This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Over 135 readers have rated this recipe, and most say it’s the best pumpkin cookie they’ve ever made. That’s because I spent two weeks testing it to solve the moisture problem that makes most pumpkin cookies turn out cakey. Blot the puree with a paper towel first and you get a thick, chewy cookie every time. Follow the method exactly and it will work for you too.
One of the best pumpkin cookies I’ve ever made! I’ve probably made this recipe at least 5 times and every time it’s a winner! I love it!
-Karen
Most pumpkin cookie recipes online are really just pumpkin cake in cookie form. They use eggs on top of pumpkin puree, and that combination has too much moisture to ever bake up chewy. The result is a soft, puffy cookie that spreads thin and tastes more like a muffin top than a cookie.
I spent two weeks testing this recipe before I figured that out. My first batches spread too much no matter how long I chilled the dough, and chilling alone never fixed it. The problem wasn’t the temperature of the dough, it was the water sitting inside the pumpkin puree itself.
Once I started blotting the puree dry with a paper towel before it went anywhere near my dry ingredients, everything changed. No eggs needed, since pumpkin puree already has the same binding power. That one change is the entire difference between a chewy pumpkin sugar cookie and a cakey one, and it’s the reason 135 readers have rated this one and counting.
I’ve built several pumpkin cookie recipes for this site, including a cakey version (pumpkin cookies) and a pumpkin chocolate chip cookie version, and each one is engineered for a specific texture on purpose. This one is built for chewy, thick, and soft in the center. If you want cakey, I have a recipe for that too. This one isn’t it, and that’s exactly the point.
Why You’ll love my Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
- Quick and easy recipe made with pantry staples
- Packed with fall flavors – hello sweater weather!
- Made ahead and freeze the dough for later
- CHEWY!!!!
What Makes These the Chewiest Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
The paper towel trick is what separates chewy pumpkin sugar cookies from the dry, cakey versions. Pumpkin puree carries a lot of water, and that extra moisture is what makes cookies puff up and spread thin. Pull it out first and you get a dough that holds its shape, bakes up thick, and stays soft for days. Skip this step and you’ll end up with the cakey texture nobody wants from a cookie.
Key Ingredients For Pumpkin Cookies
- pumpkin puree: binds the cookies together the same way eggs would, plus it adds pumpkin flavor. Be sure to remove the excess moisture using the paper towel method below, it’s the step that makes or breaks the texture.
- cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves: this exact blend is what gives these their fall flavor. Don’t sub in pumpkin pie spice, it’s diluted and you’ll lose some of the punch.
How to Make Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
- In a small mixing bowl combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and salt. Set aside.
- To remove excess moisture from pumpkin puree, place the pumpkin puree in a few paper towels on a plate. Fold the paper towels over the puree, so it’s completely enclosed. The excess moisture will soak into the paper towels within a few minutes.
- In a mixing bowl, beat the butter, sugar, and brown sugar with an electric mixer for 1-2 minutes.
- Add in the pumpkin, beat again to combine.
- Gradually add in the dry ingredients, mixing on low or by hand with a spatula until combined. The dough will be thick.
- Use a cookie scoop to form balls. Roll between your hands. My dough balls were about 3 tbsp, which is large. Place the dough balls on a silicone or parchment paper lined baking sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Pre-heat the oven to 350ºF. Place 1/4 cup sugar in a bowl for rolling the cookies. Roll each ball in the sugar. Place the cookies 2 inches apart on a silicone lined baking sheet – I fit about 8 cookies per sheet. Bake for 15-19 minutes or until the edges have a faint golden color. Keep the remaining dough balls in the fridge while baking in batches.
How to Properly Measure Flour
The most accurate way to measure flour is to use a kitchen scale, weighing it in grams. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, follow this method.
- Aerate the flour with a whisk or spoon. Flour becomes heavy and compact as it sits. Aerating is the same as fluffing the flour, but not the same as sifting it. Do not sift the flour unless the recipe specifically calls for it.
- Use a spoon to sprinkle the flour into the measuring cup. Do not tap the cup against the counter, as this will compact the flour.
- Use the back of a butter knife to level off the excess. You’ll need to repeat the aerating process after filling each cup.
How to Make Gluten Free Pumpkin Cookies
Use a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour blend in place of all-purpose flour. I used King Arthur’s Measure for Measure Gluten Free Flour with great results.
Pumpkin Sugar Cookie Recipe Tips
- Properly measure the all purpose flour using the spoon and level method.
- Use room temperature butter for easier creaming of the butter and sugar.
- Refrigerate the cookie dough for 30 minutes. I’m telling you, this helps to make the best thick & chewy cookies!
- Use a cookie scoop to form cookie dough balls.
- Bake cookies on a silicone baking mat.
