to make, this is the one!
Christi
I don’t have cloves. Does that significantly alter the recipe?
Fiona
It would be fine to leave them out 🙂