These Soft Pumpkin Cookies are a fall favorite around here. I think these pumpkin cookies are the perfect way to celebrate the fall season!
We just recently realized we’d never shared them with you all on Lovely Little Kitchen. Time to change that, friends!
We both thought for sure they were on here somewhere… If I remember correctly, these Soft Pumpkin Cookies even won first place in a cookie baking contest at church years ago! They are loved by many, for sure.
These are probably the softest, fluffiest pumpkin cookies I’ve ever tasted. They are like little pumpkin-y pillows that melt in your mouth.
I think they probably do fall into the category of a more “cake-like” cookie, which I think some baker’s try to avoid, but to me they are so tender and light, the texture is just perfect.
They are a cross between a cookie and the top half of a muffin.
I love how rolling the dough in powdered sugar gives them that crinkle cookie look, and their resemblance to a snow-covered mountain peak makes them decidedly wintery and cozy.
Sometimes the powdered sugar melts into the dough before you bake it, and won’t be as visible when they come out of the oven. You can roll them in powdered sugar twice if you’d really like to see that powdery crackle.
Does Soft Pumpkin Cookie dough need to be chilled?
The dough for Soft Pumpkin Cookies will be pretty sticky. If you have a cookie dough scoop, you may be able to unload the dough straight from the scoop into the powdered sugar so you don’t have to roll them in your hands. Chilling the dough will help, but they are a little messy, as are most good things!
Can I use fresh pumpkin rather than canned?
Some of us love the convenience of keeping a can of pumpkin puree in the pantry and pulling it out to make Soft Pumpkin Cookies, or the Best Ever Pumpkin Muffins when the craving strikes. But it you have fresh pumpkins available to roast and use in your baking, this is a great recipe to try.
This is the easiest way to roast a pumpkin. Sometimes a freshly roasted pumpkin will have more liquid than a can, so make sure you strain out as much of the liquid as possible. You can set the pumpkin puree in a fine mesh stainer over a bowl for a few hours to catch the drips.
What is the difference between pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie filling?
A can of pumpkin puree will only list pumpkin for the ingredients. Look for 100% pure pumpkin puree on the front of the label.
Pumpkin pie filling is often right next to the pumpkin puree on the grocery store shelf and looks similar but is a very different ingredient. It is already spiced and much sweeter. Because of this they are not interchangeable in recipes.
PrintSoft Pumpkin Cookies
These Soft Pumpkin Cookies are the softest, fluffiest, most tender pumpkin cookies I have ever tasted! They will absolutely melt in your mouth!
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 12 mins
- Total Time: 32 mins
- Yield: 3 dozen 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup pure pumpkin
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Line baking sheets with parchment paper or spray with non-stick baking spray.
- Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a medium bowl.
- Beat granulated sugar and butter with mixer on medium high speed, then blend in pumpkin, egg, and vanilla until incorporated.
- Gradually mix in flour and dry ingredients. Refrigerate dough for 3-4 hours.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Scoop dough into one inch balls. Roll in powder sugar, place dough balls on baking sheet (12 per sheet) and bake for 11-13 minutes.
- Remove from baking sheet to a cooling rack. When completely cool, store cookies in an airtight container.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Cookie
- Calories: 103
- Sugar: 12g
- Sodium: 101mg
- Fat: 2.8g
- Saturated Fat: 1.7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0.9g
- Trans Fat: 0.1g
- Carbohydrates: 19g
- Fiber: 0.5g
- Protein: 1.2g
- Cholesterol: 12mg
Love the pumpkin coolie receipe! Thank you!
Glad to hear that Cathy!
Can you omit the cinnamon? I have someone who is allergic to cinnamon.
I’m not the original poster, but you can definitely omit the cinnamon. I’d probably substitute it with another fall spice because that’s what really brings out the pumpkin flavor, but you don’t have to. It shouldn’t effect the outcome besides that 🙂
Substitute allspice for cinnamon.
all spice is a mixture of spices- the main ingredient being cinnamon…
Allspice does not contain cinnamon. Allspice is a dried berry from a tropical tree. Just wanted to clarify the person below is wrong.
Thank you, Lauren. I never knew that!
I’ve made this twice now and both times turned out fabulously! Everyone who has tried them has loved them, thank you for the recipe!
Thank you, Emily! So glad everyone loved them.
I’ve made these for 3 years and everyone loves them! I’ve moved from Texas to Santa Fe NM and the altitude is 7200 ft. What should I try first? I’ve read that I should cut the sugar first to see if the recipe comes out. I’ve never baked at this elevation – please advise, if possible. Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
Hi Nancy, thank you for making my recipes. I would advise trying the cookies as written first. You are likely getting used to baking in a new elevation as well as a new oven, so maybe just make a half recipe first in case you want to alter the recipe in the following baking sessions. Hope it goes well for you!
I take them to work with me and I don’t understand why the place looks smaller, ha! They all love them and so do I. Thank you for sharing…
This was so delish! My neighbors and I enjoyed them so much!
Wonderful, thank you for leaving me a sweet comment to let me know!
