These soft, chewy pumpkin cookies are filled with pure pumpkin puree and warm pumpkin pie spices to create the ultimate pumpkin spice cookie for fall. This easy no-chill cookie recipe comes together in just thirty minutes and makes for the perfect afternoon snack or cozy gift to drop off to the neighbors!
These ultra-chewy pumpkin cookies are buttery and melt in your mouth. If you'd prefer a less dense version, try these Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies, which has a fluffy pumpkin cookie base.
The recipe will leave you with about a half can of pumpkin puree. Make these Pumpkin Sour Cream Muffins with the leftovers!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
No chill - unlike some other cookie recipes, these pumpkin cookies are a no-chill recipe, meaning they'll be on your table (or in your mouth) in 30 minutes!
Fall flavors - what flavor is more iconic than pumpkin spice? These cookies combine both fresh pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice for a warm, cozy flavor profile.
Chewy texture - these soft pumpkin cookies are buttery, and chewy, and have a warm caramelized flavor and texture from the brown sugar. They taste like a chewy pumpkin snickerdoodle cookie!
Ingredients
- Pumpkin puree. Use pure pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling). I always use Libby's brand as it is a consistent product, and contains less water than other brands and varieties. Organic purees contain the most moisture and should be avoided.
- Sugars. Both granulated sugar and brown sugar are used to produce a chewy pumpkin cookie with slightly crisp edges.
- Pumpkin pie spice. The main flavoring in the pumpkin cookies, but can be substituted by making your own spice blend.
- Egg yolks. Just yolks produce the chewiest cookies, as egg whites contain too much water.
- Unsalted butter. This should be at a cool room temperature, and not too soft. Pressing a finger into the butter will leave a slight indent, but should not pierce the whole way through.
See recipe card for full ingredients list and quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
- Brown the butter (adding 2 extra tablespoons) until golden, then transfer to a bowl to cool completely and re-solidify to a firm room temperature.
- Use dark brown sugar for a stronger molasses flavor.
- Add ⅔ cup of white chocolate chips, or semi-sweet chocolate chips.
- Make your own pumpkin pie spice: 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon, 2 teaspoons ground ginger, 1 ½ teaspoons ground nutmeg, 1 teaspoon ground cloves, 1 teaspoon ground allspice.
- Add a drizzle of vanilla icing by combining ½ cup powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla, and ½ tablespoon of milk.
How to Make This Recipe
One: Add the pumpkin puree and spread it out on a plate. Pat dry with multiple paper towels to remove moisture.
Two: The pumpkin is ready to use when the paper towel has barely any moisture on it and the pumpkin feels like a play-doh consistency.
Hot tip! This can take 15-20 half sheets of paper towels, but it is incredibly important to remove as much moisture as possible, or else the cookies will be cake instead of chewy. Cheesecloth or dish towels can also be used.
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Three: Cream together the butter and sugars, then add the egg yolks, vanilla, and pumpkin until smooth.
Four: Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice and mix until halfway incorporated.
Five: Use a rubber spatula and finish mixing in the dry ingredients by hand. This ensures a tender cookie.
Six: Use a 3-tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop out flush pieces of cookie dough (or measure out 3 tablespoon size pieces).
Seven: Add the cookie dough to a cinnamon sugar mixture and coat completely.
Eight: Add 6 cookies to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake until set around the edges but still slightly underdone in the center. Cool for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack.
Hot tip! Scoot the cookies as soon as they come out of the oven to be sure the cookies are completely round and even.
Expert Tips
- If browning the butter, e-solidify it until almost solid. Cool butter is key for this recipe.
- Get as much moisture as possible out of the pumpkin puree. The paper towel should barely be wet by the end & the amount will have reduced by more than half.
- Only mix the dough until the flour is just incorporated.
- Use a digital scale to measure the flour, or use the fluff, spoon and level method. Adding too much flour will result in puffy cookies.
- Don't over bake these cookies. They will finish cooking on pan and wire rack.
- Use Libby's canned pumpkin for best results.
- Make these Pumpkin Sour Cream Muffins with the leftover pumpkin puree!
Recipe FAQs
This is either because there was still too much water in the pumpkin puree, or the flour was over-measured.
I don't recommend this, as it contains quite a bit more moisture than canned pumpkin. Libby's canned pumpkin produces very consistent results.
If you want chewy cookies, then yes, this step is required. Without removing all of the moisture, the cookies will be cakey and puffy.
No. Pumpkin pie filling contains sugars and spices, while pumpkin puree is just 100% pure pulverized pumpkin.
Storage
Store the cookies in a airtight container for up to five days.
Freeze the cookies in an airtight container for up to three months. Thaw uncovered at room temperature, then add to an airtight container to finish storing.
