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Topped with a sweet cinnamon glaze, these Pumpkin Cookies are super soft, cakey, and bursting with pumpkin flavor. The perfect fall cookies! They’re super easy to whip up too!
These pumpkin cookies are SO good and addicting! They’re eating little bites of pumpkin bread, just a bit more cakey. They are perfect for fall and even my young kids love them!
- Packed with fall flavors. The flavor is perfectly pumpkin and perfectly spiced. Sweet cinnamon, earthy nutmeg, and warm ground cloves make these rich pumpkin cookies so comforting! They’re the best cozy fall treat.
- Super soft and cakey texture. The baking powder and baking soda make these cookies nice and tender, while the pumpkin puree adds the perfect amount of moisture. They are definitely more cakey than dense and they stay soft for days, particularly with the glaze on them.
- Sweet glaze on top. The glaze might just be my favorite thing about these cookies. It’s a quick and easy addition that really sets them apart from other cookies and I love that added bit of cinnamon!
If you’re looking for more festive cookie recipes that you can make this fall/winter, check out these snickerdoodles, these peanut butter cookies, these chewy sugar cookies, or these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies!
What You’ll Need
Both the cookies and the glaze rely on kitchen staples, so you may already have everything you need to make them. Let the fall baking begin! (For the exact ingredient amounts, check out the recipe card below.)
Cookies
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda & baking powder – The use of both leavening agents ensures light and tender cookies.
- Spices – Ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves give these cookies a warm flavor. You could also swap it out for pumpkin spice.
- Salt – Enhances the other flavors in the cookies. Without a little salt, the cookies would be bland.
- Unsalted butter – Room temperature but not melted.
- Sugar – These cookies use both white sugar and light brown sugar for the best flavor and moisture.
- Pumpkin puree – Be sure to use pure pumpkin puree, NOT pumpkin pie filling which is already sweetened and spiced. I also recommend canned instead of homemade, which tends to have more liquid.
- Egg – To help bind the ingredients together. Be sure to use large eggs, not medium or extra large.
- Vanilla extract
Cinnamon Glaze
- Powdered sugar
- Cinnamon – You don’t have to add this in if you’d prefer a vanilla glaze, but I love the extra cinnamon!
- Vanilla extract
- Milk – You could also use heavy cream, but you may need more of it. Milk is thinner, so you don’t need as much. I used 2% milk, but whole milk will also work.
These fall cookies come together in just a few simple steps. You can find the printable version of the instructions in the recipe card below.
- Make the dough. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. In another bowl, beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Mix in the pumpkin puree, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add in the egg and vanilla until well combined. Mix in the dry ingredients.
- Refrigerate. Scoop 2 tablespoon-sized balls of cookie dough onto a plate or parchment-lined cookie sheet. Refrigerate for an hour.
- Bake. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line the baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll the cookies and place them on the baking sheet. Bake for 9-11 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet for 3-4 minutes then move to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
- Make the glaze. Whisk together the powdered sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract and a tablespoon of milk. Add more milk (or powdered sugar) as needed.
- Decorate the cookies. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cookies. Allow to dry completely then serve.
Tips for Success
- Avoid over-measuring the flour. It’s really easy to over-measure your flour if you’re not careful. Do NOT pack the flour into the cup. Instead, either spoon it in little by little and level it off with a butter knife, or simply use a food scale to measure it. Check out all of my tips on how to measure flour properly.
- Cream the butter and sugars well. Keep beating together the butter and sugar until the mixture lightens in both color and texture. This signifies that it’s fully creamed.
- Do I need to chill the dough? You don’t have to refrigerate the dough balls if you don’t want to, but then you’ll need to drop the cookie dough directly onto the cookie sheet for baking without rolling them. They look prettier if you’re able to roll them more smoothly after chilling for a bit.
- Cool the cookies completely. Don’t pour the glaze over your cookies until they’ve cooled all the way down to room temperature. You want it to set on top of them rather than soak into them.
- Adjust the glaze consistency. Add more milk for a thinner glaze or more powdered sugar for a thicker glaze, keeping in mind that you do want a consistency easy to drizzle over the cookies.
Recipe Variations
If you want to change up this pumpkin cookie recipe a bit, be my guest! One of the following variations might pique your interest.
- Frosted Pumpkin Cookies – Do you prefer a frosting over a glaze? If so, I highly recommend topping your cooled cookies with pumpkin spice buttercream or cream cheese frosting instead.
- Caramel Pumpkin Cookies – Pumpkin and caramel go together so well, and I’m a huge fan of drizzling homemade caramel sauce on all the things. I have 3 amazing caramel recipes on my site, but my favorite has to be this easy salted caramel sauce. It’s divine!
- Pumpkin Nut Cookies – Pecans and walnuts are often paired with pumpkin, and I can’t get enough of it. Feel free to fold some chopped nuts into your dough if you’d like to add some crunch and extra flavor.
- Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies – It’s never a bad idea to fold some chocolate chips into your cookie dough. White chocolate, dark chocolate, milk chocolate – it would all taste delicious in these cookies!
Proper Storage
- Fridge. Store the pumpkin cookies in an airtight container with parchment paper between the layers at room temperature for up to 2 days, then transfer to the fridge. They are best enjoyed with 4-5 days. You can bring them to room temperature before enjoying.
- Freezer. To freeze these cookies, flash-freeze them on a baking sheet for an hour then transfer to a freezer-safe container with parchment paper between layers. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge and enjoy.
More Amazing Pumpkin Dessert Recipes
- Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake
- Pumpkin Bread
- Classic Pumpkin Pie
- Pumpkin Cupcakes
- Pumpkin Layer Cake
- Pumpkin Roll
Watch How To Make Them
Print
Recipe
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Chill Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
- Yield: 24 cookies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
Topped with a sweet cinnamon glaze, these Pumpkin Cookies are super soft, cakey, and bursting with pumpkin flavor. The perfect fall cookies! They’re super easy to whip up too!
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cookies
- 2 1/2 (325g) cups all-purpose flour (measured accurately)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup (168g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (104g) sugar
- 1/2 cup (112g) packed light brown sugar
- 3/4 cup (183g) pumpkin puree
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Cinnamon Glaze
- 1 1/4 cups (144g) powdered sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1–2 tbsp milk
Instructions
- Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices and salt in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
- Add the butter, sugar and brown sugar to a large mixer bowl and beat together until light in color and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Do not skimp on the creaming time.
- Add the pumpkin puree and mix until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix until well combined. Do not over mix. Dough will be sticky.
- Scoop 2 tablespoon sized balls of cookie dough onto a plate or parchment-lined cookie sheet. Refrigerate for about an hour, to let the cookie dough firm up a bit, so that it’s easier to roll them. You don’t have to refrigerate them if you don’t want to, but then you’ll need to drop them directly onto the cookie sheet. They look nicer if you chill and roll them.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- Roll cookies and place on baking sheets. Bake for 9-11 minutes, or until they just look done.
- Let cool for 3-4 minutes, then move to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
- When cookies are completely cool, make the glaze. And the powdered sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon of milk to a medium size bowl and whisk together. Add additional milk, if needed, until it comes together. If you thin it out too much, you can add a little more powdered sugar.
- Drizzle the glaze over cookies and allow to dry completely, then serve.
- Store cookies in an air tight container. Separate layers with parchment paper. Best if eaten within 4-5 days.
Notes
- Yield: Makes 20-24 cookies.
- To Store: Store the pumpkin cookies in an airtight container with parchment paper between the layers at room temperature for up to 2 days, then transfer to the fridge. They are best enjoyed with 4-5 days. You can bring them to room temperature before enjoying.
- To Freeze: Place cookies on a baking sheet and freeze for 1 hour. Once firm, transfer to a freezer-safe container and store for up to 3 months. Separate layers with wax paper and thaw before enjoying.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Cookie
- Calories: 162
- Sugar: 14.7 g
- Sodium: 83 mg
- Fat: 6.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 25.5 g
- Protein: 1.8 g
- Cholesterol: 23 mg
These cakes/breads ‘cookies’ are delicious. My only addition was 1/2 tsp ginger. Next time I made them, which will be for Christmas, I’m going to add some toasted pecans.
Thank you for this terrific recipe.
So glad you enjoyed them!
Hello Lindsey,
I love your blog! I discovered it when I came across your red velvet cheesecake recipe on Pinterest (which was awesome btw). I’ve since tried a few more of your cheesecake recipes, all with great results.
I had a question about these cookies. Would the recipe work if one were to skip the glaze and add about 1 cup of dark chocolate chips to the batter instead?
Thank you – I’m glad you’ve enjoyed everything so far!
These cookies are fairly light, if I remember correctly. More cakey than dense. If you are going to do chocolate chips, I might suggest mini chocolate chips so they don’t sink to the bottom.
I loved these cookies! I used whole wheat flour to make them a bit healthier but it turned them an odd color. If you are going for looks I would not recommend it, I also switched out the sugars in both the cookies and the frosting with splenda to cut down on calories. They still tasted great!
don’t now what a url is so must not have one
lost some of my grandma’s recipes (I am 70 so her’s were old)
Now am happy and going to my happy place, my playpen, my kitchen and bake
ill check out yourfb as without the url thingy I doubt I will post
I made these tonight and I have to say.. They were amazing! I love the cake-like consistency. I will absolutely make these again. Thank you for the recipe.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Can you freeze these cookies?
I haven’t ever tried, so I can’t say for sure. They’d probably be ok.