Can you put nuts in them
I have never added nuts to these cookies, but I don’t see why you couldn’t? Maybe a 1/2 – 3/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts? Let me know what you think if you try it.
These turned out great. I added 1/2 teaspoon on pumpkin pie spice and it made these extra good
What size can of pumpkin
Usually the cans of pumpkin puree are about 15 ounces, but this recipe calls for one cup so you will not use the whole can. Leftovers can be frozen in a ziplock bag for later.
Made these but instead of rolling then in powdered sugar, I rolled in granulated sugar. When they were done cooking, I pushed a white chocolate Hershey “hug” on to the top(similar to peanut butter blossom cookies). So good!
Such a great recipe!
After chilling the dough for 3 hours, it was still very sticky. It was a bit tricky to roll in the powdered sugar, any suggestions?
I had the same problem. For stickier batters I freeze my dough for a little bit so it stiffens up. I also spray my hands with a little bit of pan spray for when I’m rolling my cookie balls to help keep the dough from sticking too much. Hope this helps. 🙂
Can this be made a day prior to baking and chilled overnight? I’ve made them several times and LOVE them and everyone loves them, I would like to work ahead if t won’t mess with the integrity of the dough.
You can definitely make the dough a day ahead of time if that’s easier!
Something I did was spoon it on the pan like dumpli gs, then sift the powdered sugar on top
I am making them now, and I just spray my hands with a bit of cooking oil. Helps a lot! I do the same when I make my chocolate crackle cookies , so figured it would work for this just the same 🙂
Great tip, thank you!
genius thank you!
Wonderful cookies, mouth watering; and, satisfies the sweet tooth.
Thank you for sharing your experience with us👍🤸🌞!
Would this dough be safe to refrigerate overnight if covered?
Yes, absolutely! Enjoy!
I just made these and they are sooo good and soft. My whole family can’t stop eating them!
Haha! We know the feeling! So glad to hear that!
Do you add the powdered sugar to the recipe or only to roll the dough in?
Hi Rosa,
The granulated sugar goes in the cookie dough, and the powdered sugar is for rolling. Thanks for your question!
Do you have to roll them in powered sugar?
No, you don’t have to roll them in the powdered sugar. When I make my cookies, I don’t roll them in powdered sugar and they still taste great!
Oough that’s not very clear. It says to “add sugar” while mixing and ingredients include 1 cup of powdered sugar. If powdered is just for rolling, it might be helpful to say mix “granulated sugar” or in the list of ingredients just say powdered sugar for rolling instead of specifically 1 cup powdered. For us baking newbies lol
Thanks for that feedback! I clarified “granulated sugar” in the recipe instructions, so hopefully it is more clear now.
I have learned that recipes usually list the ingredients in order, so if since powdered sugar is listed last (and not immediately after granulated sugar) you could assume that you wouldn’t use it until the end of the recipe
Hi. Made these cookies tonight. I mistakenly added an entire 15 oz can of pumpkin and made them anyway. I also spooned bigger than an inch but still got over 36 cookies. They taste a bit doughy. Help!
Hi. I did the same thing. One can is double the pumpkin called for in this recipe so just double the other ingredients and they turn out delicious!
These are so good, but you should really add the chilling time to the total time. Every time I make these, I forget about that and think it will only take me 40 minutes or so.
I only chilled for 3 minutes and kept dipping my hands in the flour to roll the dough. Sprinkled with powdered sugar . They came out great!
I made these with flax eggs and vegan soft margerine. I also added craisns .They came out so good. They raised a lot so next time I will spoon out a bit smaller cookies. I did not roll out but sprinkled powdered sugar on top. Great recipe!
They came out really good… round, soft and delicious!
I lessened the granulated sugar to 1 and 1/4 cups and probably could have lessened to 1 cup. If you like a little less sweet, do that!
Hi julie! Can I freeze the dough?? If I could, for how long can I leave it in the freezer? Thanks! By the way I used oatmeal flour instead and still the recipe is delicious!
Yes you can! I’d say 3 months is a safe bet.
Yes! Thank you!! This is the question & answer I was looking for exactly!! When I was pregnant both times all I wanted was pumpkin everything! Now all 3 kids (1 boy and twin girls crave pumpkin too lol) and these look AMAZING! The dough has been in my fridge for a day and a half but I want to save some of it for this weekend so in the freezer it goes!
I used Organic All purpose Gluten Free Baking Mix my Puppy Loved them. Thanks for sharing this great recipe.
Delicious!!!!! And easy to make. Didn’t like having tonwait 3-4 hours for the dough to chill but they are worth it!! Highly recommend using a scoop and just dumping them into a container of powedered sugar. Thanks!!!
I tossed mine in the freezer for 30 minutes and put the bowl back in while one batch baked.
Thank you for the tip!
It was delightfully fluffy, almost like eating a pumpkin flavored cloud covered in sugar!
I made it gluten free and halved everything but the egg and it turned out great!
Everyone in my large family loved this recipe, even the hard to please.
Wonderful Chris! Thank you for taking the time to let me know!
What size can of pumpkin?
