If you love all things pumpkin spice, you're going to adore these Pumpkin Spice Cookies! Soft, chewy, and filled with warm spices, they’re like a pumpkin-spiced twist on snickerdoodle cookies.
The secret to their extra depth of flavor? A touch of molasses gives them a rich, almost caramel-like note similar to gingerbread. Perfect for fall, these cookies will make your home smell as cozy as they taste.
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Yummy pumpkin desserts and treats
Is there such a thing as too much pumpkin? I don't think so! When fall rolls around it's pumpkin spice everything in my house. It's even hard for me to wait until September to start whipping up all the tasty spiced pumpkin desserts and treats to celebrate the season.
My favorites range from cool Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream to decadent Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies, to my family's favorite Chocolate Pumpkin Swiss Roll. And you can't beat the aromas that fill your kitchen and home with warmth and cheer.
Why you'll love these cookies
Soft and Chewy - These cookies bake up soft and chewy, perfect for fans of melt-in-your-mouth cookies!
Pumpkin + Spice = Perfection - With pumpkin puree and a generous dose of pumpkin pie spice, these cookies bring you all the fall flavor you could want in one bite. They’re cozy, comforting, and full of seasonal warmth.
Molasses for Extra Flavor - A little molasses adds a deep, rich sweetness and chewy texture that makes these cookies stand out from your average pumpkin cookie.
Easy Recipe - These cookies are simple to whip up with everyday pantry staples. Just a little prep time and you'll have freshly baked cookies ready for your next snack attack!
Ingredients
Here’s everything you’ll need to create these delicious pumpkin pie spice cookies:
Butter: Gives the cookies a rich, buttery base.
Granulated Sugar: Adds sweetness and helps achieve a slightly crisp exterior when the cookies are rolled in sugar before baking.
Pure Pumpkin Puree: Adds moisture and pumpkin flavor to the dough. Do not use pumpkin pie filling.
Molasses: Provides a hint of rich, caramel-like sweetness and helps keep the cookies soft.
Egg: Binds everything together
Vanilla Extract: Adds warmth and enhances the pumpkin spice flavor.
Flour: The base of this chewy cookie.
Baking Soda: Helps the cookies rise and gives them a light texture.
Pumpkin Pie Spice: A blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and ground cloves that delivers all the flavors of the fall season.
Salt: Enhances the flavors and balances the sweetness.
How to make pumpkin spice cookies from scratch
Making these cookies is easy and fun! And the aromas will make your mouth water.
- Place butter and sugar in a large bowl of an electric mixer.
- Mix until creamy.
- Add pumpkin puree, molasses, egg, and vanilla extract to the creamed mixture.
- Mix until well combined. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice, and add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture.
- Mix well.
- Wrap the pumpkin spice cookie dough in plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. You can also chill it overnight.
- Remove cookie dough from the refrigerator. Scoop out tablespoon-sized scoops using a small cookie scoop and roll into balls with the palm of your hands. Roll each cookie dough ball in granulated sugar and place on the parchment-lined cookie sheet.
- Bake at 350°F for 12 minutes. The cookies will begin to have slightly cracked-looking tops. Remove from oven, let cool on cookie sheets for 5 minutes, then remove them to a wire rack to cool completely.
When the aromas from baking this pumpkin spice cookie recipe fill your house, you won't be able to wait to dive into these soft, chewy fall-spiced cookies. They're perfect with a glass of milk or a nice warm cup of coffee. Enjoy!
Recipe variations to make them your own
These pumpkin cookies are already amazing, but here are a few fun ways to change things up:
Frosted Pumpkin Spice Cookies - Take these cookies up a notch by adding frosting! Once the cookies have cooled, top them with vanilla or cream cheese frosting for an extra indulgent treat.
Pumpkin Spice Sandwich Cookies - Turn these cookies into sandwich cookies by spreading a thick layer of frosting between two cookies. Cream cheese or vanilla frosting works well here.
Crispy vs. Chewy - If you like crispier cookies, bake them a few minutes longer. For even chewier cookies, try adding a little more molasses and chilling the dough overnight.
Make ahead dough
These cookies are great for making ahead! You can freeze the dough to bake later, perfect for when you want freshly baked cookies in a pinch. Here’s how to do it:
After forming the dough into balls and rolling them in sugar, place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze until solid (about 1-2 hours). Once frozen, transfer the cookie dough balls to a zip-top bag or airtight container.
You can freeze them for up to 3 months. When you're ready to bake, simply place the frozen dough balls on the prepared baking sheets and bake directly from frozen - just add a couple of extra minutes to the bake time.
How to store the cookies
Store your pumpkin cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days.
You can freeze them in a freezer-safe container or plastic freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw them at room temperature.
More pumpkin recipes for fall
Iced Pumpkin Spice Latte has all the cool flavors of pumpkin you could want, mixed with deep, rich roasted coffee.
Pumpkin Monkey Bread - breakfast never tasted so good or was so easy to make. Gooey pull apart caramel rolls with a hint of pumpkin.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars are spicy, moist bars, dotted with chocolate chips, that you can have in your mouth in no time.
Find lots of easy recipes for cookies right here on 2CM!
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Pumpkin Spice Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar, plus more for rolling
- ½ cup pure pumpkin
- ¼ cup molasses
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-⅓ cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (see notes for making your own)
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add pumpkin, molasses, egg, and vanilla extract and beat well.
- In a medium bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Add to pumpkin mixture and mix until well combined.
- Place in plastic wrap and chill dough in refrigerator for at least 1 hour. I made mine the day before and it worked out very well.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line several cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Place a small amount of sugar in a bowl.
- Using a small cookie scoop or a tablespoon and form dough into balls. Roll them in sugar and place them on the prepared cookie sheets, spacing about 2" apart.
- Bake for 12 minutes or until cookies have slightly cracked looking tops. Cook longer for a crisper cookie.
- Remove cookie sheets from the oven and let the cookies cool for 5 minutes. Take them off the cookie sheets and set them on wire racks to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
This post has been updated with new photos, more helpful tips, and step-by-step directions. It was first published on October 20, 2015.
