These chewy pumpkin cookies have the perfect amount of pumpkin spice and each bite truly melts in your mouth. With chewy centers and spiced sugar topping, you will not believe how delicious these fall cookies are!
If you've been looking for a pumpkin cookie recipe that will give you cookies that are super chewy and not the least bit cakey, look no further! These pumpkin cookies are for all the chewy cookie fans out there. They have the absolute best texture and "mouth feel". Each bite is truly magical and I can't wait for you all to make these cookies this fall! I know you'll love them!
If you're looking for other pumpkin recipes be sure to check out my pumpkin cupcakes, best pumpkin bread or baked pumpkin donuts!
Why You'll Love These Chewy Pumpkin Cookies
Chewy not cakey pumpkin cookies. Pumpkin is so HARD to get right in cookies. Because of it's moisture content, it tends to make baked goods extra extra moist. This is great for cakes, but not for cookies. Usually pumpkin cookies are soft and cakey, but these cookies are the exact opposite. They are chewy and each bite truly melts in your mouth. There is a very particular way you have to make these cookies to achieve a chewy centered cookie. Be sure to read each step to find out how!
Perfect amount of pumpkin spice. The dough is flavored with the perfect amount of pumpkin pie spice and then is rolled in spiced sugar before baking. Each bite will taste like fall!
They're so easy to make. These cookies are simple. They require no chill time which means you can make them in under 30 minutes!
Ingredients for Chewy Pumpkin Cookies
- Butter- make sure it's unsalted and really softened
- Brown Sugar- we're using only brown sugar to keep these cookies extra chewy
- Egg Yolks- make sure they're room temperature
- Vanilla- as always I recommend vanilla bean paste for the best flavor, but extract will work perfectly fine as well
- Canned Pumpkin Puree- I recommend using Libby's canned pumpkin. It's the best pumpkin to use because almost all cans of it I've used have had the same consistency and are not too wet.
- Flour- just the right amount of all purpose flour helps give these cookies their perfect texture
- Pumpkin Pie Spice- a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger and cloves is used to bring warm fall flavors to these cookies
- Baking Soda & Baking Powder- equal parts are used to just slightly leaven these cookies
- Salt- Brings out all the flavors in these cookies
- Granulated Sugar- the cookie dough will get rolled in spiced sugar just before baking
Step By Step Instructions
STEP ONE: Start by drying your pumpkin. This may seem weird but it is the only way these cookies will bake properly and not turn out cakey! Spread your pumpkin on a plate and place a paper towel over the top. Lightly press to absorb the liquid. Repeat the step at least four more times. (It needs to reduce down to ¼ cup from ½ cup). Set aside.
STEP TWO: In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
STEP THREE: In a large bowl cream the softened butter and brown sugar together with an electric mixer.
STEP FOUR: Add in the egg yolks and vanilla and mix for one minute until pale and fluffy.
STEP FIVE: Add in the pumpkin and combine.
STEP SIX: Mix in the dry ingredients.
STEP SEVEN: Scoop the dough into 18 balls and roll them in the spiced sugar. Bake the cookies and then let cool slightly before enjoying!
See recipe below for the complete measurements.
FAQs
Why did my cookies come out cakey? The number one reason this could happen is because not enough moisture was removed from the pumpkin. It absolutely has to be pressed with paper towels prior to being added to the batter or the cookies will not bake properly. Wet cookie dough equals cakey cookies. The pumpkin should be dry enough that it goes from being ½ cup dried down to ¼ cup. Hardly any liquid should transfer onto a paper towel once it has been dried enough. Like stated above, try to use Libby's canned pumpkin as almost all cans of it have the same consistency and are not too wet. Other brands of pumpkin can be really soupy in my opinion.
Can I use fresh pumpkin puree? I would say no because fresh pumpkin puree tends to be even more liquidy than canned. It may cause the cookies to bake incorrectly.
Can I chill the dough? Yes! Just make sure to bring the dough to room temperature before baking.
How do I store these cookies? Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to three days, or freeze them for up to two weeks!
Pro Tips
Measure your flour properly. This is always my #1 baking tip. Do not ever scoop a measuring cup into your flour. This will always lead to using too much flour. (Trust me, I've learned the hard way that I need to measure properly!) Instead, sprinkle spoonfuls of flour into your measuring cup and swipe excess flour off with the back of a knife. Or better yet, weigh your flour. 1 cup of flour equals 125 grams.
When the cookies are straight out of the oven, go around them with a circular cookie cutter to give them a perfect circular shape!
Make sure to beat your eggs into the butter and sugar until the mixture is pale in color and fluffy, not just until it's combined. Doing this will help give you perfectly textured cookies.