Hi Sylvia – the recipe calls for one cup of pure pumpkin. I buy a 15 ounce can and freeze the leftovers for another use.
My dogs enjoy the leftover pumpkin mixed in with their food!
Good idea, Jen!
I made these and they are very good! The taste just like Panera Bread’s muffins which I love. This recipe is a keeper. Thanks!
Thanks Valerie!
Hey is that raw pumpkin or kinda cooked?
Hi, this recipe uses pumpkin from a can, which is raw. Hope you enjoy!
Canned pumpkin is cooked in the canning process. It is not raw.
I use raw pumpkin (from my garden), it works perfectly fine
Yummy cookies. Thanks for the recipe. I promised my son we would bake pumpkin cookies today then realized I didn’t have nutmeg. We used a half teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice (contains cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger & allspice) instead. They were delicious. We rolled some of the cookies in just powdered sugar and some in powdered sugar mixed with cinnamon. Both were delicious.
Great cookies! In Utah 14 minutes is the idea cooking time, 12 was good but they had to set for a few hours until you could pick them up. Will make again.
Thanks Samantha! Glad you enjoyed them.
Thanks for sharing this recipe. I made them a few weeks ago and they turned out perfectly and tasted wonderful!! MY 21 year old son absolutely loved them as well. I’m make another batch of them today. Thx
I am making these tonight, what # cookie scoop did you use?
My cookie scoops aren’t labeled but that would be nice if they were! As long as you make the dough balls about 1 inch around you should be good. Hope you enjoy!
Thanks! Normally it says it on the part that moves through the bottom of the scoop if you press it halfway you can see it.
Oh nice, thanks I see it now! Mine says #50. Learned something new!
You’re welcome, glad to help!!! I just did some calculations and figured out that each cookie is about 1 ounce of dough for 36 cookies.
Gonna point out a little silly flaw in your steps.
I am preheating my oven after they sit in the fridge for a few hours. Rather than at the beginning and letting it sit for 3 to 4 hours. <3
They are sitting in the fridge now and i'm excited to try them. 😀
My only worry is that I am high altitude and I worry my calculations changes wont work out.
Oh goodness, I see what you mean. 3-4 hours is definitely too long to let the oven preheat! Thanks for pointing that out. I hope they work out for you even with the altitude.
How are you going to say total time 32 minutes but then say put in fridge for 3-4 hours… Gotta love it when people do this.
I made these for a fundraiser. The chilling helps but they still are sticky, so for the second batch I just dropped onto cookie sheets and sprinkled the powdered sugar on top. Still got the crackle appearance but not they aren’t as uniform. Still taste good. I’m sure they’ll be a hit.
Hi Marilyn, sounds like your batch of dough could have used a bit more flour, but yes the dough is a bit sticky. I think that sticky dough makes the cookies very tender though. Good luck with your fundraiser and thanks for taking the time to leave me a note!
Can you add chocolate chips to this recipe?
Sure, maybe 1 or 1/2 cups?
Just made these – YUM! We love these in Florida!!!!!
Thanks Laurie!
Hi
I need to make this for tomorrow’s bake me something for my son’s school activity.
I have all the ingredients except nutmeg. Can I do without it? Or do you have a substitute for it.
Would highly appreciate your prompt reply. Just sort of urgent(sorry)
Thank you in advance!
Ellen, they will be fine without the nutmeg. Sorry if I didn’t get to your question in time!
Oh shoot. My dough is currently in the fridge but i accidentally blended in the powdered sugar instead of rolling it. Do you think they will still come out okay?
Oh man, that sounds like something I would do… I think they will still be fine!
These cookies were so delicious and soft! Thank you for sharing the recipe. My husband who doesnt usually eat sweets had so many I lost count.
Hi. Do I use a 1/2 of stick of butter or a 1/2 cup which is 1 stick? Thanks.
Carol, use 1/2 cup of butter (1 stick). Enjoy!
Had pumpkin left over from a pumpkin mousse I made for Thanksgiving. Found this recipe. The cookies are delicious and keep well in a well sealed container. Absolutely worthwhile. Will definitely make them again.
So glad you loved them Jane, thank you!
Only have pumpkin pie filling. Can I eliminate the spices and use this with perhaps a bit more flour ?
Only have pumpkin pie filling. Can I eliminate spices and use this
Gail, you could try that, but I’m not sure how it would work out since I really haven’t had the chance to test it out.
I am vegan and want to try an egg replacer. Any suggestions? Will the recipe still work do you think?
I use Greek yogurt instead of egg — a little less than 1/8 cup. It worked great.
Do you know the nutritional value for these cookies. They sound yummy. Going to try them tomorrow
Sorry, Dina, I do not. Hope you enjoy!
Wow!! This recipe is spot on. K knew the moment i tasted the dough they were going to be amazing. Then when i tasted one fresh out the oven, it was like heaven on earth! Thanks for this amazing recipe.
I have made these cookies several times. If you are a fan of pumpkin bread, these cookies are for you. I am looking forward to surprising my daughter with the cookies. She associates the bread with the holidays and now she can enjoy the taste year round. Thank you for sharing with us.