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📖Recipe
Chewy Pumpkin Cookies
Equipment
- paper towels, cheesecloth, or dish towel
- Stand mixer with paddle attachment, or handheld mixer
- 3-tablespoon cookie scoop
- large baking sheets
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup pure pumpkin puree (before squeezing out)
- 1¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- ¾ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ⅔ cup light brown sugar packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large egg yolks room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ cup granulated sugar for rolling
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon for rolling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ and line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Add the pumpkin puree to a plate and spread it thin. Press the mixture with one paper towel at a time to soak up all of the moisture, until the paper towels have barely any wet spots on them. Set aside.⅔ cup pure pumpkin puree
- Note: this takes me roughly 15 half sheets of paper towels. You can also use cheesecloth or tea towels. Just be sure to get as much liquid out as possible. The texture should feel like play-doh when it's ready to use.
- In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin spice. Set aside.1¾ cup all-purpose flour, ¾ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, 3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (with paddle attachment), or with a hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugars on medium speed for 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides.¾ cup unsalted butter, ⅔ cup light brown sugar, ½ cup granulated sugar
- Add the egg yolks, vanilla, and pumpkin and mix on medium speed until combined, about one minute.2 large egg yolks, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Add the flour mixture and mix until the flour is almost combined. Use a rubber spatula to finish folding in any excess flour around the edges of the bowl.
- Mix together the sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.¼ cup granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- Measure out 3 tablespoon sized scoops of dough, then roll them through the sugar and place on the prepared pan. I bake 6 cookies per large sheet, one sheet at a time.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, keeping the cookies still slightly underdone in the center. Cool for 5 minutes on the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Liz says
Delicious! Made them twice within one week.
Callan Wenner says
Yay!! So happy to hear this. Thanks for reporting back.
Iris says
I can't wait to try baking these! I have a big work event coming up with lots of people--if I halve the size of the cookies, should I halve the baking time?
Callan Wenner says
Yes, I would start checking around the 5-minute mark!
AW says
Dare I say, the perfect fall cookie?! Truly like a pumpkin snickerdoodle. So soft and chewy! Will be making again, thanks for a great recipe!
Jacquie says
just made these and my house smells amazing and everyone loves them including my autistic child that I do respite for every Friday. I will definitely be making these again and again.
Callan Wenner says
This makes me SO happy! Great news. Thanks so much for making them and sharing.
Karen says
I actually substituted gluten free flour ( Bob's Red Mill) for regular flour and shortening for butter. My husband can't have gluten and dairy. I refrigerated the dough for about 45 minutes before baking. The result was quite good. Very light and flavorful! Thank you for the recipe.
Callan Wenner says
Wonderful news! So glad the swaps worked out so your husband could enjoy them!
Heather Moneaux says
After I make the dough into a ball and roll it in the sugar do I flatten the cookie or do I bake them round? Like do I put the ball on the parchment paper and as it's cooking it gets flat?
Callan Wenner says
No need to flatten the ball, as long as the flour is measured correctly (and all water is removed from the pumpkin) they will spread accordingly!
Tammi says
This looks so good, and I think I can make them with what I already have in the house, except I think there's a mistake in this section:
Make your own pumpkin pie spice: 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon, 2 teaspoons ground ginger, 1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger, 1 teaspoon ground cloves, 1 teaspoon ground allspice.
You have ginger listed twice. Is one of those supposed to be something else?
Callan Wenner says
Tammi - thanks for bringing this to my attention! It should be 1.5 teaspoons of ground nutmeg - I have just updated this!
Cynthia A Ruiz-Pineda says
You could just squeeze the pumpkin though cheesecloth. Save a tree
Callan Wenner says
Sure! Just be sure it's lined well so the pumpkin doesn't squeeze through it, and squeeze enough until it resembles play-doh with pretty much no excess moisture.
Sue says
Would lining a colander with cheese cloth work to remove moisture from the pumpkin?
Callan Wenner says
As long as you get it completely squeezed out this should be fine. The texture should feel like play dough with very very little moisture!
Patricia says
So do I measure the pumpkin before squeezing out liquid or after.?
Callan Wenner says
Measure before the liquid is removed! You'll want to measure out the 2/3 cup of pumpkin, then press all the liquid out, then use in the recipe.
Loren says
Well, they’re already in the oven before I jumped to the comments and saw that the pumpkin measurement is pre squeezing the liquid out lol. We will see how it comes together lol.
Callan Wenner says
Eek! How did they come out? I've just added a note to the recipe card so that others don't make this mistake, too! Thanks for trying them.
Catherine Valdez says
Can they be frozen after the five days and if so for how long can they be frozen! Omg Can’t wait to try this recipe
Callan Wenner says
Hi Catherine - I'd recommend freezing closer to 3 days at the maximum - they can be frozen for a couple of months. Try to remove any air so they don't get freezer-burnt! Thaw uncovered at room temperature before enjoying.
Rose says
Hi Callan
I was wondering if this recipe would allow substituting almond flour in place
of regular flour.
Callan Wenner says
Hi Rose, I have not tried this, but I also wouldn't recommend this substitution. If this is swap intended for a gluten-free variety, I always recommend Bob's Red Mill 1-1 baking flour!
Kim says
These came out perfectly! They taste like little drops of fall. I did brown the butter to bring out the fall flavors. They are kid approved!
Callan Wenner says
Yay! Love the brown butter choice. Thanks so much for reporting back.