If you make these cookies please, please leave a star review! Tag me on Instagram @inbloombakery_ and follow me on Pinterest also for other dessert ideas!
Other Recipes to Try
Chewy Pumpkin Cookies
Ingredients
For the Spiced Sugar
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated white sugar
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
For the Pumpkin Cookies
- ¾ cup (168 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (220 g) light brown sugar, packed
- 2 egg yolks, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup (122 g) canned pumpkin puree Libby's works best
- 1 ¾ cups (219 g) all purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
For the Spiced Sugar
- In a small bowl mix the granulated sugar and pumpkin pie spice together. Set aside.¼ cup (50 g) granulated white sugar, ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
For the Pumpkin Cookies
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Start by drying your pumpkin. (This step is not optional. The cookies will not bake properly if you skip this step.) Spread the canned pumpkin on a plate and lightly press with a paper towel to absorb the excess liquid. Repeat the step at least four more times. The pumpkin should be dry enough that it goes from being ½ cup dried down to just about a ¼ cup. Hardly any liquid should transfer onto a paper towel once it has been dried enough.(Like stated above, try to use Libby's canned pumpkin as almost all cans of it have the same consistency and are not too wet.) Then set aside.½ cup (122 g) canned pumpkin puree
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.1 ¾ cups (219 g) all purpose flour, spooned and leveled, 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt
- In a large bowl cream the softened butter and brown sugar together with an electric mixer on high speed for 1-2 minutes until light and fluffy.¾ cup (168 g) unsalted butter, softened, 1 cup (220 g) light brown sugar, packed
- Add in the egg yolks and vanilla and mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes.2 egg yolks, at room temperature, 2 teaspoon vanilla
- Add in the pumpkin and mix on medium-low speed to combine.
- Add in the dry ingredients and mix on low speed just until combined.
- Scoop the dough with a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop, and roll them into balls. Then roll the dough balls in the spiced sugar. (If the dough is too "sticky" chill it in the fridge for 10 minutes, then proceed.)
- Place the cookie dough balls at least 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. (I usually bake 6 at a time.)
- Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes. (12 minutes for really chewy centers, 14 minutes for a slightly crispier cookie). When the cookies are done baking the centers will be puffy. As they cool the centers will fall and the cookie will get "wrinkly".
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to finish cooling. They are best enjoyed when they have cooled for at least 15 minutes!
Hi. Mine came out puffy not like the photo any thoughts ?
Hi! Did you dry the pumpkin with paper towels until it measured out to 1/4 cup? This could be the main culprit, too much liquid in the cookie dough.
Do you think the flour could be replaced with a gluten free flour blend?
Hi Adriana. I have not tested the recipe with gluten free flour, but if you try it let me know!
Hi!
How can I save the dough for if I want to save dough to bake another day?
Hi! You can wrap the bowl the dough is in, in plastic wrap and keep the dough in the fridge until ready to bake. I would say it can stay in the fridge for up to three days.
Let it come to room temperature before scooping and baking. 🙂
Hi, those look and sound delicious. Do you think I could make them with homemade pumpkin puree instead of canned? I'm from Germany and unfortunately we don't have the canned option here...
Hi Laura! Possibly, but I would be concerned that there might be too much liquid. Just make sure to really, really dry the pumpkin with paper towels. You want it to literally not transfer any more liquid onto a paper towel once it's dry enough. (For canned pumpkin this usually takes 4-5 paper towels, so it might be a few more with homemade puree.)
Okay, thank you so much for the reply. I will definitely give it a try soon 🙂
Can I make these cookies smaller? How long would you recommend baking?
I made these and mine came out cakey too. I did “dry” the pumpkin and used a LOT of paper towels to get it dry. Any other reasons why it happened?
Hi Rosemary.
A few things that might have affected the cookies. Did you used canned pumpkin puree? (Homemade might be too liquidy.) Did the dried pumpkin go from 1/2 cup before dried to 1/4 cup after dried? It literally should be dry enough that hardly any liquid transfers to the paper towels. When you added in the egg yolks to the creamed brown sugar and butter, did you mix until the ingredients were pale in color and fluffy? This step is important in the texture of the cookie. Lastly, maybe too much flour was used? Those are the top reasons the cookies could've come out cakey instead of chewy.
I used generic all purpose flour, cookies turned out well. I made gf and reg batch, my only disappointment is not nearly as pretty pumpkin orange as in the picture. Thanks for the recipe!
Will adding chocolate chips affect the chewy texture of the cookie?
Hi Jenn! That's a great question! I haven't tested it so I can't say for sure how they would come out. You could always try adding chocolate chips to some of the dough after it's made to see if it works!
How would you sub the egg to make it vegan?
