These soft pumpkin cookies are thick and cakey with extra pumpkin spice flavor. The maple cream cheese icing is a delicious addition, but the cookies are just as wonderful plain. They’re quick, easy, and best of all—there’s no cookie dough chilling required! My advice is to blot the pumpkin puree to rid excess liquid and use a cookie scoop.
Pumpkin cookies! The two most beautiful words in the baking language. Well, besides apple pie and chocolate cake.
Diving into the fall baking season feels great and these pumpkin cookies are the best place to start. I’ve been perfecting cookie recipes for years and these, along with my pumpkin snickerdoodles and pumpkin crumb cake cookies, are some of my best. If you crave chocolate, my chewy pumpkin chocolate chip cookies use the same delicious cookie dough as the snickerdoodles. And if you prefer oats in your cookies, you will FLIP for my brown butter pumpkin oatmeal cookies and pumpkin oatmeal cream pies.
Search my pumpkin recipes for more cookies because I’ve published A LOT. For even more inspiration, here are my 30+ best pumpkin dessert recipes.
One reader, Trixie, commented: “This was my first time attempting a cookie of this texture and they were AMAZING. Made the recipe as written and the icing as well—11/10. They were a hit at our Thanksgiving get-together. The cookies truly are better on the second day. Can’t wait to make these again—thank you for sharing this recipe with the world! ★★★★★”
Why You’ll Love These Pumpkin Cookies
- Texture: Unlike my pumpkin chocolate chip cookies where we play with ingredients to produce a chewy cookie, today’s cookies are soft and cakey. They aren’t dense and chewy like a traditional cookie. I wouldn’t describe them as fluffy as a cake—probably closer to a muffin. (Like little muffin top cookies.)
- Flavor: What they lack in chew/density, they make up for in flavor. By using extra cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and ground ginger, as well as using more brown sugar than regular white sugar, I guarantee these will be more flavorful than any traditional pumpkin cookie you’ve had before. We’ll also blot excess liquid out of the pumpkin so we’re left with more concentrated flavor.
- Ease: No cookie dough chilling! They’ll go from mixing bowl to oven in minutes, which is especially helpful if you’re baking with kids or if you’re as impatient as I am. This recipe joins 30+ others in my collection of Quick Dessert Recipes—ready in 1 hour or less!
Best Pumpkin Cookie Baking Tip
Blot the pumpkin puree. I discovered this trick when I worked on my brown butter pumpkin oatmeal cookies recipe. Pumpkin is a water-heavy ingredient. Its moisture is wonderful for quick breads and cakes, but not necessarily cookies. By removing some of the moisture, you’re left with dense and flavor-packed pumpkin without all of the excess liquid. (Think about it: you don’t usually put liquid in cookie dough, right?) Using a paper towel, blot out some of the pumpkin’s moisture. No need to squeeze it completely dry.
Blotting the pumpkin is actually one of my tricks to prevent a cakey tasting cookie. (See my chewy pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.) Today’s pumpkin cookies are still going to be cakey because we’re using a lot of pumpkin. Still, ridding some of its moisture will improve the flavor and texture. Does this make sense?
Overview: How to Make Soft Pumpkin Cookies
The full detailed instructions are provided below, but let me guide you through the process first. Start preheating that oven now!
- Blot the pumpkin. After ridding some moisture, you’ll have a little less than 1 and 1/2 cups of pumpkin—I usually have about 1 and 1/3 cups (315g). Using anywhere between 1.33 – 1.5 cups of pumpkin is fine.
- Get your oven preheated. Prepare your baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. I swear by these mats! You can learn more in my Top 5 Cookie Baking Success Tips video and here’s how to clean silicone baking mats.
- Whisk dry ingredients. You need flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and ground ginger. You can use homemade pumpkin pie spice here! Pumpkin pie spice contains cinnamon and ginger, but I like adding more of both and know you’ll enjoy the extra flavor too.
- Mix the wet ingredients. You need an electric mixer for this recipe. Cream the butter and sugars together, then add the egg. Next add a splash of maple syrup to help thin out the dough, a little vanilla extract, and your blotted pumpkin. Mixture will look a little curdled at this point. Don’t fret, that’s normal.
- Mix the dry and wet ingredients together. Dough is thick and sticky, so I strongly recommend using a cookie scoop. The medium size cookie scoop is perfect because each dough ball should be around 1.5 Tablespoons of dough.
- Bake until the edges appear set. And here’s my tip for cooling: the longer the cookies cool, the better their flavor. It’s nearly impossible to wait before tasting one but just know that the flavors intensify after a day.
- Prepare the icing. Icing is optional, but I definitely don’t regret adding it. See next!
Maple Cream Cheese Icing
The cookies are wonderfully flavorful on their own, but I wanted to see how they’d taste with a little accessory on top. I love pumpkin and cream cheese together (hello, pumpkin cake), as well as pumpkin and maple together (hello, pumpkin scones). I tested a hybrid cream cheese frosting/maple glaze topping and definitely don’t regret it! This maple cream cheese icing is phenomenal. Give the cookies a quick dip and taste for yourself.
