These soft pumpkin cookies are thick, cakey, and filled with warm pumpkin spice flavor. No chilling required—just mix, scoop, and bake! For the ultimate fall treat, top them with cream cheese frosting for a melt-in-your-mouth experience.
Pro Tip: Blot the pumpkin puree with paper towels gently before mixing. This helps control moisture and prevents the cookies from spreading!
When my sisters and I were little, it was almost an everyday occurrence that we walked to the local bakery melt in your mouth pumpkin cookies. This is a recreation of the best bakery pumpkin cookies I’ve ever had from West Side Bakery.
The fresh pumpkin puree and butter give them a cake-like texture (think pumpkin muffin tops), rather than a chewy texture like maple pecan cookies.
Why You’ll Love This Pumpkin Cookie Recipe
- Melt-in-your-mouth texture – Soft and cakey, like a pumpkin muffin top!
- Easy & quick – One bowl and no chill time required.
- Full of pumpkin flavor – Real pumpkin + warm spices = the ultimate fall cookie.
- Perfectly frosted – The cream cheese frosting adds a rich, tangy balance to the sweet cookies.
- Great for meal prep – Freezer-friendly and perfect for make-ahead baking.
Do you love pumpkin recipes? Try pumpkin snickerdoodle cobbler, pumpkin cinnamon rolls, or pumpkin pudding cookies next.
Ingredients You Need
- 🧈 Butter – Softened for the best texture. Works great with vegan butter too!
- 🍬 Sugar – Sweetens the cookies perfectly.
- 🎃 Pumpkin puree – Be sure to use 100% pure pumpkin, NOT pumpkin pie filling!🥚 Egg – Helps bind the dough and keep it soft.
- 🍂 Warm spices – Pumpkin pie spice + cinnamon for classic fall flavor.
- 🍞 All-purpose flour – Works great with gluten-free 1:1 flour too.
- 🧀 Cream cheese – Key ingredient for the tangy, rich frosting.
Do you love frosted cookies? Out of all of my cookie recipes, I absolutely love these eggnog cookies and Taylor Swift chai cookies.
How to Make Pumpkin Cookies
- Cream the butter and sugar: Beat butter in a large mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer or stand mixer, then add the sugar and beat again for 1-2 more minutes, until light and fluffy.
- Add the spices: Add the baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice and beat until well combined.
- Wet ingredients: Add one egg and the vanilla then beat well, until no yellow streaks remain. Mix in the pumpkin until it’s combined.
- Dry ingredients: Beat in the flour on medium speed until completely incorporated. The dough will be wet, this is what you want!
- Scoop and and bake: Use a heaping tablespoon or medium cookie scoop to drop dough balls a few inches apart on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the tops are set and no longer look wet.
- Frost: Beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in the powdered sugar and vanilla. Frost cooled cookies. Add a sprinkle of cinnamon and enjoy!
Recipe Variations & Tips
- Make them without frosting – They’re just as delicious plain!
- Add mix-ins – Fold in chocolate chips, chopped pecans, or walnuts for extra texture.
- Blot the pumpkin puree – This helps reduce excess moisture for a sturdier, bakery-style cookie.
- Don’t overbake – The cookies should be just set and lightly golden on the edges.
Storage & Freezing
❄️ Freeze unfrosted cookies for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight, then frost before serving.
🍪 Store at room temperature for 3 days or in the fridge for up to 7 days (if frosted).
Soft Pumpkin Cookies
These soft and cakey pumpkin cookies are packed with warm pumpkin spice flavor and topped with a rich cream cheese frosting. Made in one bowl with no chill time, they’re the perfect quick and easy fall treat. Enjoy them plain or frosted, and don’t forget to make a double batch—they disappear fast! Freeze leftovers for a make-ahead dessert or meal-prep snack.
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Servings: 24 cookies
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cookies
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree blotted dry with paper towels
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl with an electric mixer, or bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat butter on medium-high speed for 1 minute. Add sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice and beat until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.1 cup unsalted butter, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- Add the egg and vanilla then beat well, until no yellow streaks remain. Add the pumpkin pure and beat again until incorporated. With the mixer running on low, add the flour turn up to medium speed until completely incorporated. The dough will be slightly wet, this is what you want!1 large egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 cup canned pumpkin puree, 2 cups all-purpose flour
- Use a heaping tablespoon or medium cookie scoop to drop the cookie dough balls a few inches apart on prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until tops are set and no longer look wet. Allow to cool on cookie sheet for a few minutes then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the frosting, beat together the softened butter and cream cheese in a large bowl until smooth and all of the lumps are gone. Sift in the powdered sugar then add the vanilla. Beat until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Frost cooled cookies with cream cheese frosting.1/2 cup unsalted butter, 8 ounces cream cheese, 3 cups powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Last step! If you make this, please leave a review letting us know how it was!
Notes
Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice. Instead of pumpkin pie spice, use 1/2 tsp additional cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ground ginger, 1/8 tsp nutmeg, and 1/8 tsp ground cloves.
Store: Keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. Layer them between a paper towel to avoid them sticking together.
Freeze: allow the cookies to cool completely then freeze unfrosted on a baking sheet for 1-2 hours. When they’re frozen solid, transfer to a reusable bag to save space. When you’re ready to serve, arrange them on a baking sheet in an even layer and allow them to thaw overnight in the fridge. Frost and serve.
Gluten-free and dairy-free: we tested these with vegan butter and 1:1 gluten-free baking flour (Bob’s Red Mill) and they turned out great! We also tried these with Myokos vegan butter and Kite Hil dairy-free cream cheese and they were delicious.
Video
Nutrition
Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 262kcal | Carbohydrates: 30.5g | Protein: 2.2g | Fat: 15.1g | Cholesterol: 47.8mg | Sodium: 136.6mg | Fiber: 0.7g | Sugar: 21.3g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I went to make a half batch of these cookies per instructions. The first ingredient is .5 cup (2 sticks)……the correct amount should read (1 stick).
Hey Connie! The way the tech works on the back end doesn’t let me update the parenthesis so if you change the serving size that portion doesn’t change. I’ll work on this, thanks!
Thank you for this recipe – we love it! Since finding it a few months ago I’ve made it multiple times and everyone loves them – especially my husband. I add chopped walnuts which is a nice addition. In my oven I bake the cookies for exactly 13 minutes and they come out great every time. Thanks again – have some in the oven right now! 🙂
These were the bomb.com. Thank you for sharing!
By far my most favorite cookie recipe ever!!
Love this recipe! I’m bringing these cookies to a Thanksgiving party..
Thanks so much!
Can the dough be frozen before baking?
Yes! You may just need to add a few minutes to the bake time.
These are amazing!!! I’ve even made them for my celiac sons and they love them! Making for thanksgiving!
Thanks!