I have a vegan butter that bakes well
Hi Madison. I don't specialize in vegan baking, and I don't think this recipe can be made without egg yolks. I would suggest looking for an already tested vegan pumpkin cookie recipe. Check out The Banana Diaries for all things vegan 🙂
They came out pretty good. Just not enough pumpkin flavor for me.
Hi Krystle. Thanks for trying them! You can always add in more pumpkin pie spice if you'd like 🙂 As for the pumpkin itself, anymore added to the cookie would throw off the consistency.
These were also great with gluten-free flour!
Yay! Glad to hear it!
Just had to let you know I made these cookies and they are hands down the best cookies I've ever made. For reals. I had no issues with drying the pumpkin. I actually thought it was a fun science experiment. I very impatiently waited the suggested 15 mins for cooling before shoving one in my face. The outside was slightly crisp with a soft chewy center. Practically melted in my mouth. I will be making these again soon and every Fall now. Thanks!
I love your cookies. They were awesome family loves all of the kids loved them my dogs love them. I've got him in the Ziploc baggie for right now just curious how well they would be if I freeze them until Christmas?
This made me smile! Thanks for trying them! They should be okay in the freezer for at least a week.
Was soaking up the moisture from the pumpkin a bit of a faff? Yes. Was it totally worth it? Absolutely! These cookies are scrumptious, and I will 100% be making them again.
Great cookies! Was too lazy to separate the eggs and didn’t mix as well as I should. Family all loved them!
yummy just made these!! I had a can of pumpkin I needed to use up, and this was the perfect recipe. I even made the maple cream cheese glaze from the pumpkin cinnamon rolls and drizzled it over the cookies. SOOOO GOOD!!! Also, weighing the flour has been a game-changer! Thanks for the tips
How about adding walnuts to the cookie batter❓
Yes, I think that could work! I would stick with 1/2 cup or less!
Just made these and they are absolute perfection! I adjusted the blend of spices as I didn’t have pumpkin spice on hand and they turned out incredible. Crispy edges, soft chewy middles with just the right amount of pumpkin spice flavour. These will definitely be on repeat each year!
Great cookie!!! Turned out perfect 🤩
Yay!! I'm so glad!!
Made these on a whim because your recipe was the first to pop up and they are fantastic! Will definitely become a staple in my fall baking. Drying the pumpkin was weird and I expected it to stick to the paper towel, but was pleasantly surprised!
Do you think browning the butter and not drying the pumpkin would leave enough water content? I think browned butter could take these to a whole new level!
This recipe makes delicious cookies! I adjusted the recipe as I am a beekeeper and prefer to use honey in place of sugar. I also replaced the spiced sugar with yummy pumpkin spice cream cheese icing made with honey and they turned out scrumptious! Thanks for sharing!
The taste is great for Fall. Just what I needed. Mine too came out puffy and look nothing like the picture. Follows the recipe exactly dry to 1/4 and all. So they were great, but did not have the chewy taste o was going for. Thank you.
Hi! If the pumpkin was dried correctly, then perhaps too much flour was used. Be sure to weigh your flour, or follow the spooned and leveled method explained in the blog post.
Oh wow! Using real pumpkin to give moisture (and not simply spices), crinkly tops, and perfectly shaped, they are absolutely delicious. Thank you. This recipe is a keeper. The only problem is, you can't eat just one!
Not bad at all, I needed to press Mine down with a fork so they'd be more cookie shaped. Next time I'm going to add a bit more pumpkin and possibly some dark brown sugar worh light brown sugar to be more chewy.
Great cookies! Directions were great an following the tips worked as promised! Drying the pumpkin took more than 4-5 times but it definitely made for a light and chewy cookie. I would probably double the recipe next time but it requires a lot of butter! 😅
Came out amazing, perfect for fall!! Thank you so much!
These cookies are absolute heaven! Just perfect in every way. Perfect fall desert for a special evenings with friends. These are now a fall tradition in our house!
Just made these and they were a hit with the hubby! I did add mini chocolate chips and they were fine no issues. I did want to ask, i measured out 1/2 cup of pumpkin got all the water out and it measured 1/4 cup. I was confused by the instructions and did it again so I'd have 1/2 cup of the dried pumpkin. Is that wrong? Did I only need the 1/4 cup after drying it?
Hi Robyn! I'm so glad you liked them! The 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree should be measured straight from the can, then dried with paper towels until it reaches 1/4 cup. Then the 1/4 cup of dried pumpkin puree is what gets added to the cookie dough. I'm glad it still worked for you with more dried pumpkin though!
Ginny, these cookies are fantastic! So buttery and soft, like a pumpkin snickerdoodle! The pumpkin flavor was nice and subtle. I wanted to eat them all, immediately! Thank you so much for sharing!