Note: the icing doesn’t really set so if you want to stack/transport these pumpkin cookies, skip the icing. Or for a different flavor, these cookies would also be delicious with salted caramel frosting.
These are honestly the only thing I want to eat for the entire fall season.
More Pumpkin Favorites
Super Soft Pumpkin Cookies
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 32 cookies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These soft pumpkin cookies are thick and cakey with extra pumpkin spice flavor. The maple cream cheese icing is a delicious addition, but the cookies are just as wonderful plain. No cookie dough chilling required!
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 cups (340g) fresh or canned pumpkin puree
- 3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice*
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) packed light or dark brown sugar (I use and recommend dark)
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup, milk, or orange juice (see note)
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Maple Cream Cheese Icing (Optional)
- 3 ounces (85g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup (90g) confectioners’ sugar
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) pure maple syrup
- pinch ground cinnamon (about 1/8 teaspoon)
Instructions
- In this recipe, it’s best to use pumpkin that has had some moisture removed. Blot the pumpkin with paper towels to rid excess moisture. No need to squeeze it completely dry. I usually place it in a paper towel lined bowl and let the paper towel soak up some moisture. A clean kitchen towel works too, but the pumpkin can stain. After ridding some moisture, you’ll have a little less than 1 and 1/2 cups of pumpkin—I usually have about 1 and 1/3 cups (315g). Using anywhere between 1.33 – 1.5 cups of pumpkin is fine. Set aside until step 4. Or cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day. It can be cold when you add it to the dough.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and ginger together in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream the softened butter and both sugars together on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and mix on high until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the maple syrup, vanilla, and blotted pumpkin and mix on high until combined. Mixture will look a little curdled—that’s ok.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, then mix on low speed until combined. Dough is thick and sticky. Scoop or roll cookie dough, around 1.5 Tablespoons of dough per cookie, and place 3 inches apart on the baking sheets.
- Bake for 14-15 minutes or until edges appear set. The centers will look soft. Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. The longer the cookies cool, the better their flavor—I like them best on day 2!
- Optional Icing: Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese in a medium bowl on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy. Beat in the butter until combined. Add the confectioners’ sugar, maple syrup, and a pinch of cinnamon (about 1/8 teaspoon), then beat on low speed until smooth and creamy. Taste. Add more cinnamon if desired. Dip the tops of the cooled cookies into icing or spread it onto each cookie with a knife.
- Cover leftover iced cookies tightly and store at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Cookies without icing can be covered tightly and stored at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: To make ahead, you can cover and chill the cookie dough for up to 48 hours. Bring to room temperature before shaping into balls and baking. You can also freeze the cookie dough for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature before shaping into balls and baking. You can also freeze the cookie dough balls for up to 3 months. It’s best to thaw the dough balls and bring to room temperature before baking. Iced cookies or cookies without icing freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Medium Cookie Scoop | Cooling Rack
- Pumpkin: Do not use pumpkin pie filling; use pure pumpkin puree. While using fresh pumpkin puree is fine, I always have better results with canned. You’ll need a little less than 1 standard 15 ounce can. No matter if you use fresh or canned, blot the pumpkin as directed in step 1.
- Spices: You can use 2 teaspoons of store-bought or homemade pumpkin pie spice in this recipe. This is in addition to the cinnamon and ginger already called for in the recipe. Instead of prepared pumpkin pie spice, you can use 1/2 teaspoon each: ground nutmeg, ground cloves, ground allspice, and ground ginger.
- Maple Syrup: The 2 teaspoons of maple syrup, milk, or orange juice are really just to help thin out the cookie dough. 2 teaspoons isn’t much, but it does help. I love using maple syrup, but milk or orange juice work too. Orange is excellent with pumpkin—see my pumpkin bread!
- Optional Add-Ins: Feel free to fold 1 and 1/2 cups of chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, chopped nuts, or dried cranberries into the dough after you mix the wet and dry ingredients together.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Favorite pumpkin cookie recipe. Just be prepared, especially if you used canned pumpkin. Got about 72 cookies out of it instead of 32
Delicious recipe, even with my changes. Don’t be afraid to add raisins.
Easy to make. Delicious. I followed the recipe exactly. I thought I was using the right sized scoop but ended up with about 40 cookies (fine with me!). I put one and a half tablespoons of water in my scoop and it filled it perfectly so I figured that was the right size scoop). Thanks for the great recipe.
Loved these cookies!! Great texture and flavor. The only changes were using fresh milled soft white wheat and the addition of chopped walnuts.
Thanks
I have made these twice and they are absolutely amazing! Best recipe!
I just put the last pan in the oven. This is a definite keeper!
The only change I made was to use the whole 15 oz can of pumpkin not patted, then I omitted adding any extra liquid (maple syrup, orange juice).
I’m about to make these now, and that was my exact thought because when I open a can, I like to use the whole thing. 😀 So I was happy to see this comment confirming my idea.
Has anyone substituted honey for the sugar? If so, what amount and did this affect the amount of flour?
Hi Janica, we don’t recommend swapping with a liquid sweetener here. It would take some recipe testing to ensure results.
In the recipe it says 2 tablespoons of maple syrup and in the notes it says 2 teaspoons. Which is correct?
