This easy, one-bowl recipe for chewy pumpkin cookies can be made in less than an hour, start to finish, with no mixer or resting time required. The cookies are chewy and soft, with just the right amount of pumpkin spice!
These chewy pumpkin cookies are the perfect fall treat! They're soft, tender, and chewy, with just the right amount of pumpkin flavor, from both pumpkin purée and pumpkin spice.
And, these cookies are so quick and easy to make. You only need one bowl, no mixer, and no resting time. (Although, if you want to rest the dough you can of course).
More cozy autumn bakes
Try my recipes for apple puff pastry galette, persimmon cake with cream cheese frosting, or cranberry upside down cake!
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Recipe ingredients
Ingredient notes
- canned pumpkin: be sure to use canned pumpkin, rather than pumpkin pie filling. I haven't tested the recipe with homemade pumpkin purée so it would be better to stick with canned pumpkin. Any variations in the water content could drastically change the cookie texture.
- brown sugar: I prefer using light brown sugar in this cookie recipe. I tested it with dark brown sugar, and to me it covered up some of the more delicate pumpkin flavors. But, dark brown sugar would still work.
Step by step photos
Here's how to make these chewy pumpkin cookies, step by step.
Step 1
Add the softened butter to a bowl and mash it up well with a rubber spatula until smooth. Add the granulated and brown sugar. Cream together with the rubber spatula until smooth.
Step 2
Add in the egg, vanilla, and pumpkin. Mix together until evenly incorporated. It will look a little grainy at this stage, don't worry!
Step 3
Add in the flour, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin spice. Mix together just until there are no pockets of flour left.
Step 4
Mix together the leftover sugar and pumpkin spice. Scoop balls of dough out and roll in the spiced sugar.
Step 5
Place the balls of dough on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet, about 3 inches apart. I can fit 8 cookies onto each cookie sheet using this staggered pattern.
Step 6
Bake the cookies until the edges are lightly browned. They will still be soft in the middle. Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes, and then move them to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Tips and tricks
The pumpkin cookie dough will be soft after mixing. I find using a cookie scoop to be very helpful in working with the dough. Here I used a #20 sized cookie scoop from this set (affiliate link), which is the equivalent of 3 tablespoons of dough.
If you don't have a cookie scoop, you can roll out dough balls that are about 2 inches in diameter (a little larger than a golf ball). And if you're finding the dough too soft to work with when rolling your balls, just pop the bowl of dough in the fridge for a few minutes.
These cookies are on the larger side, so if you want to make smaller cookies you can. Just make sure to check on them sooner when baking because they won't need as long in the oven. You may also need more pumpkin spice sugar to roll them in, since the overall surface area of the cookies will be greater.
Pumpkin Spice DIY
If you don't have store-bought pumpkin pie spice at home but still want to make the chewy pumpkin cookies, you can make your own with spices you may already have in the pantry. Here's my easy DIY recipe. Just mix together:
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- pinch ground cloves (optional)
The chewy pumpkin cookies only call for 3 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice, so with this recipe you will have a little left over. I like to add a sprinkle to my coffee!
Storage
After the cookies have cooled fully, store them in an airtight container or zip top plastic bag with the air squeezed out. When stored this way, they should keep well at room temperature for 3 - 4 days. Even at 4 days, I found the pumpkin cookies still tasted great. I think that's because they are so soft and tender! Even though they started drying out after a couple days, they still maintained a nice texture.
For longer term storage, freeze them in a zip top plastic bag (with the air squeezed out). Cookies can be stored in the freezer for 2 - 3 months.
Here is an interesting article on the best way to store cookies that I found helpful.
Recipe FAQs
I have only tested the recipe with Libby's canned pumpkin, so that would be my recommendation to use. The water content of the cookies is very important to getting the texture right. If your homemade pumpkin is too watery, the cookies may turn out more cakey.
No, resting the dough is not required for this recipe. But if you would like to rest the dough before baking, you can. Or, if you're finding the dough a little too soft to work with, you can refrigerate the dough for 5 - 10 minutes to firm it up.
If you're making the large cookies (3 tablespoons of dough per cookie), the recipe will make about 20 cookies. I have been able to fit 8 cookies per standard size cookie sheet. So, you will need to bake 3 trays.
If you want to save time, you can bake 2 trays at once. Just position two oven racks at the top and bottom ⅓ of the oven. Rotate the trays halfway through baking, switching the trays top and bottom, and also rotate them front to back. Here is a helpful article on baking two trays at once.
If you do this method, you will only need two rounds of baking. If you bake the trays one at a time, you will need three rounds.
What else to make with canned pumpkin
If you have some leftover canned pumpkin, here are a few more recipes I recommend:
If you've tried this recipe, please leave a star rating and/or review in the comments section below, I would love to hear from you! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. And sign up for my weekly newsletter to get recipes delivered straight to you!
Print📖 Recipe
Easy Chewy Pumpkin Cookies
These pumpkin cookies are so soft and chewy, with a crispy edge. They are easy to make with basic ingredients, and with only one bowl!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 20 cookies 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks/227 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (210 g) packed light brown sugar
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar, divided
- ½ cup (125 g) canned pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 ¾ cups (345 g) all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, divided
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Line 1 (or 2) cookie sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Add the softened butter to a large bowl. With a rubber spatula, mash the butter until it's smooth.
- Add the packed light brown sugar and only ½ cup of the granulated sugar to the butter. Cream together the butter and sugars with the rubber spatula until smooth.
- Add the canned pumpkin, egg, and vanilla extract to the bowl. Stir together the ingredients until evenly combined. The mixture will look grainy - that's ok! It will all work out once the flour is added.
- Add the all-purpose flour, only 2 teaspoons of the pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt to the bowl. (Before adding the baking soda, break it up with your fingers to make sure there are no lumps.) Stir until all the flour has been incorporated.
- In a small dish, mix together the remaining ¼ cup sugar and 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice. With a #20 cookie scoop, scoop a ball of dough and place it in the dish with the sugar. If you don't have a cookie scoop, use a regular spoon to scoop out about 3 tablespoons of dough and form it into a ball slightly larger than a golf ball. If the dough is too soft to shape by hand, place it in the fridge for 5 - 10 minutes.
- Rotate the ball of dough in the sugar until evenly coated. Place it on the prepared cookie sheet. Repeat until you have 8 cookie balls evenly spaced on the cookie sheet. If you want to bake 2 trays at once, fill both trays with 8 cookies each. (See the notes section for tips on baking 2 trays at once.)
- Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 13 - 15 minutes, or until the edges are set and lightly browned. The middles will still look soft. Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet(s) for 10 minutes, then move them to a cooling rack to finish cooling. Repeat the scooping, rolling, and baking process until you've used up all the dough.
Notes
1. To bake two trays at once, arrange the oven racks at the top and bottom ⅓ of the oven. Rotate the trays halfway through cooking, top to bottom, and also front to back, to ensure they cook evenly.
2. The cookies will keep well in a plastic zip top bag (with the air squeezed out) for 3 - 4 days at room temperature, or 2 - 3 months in the freezer.
3. I don't recommend using homemade pumpkin purée because the water content can vary, affecting the texture of the cookies.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/20 recipe
- Calories: 221
- Sugar: 18.6 g
- Sodium: 74 mg
- Fat: 9.3 g
- Saturated Fat: 6.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 31.4 g
- Fiber: 0,8 g
- Protein: 2.4 g
- Cholesterol: 43 mg
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