Wonderfully light and fluffy, these soft pumpkin cookies are full of all the warm Fall spices! A great seasonal pumpkin treat!

soft pumpkin cookies on serving board

These incredibly soft pumpkin cookies are a Fall favourite. And when I say soft, I mean pillowy soft! Think muffin tops or Whoopie pies. These are soft and fluffy and spicy and well, just taste like Fall.

These soft pumpkin cookies also freeze beautifully, so they are great for a quick snack or for the lunch box, too!

What you’ll need

ingredients for soft pumpkin cookies

Canned pumpkin puree – be sure to use pure pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling.

Step-by-Step Photos

  1. Start by creaming together the room temperature butter and brown and white sugar. Remember to use just medium speed to cream butter and sugar.
  2. Beat in the eggs, one at a time.
  3. Take a moment to scrape down the bowl. Don’t forget under the paddle, where unincorporated butter often hides.
  4. Add the pumpkin puree and vanilla and mix in.
  5. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredient mixture, mixing until well combined.
  6. The finished batter will the light and fluffy.
  7. Use a cookie scoop or a large kitchen tablespoon to portion the dough.
  8. Add mounds of dough to a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving a couple of inches between. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar and bake 18-22 minutes, depending on the size of the cookies.. (Refrigerate the remaining dough between batches).

Recipe video

Recipe tips

You can make these cookies any size. Simply adjust the baking time slightly, as needed, depending on the size. For jumbo cookies, use the ice-cream scoop sized scoop. For medium-sized cookies, the medium-sized cookie scoop works well.

Feel free to adjust the spicing in these cookies to taste. As written they are just nicely spiced. If you prefer a spicy cookie, refer to the Notes in the recipe card for suggested increase in spices.

soft pumpkin cookies on serving board

Storing and freezing

These cookies are absolutely at their delicious best warm from the oven. After that, it gets a little tricky. They are so soft and moist, that they tend to get a little sticky. I’ve learned though that they freeze beautifully.

Simply freeze on a baking sheet, then transfer to a freezer bag. To enjoy from the freezer, place on a doubled up piece of paper towel and microwave for 10-15 seconds (or thaw on the counter-top for 30-40 minutes).

soft pumpkin cookies on serving board

Get the Recipe: Incredibly Soft Pumpkin Cookies

Soft and fluffy pumpkin cookies, with pumpkin, together with all the great Fall flavours of cinnamon , ginger and nutmeg. Enjoy
5 stars from 3 ratings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Yield: 24 cookies

Ingredients

  • 3 cups all purpose flour, spooned and levelled
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, reduce slightly if using salted butter
  • 2 teaspoon cinnamon, *see Note 1 below
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • Pinch ground cloves
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 cup white granulated sugar
  • 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 cups canned pumpkin puree, not pie filling
  • 3 Tablespoons turbinado, demerara or coarse sparkling sugar, for topping before baking

Instructions
 

  • Line a baking sheets with parchment paper. and preheat oven to 350 F. (regular bake setting/not fan assisted)
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl with an electric mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter with the white and brown sugars until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl, then beat in the eggs one at a time. Mix in the vanilla and pumpkin puree.
  • Scrape down the bowl, then mix in the flour mixture on low speed until well combined.
  • Using a medium sized cookie scoop or a large kitchen tablespoon, scoop dough into mounds, placing several inches apart, as these will spread. You will probably only get 6-8 per baking sheet. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar. (Cover and refrigerate remaining dough, while the first batch cooks.)
  • Bake for about 18-22 minutes (depending on the size of the cookies), or until puffed and very slightly browned around the edges. Remove from the oven and let rest for a few minutes on the baking sheet, before transferring to a cooling rack to cool. Repeat with remaining dough, or leave refrigerated and cook as needed. Note that dough cold from the refrigerator may need an extra minute or two of baking time.
  • These cookies are best enjoyed warm out of the oven, or on the same day they are baked. They do freeze well up to 3 months.

Notes

Note 1: If you’d like a spicier cookie, increase the spices to taste. Try 2 1/2 – 3 teaspoons cinnamon, 1 1/4 – 1 1/2 teaspoons ginger, a rounded 1/2 teaspoon – 3/4 teaspoon nutmeg and 1/8 teaspoon cloves.
Be sure to read the notes above this Recipe Card, for more tips, options, substitutions and variations for this recipe! You’ll also find step-by-step photos and a recipe video, that you might find useful.
Cuisine: American, Canadian
Course: Snack
Serving: 1cookie, Calories: 203kcal, Carbohydrates: 31g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 0.3g, Cholesterol: 36mg, Sodium: 165mg, Potassium: 82mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 18g, Vitamin A: 2245IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 27mg, Iron: 1mg
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