Hi Kelsey! The cookies call for 2 teaspoons maple syrup, milk or orange juice, and the recipe Note is adding additional information for that. The icing calls for 2 Tablespoons maple syrup, which may be what you’re seeing.
Yum!! This recipe wasn’t a simple recipe, but it was very easy to follow and make. This is the best pumpkin cookie recipe I’ve made to date (and I’ve made many versions of pumpkin cookies). They are soft, with subtle, and noticible flavors. The icing is full of flavor, but not too sweet. Highly recommend!
I’m going to make these cookies today but was wondering if you have the nutritional information available. (I am going to use squash that I have frozen rather than buying a can of pumpkin – which for the most part is squash. I have been making pumpkin pie with it and it tastes wonderful)
Hi Christine! We don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
Easy and delicious
Great recipe, easy enough for a beginner, tastes great too. I made it with Greek yogurt instead of butter, and decreased sugar – I just don’t like it that sweet. Really good flavour, and goes superbly with hot cocoa. Thank you.
The soft pumpkin cookies with maple-flavored icing were delicious!! It’s especially nice to get extra advice and hints as you go through the recipe.
My new favorite cookie! Loved them with & without the icing. I did a light sprinkle of cardamom on the icing; it really enhanced the flavor of the cookie.
Not yet rating this recipe as I plan to try for the first time this weekend. I have made my mother’s ‘cakey’ pumpkin cookies (from my childhood) for decades! (Yes, more decades than I’ll admit to!) I baked these cookies for my children and now for my grandchildren. I’m open to options and want to try Sally’s recipe for soft cakelike pumpkin cookies. The one addition that is standard for my family and an obvious pairing for pumpkin cookies is raisins. Sally hasn’t mentioned raisins, and I don’t see any home baker comment about raisins. You don’t know what you’re missing! Would you estimate 1-1/2 cups raisins to this recipe? Thank you!
Hi Tonya, yes, you can add 1 and 1/2 cups of raisins to this dough. Enjoy!
Tonya, I used cranberries but I did add 1 1/2 cups which was just perfect!
These cookies are soooo delicious, O.M.G. I lost count of how many I ate. Great recipe, thanks for sharing. Will be making again Very soon.
Extremely good. The hit at the Halloween party.
Hi, could the recipe be cut in 1/2 (by weight) to make a smaller batch?
Hi Julie, that *should* be fine, but we haven’t tested it.
Hi, just an update. I made these yesterday and cut the recipe in half to make a smaller batch. Added chocolate chips and they came out great!
These are great! I had to use Pamela’s gluten free pancake and baking mix as my flour since I have a family of Celiacs. The only change I made since I was using gluten free flour was to increase the butter by 1 tablespoon. I had to bake them for about 18 minutes (maybe I didn’t get enough moisture out of the pumpkin before I started)….but that was okay with me. I used a regular glaze since I didn’t have cream cheese on hand – perfect!
These cookies were delicious, what more can I say. The flavor is perfect. The texture is light and cakey without being dry.
The dough was a little hard to scoop/roll but the cookies do look better when they’re rolled smooth.
These cookies are my new favorite! Love most everything pumpkin putting these at the top of my list.
An absolute favorite recipe in my house!! They are so moist and cakey!
I’m a ambassador for Blackstone and had to do a Halloween themed cook told my wife what I was going to make she didn’t like the idea because her and my daughter dislike pumpkin so I just made 15 on the griddle and they absolutely loved them so I made 3 dozen tonight.
I’m a ambassador for Blackstone and had to do a Halloween themed cook told my wife what I was going to make she didn’t like the idea because her and my daughter dislike pumpkin so I just made 15 on the griddle and they absolutely loved them so I made 3 dozen tonight. I have several of your recipes printed out and so far every one of them have been great
I made the no bake pumpkin cheesecake and had some pumpkin puree left, so I thought I would make cookies. These cookies are so good. Moist, soft and tasty. I didn’t try the icing, but I added some chocolate chips to half the batter and put some pumpkin seeds on top. It’s a keeper!!
I’m assuming that vegan margarin can be used instead of butter for dairy allergic people?
Thanks for this wonderful recipe!!
Hi Martine, So glad you loved these! We haven’t tested this recipe with vegan substitutes but let us know if you try!
I make these for every fall bake sale and they always sell out! I double the icing
Hands down my pumpkin-fall go-to cookie from now forward! A huge hit. Makes ultra soft, muffin-top type cookies. I ended up using a can of pumpkin pie filling (removing excess moisture as instructed) and they were delicious!
I made your homemade coconut cream pie this weekend. My husband and family thought it was the best ever
These cookies were delicious! They were super easy to make. I cannot wait to share them with my family and friends at our fall gatherings!
These were amazing! My family loved them. Very easy to put together and baking times spot on. Thank you so much.
Made these for Thanksgiving dessert and had a little sample. They are delicious! I followed the recipe exactly. I made them without the Icing.
Melt in your mouth cake like cookie. Perfect pumpkin and the cinnamon is sweetly warming. They are heaven, warm out of the oven. Will try with the frosting next time. Adding to my favorite cookie recipes!