How To Get Moisture Out of Pumpkin Puree
To remove excess moisture from pumpkin puree, place the pumpkin puree in a few paper towels on a plate. Fold the paper towels over the puree, so it’s completely enclosed. The excess moisture will soak into the paper towels within a few minutes.
Storing Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
To store cookies, keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. For longer storage, freeze them in a freezer-safe bag or container, separated by parchment paper, and they’ll last up to 3 months.
How to Freeze Pumpkin Cookie Dough
- Form the dough balls. Place them on a baking sheet lined with silicone mat. You can place the dough balls close together since you won’t be baking them.
- Place the baking sheet in the freezer until the cookies are frozen solid, about 1 hour.
- Remove the baking sheet from the freezer and transfer the frozen cookie dough balls to a ziplock freezer bag. Label the bag with baking directions.
- Freeze the cookie dough for up to 3 months.
To bake: remove the dough from the freezer. Pre-heat the oven to 350ºF. Roll the balls in sugar and bake for 15-19 minutes. Frozen cookies may need to bake for 1-2 minutes longer than non frozen cookies.
Pumpkin Sugar Cookies FAQ
Chilling solidifies the fat in the dough, and solid fat melts slower in the oven, so the cookies spread less and bake up thicker and chewier. I know chilling dough is nobody’s favorite step. If you can spare even 15 minutes, do it, and if you can’t, at least chill the dough between batches while the first sheet bakes.
Yes, but drain it well first. Fresh puree holds more water than canned, and one reader’s cookies didn’t spread at all because of the extra moisture. The paper towel method matters even more here, so give it a few extra minutes to pull the moisture out.
If you want the flavor to come through even more, bump the spices up by a quarter teaspoon each rather than adding more pumpkin, since more puree means more moisture to deal with. Additionally, add in pumpkin spice extract.
More Cookies
- Caramel Apple Cookies
- Frosted Sugar Cookies
- Classic Monster Cookies
- Maraschino Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies
Tap stars to rate!
Pumpkin Sugar Cookies Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups (360g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¾ cup (149g) granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (160g) brown sugar
- ⅓ cup (76g) pumpkin puree, paper towel method – see note below
Instructions
- This recipe requires the dough to chill in the fridge for 30 minutes before baking. It helps make the cookies chewy!
- To remove excess moisture from pumpkin puree, place the pumpkin puree in a few paper towels on a plate. Fold the paper towels over the puree, so it’s completely enclosed. The excess moisture will soak into the paper towels within a few minutes.
- In a small mixing bowl combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and salt. Set aside.3 cups (360g) all-purpose flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, 1/2 tsp ground cloves, 1/2 tsp salt
- In a mixing bowl, beat the butter, sugar, and brown sugar with an electric mixer for 1-2 minutes.1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, 3/4 cup (149g) granulated sugar, 3/4 cup (160g) brown sugar
- Add in the pumpkin, beat again to combine.1/3 cup (76g) pumpkin puree
- Gradually add in the dry ingredients, mixing on low or by hand with a spatula until combined. The dough will be thick.
- Use a cookie scoop to form balls. Roll between your hands. My dough balls were about 3 tbsp, which is large. Place the dough balls on a silicone or parchment paper lined baking sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Pre-heat the oven to 350ºF. Place 1/4 cup sugar in a bowl for rolling the cookies.
- Roll each ball in the sugar. Place the cookies 2 inches apart on a silicone lined baking sheet – I fit about 8 cookies per sheet. Bake for 15-19 minutes or until the edges have a faint golden color. Keep the remaining dough balls in the fridge while baking in batches.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 15 minutes, then move to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Made these today. They are really good! I will definitely make again!
Will not make these again. They did not spread even after the dough sat on the counter while the 1st couple pans were baking.
Hi Barbara! How did you measure the flour? The most accurate way to measure flour is to use a kitchen scale, weighing it in grams.
If you don’t have a kitchen scale, follow this method.
• Aerate the flour with a whisk or spoon. Flour becomes heavy and compact as it sits. Aerating is the same as fluffing the flour, but not the same as sifting it. Do not sift the flour unless the recipe specifically calls for it.
• Use a spoon to sprinkle the flour into the measuring cup. Do not tap the cup against the counter, as this will compact the flour.
• Use the back of a butter knife to level off the excess.
I found the same issue!
I have two recipes that I have had for years, ginger crinkle and a chai snickerdoodle and never fails they always spread out to a perfect consistent chewy cookie!
I made this recipe and larger balls as well mind you, pushed them down with a cup and they still didn’t spread!
I think it is the lack of egg! Very good flavor but I may try it with an egg next time! Just too dry of a batter?
Can you use Gluten free flour instead of All purpose flour?
Yes! I use and test recipes with King Arthur’s Gluten Free Measure for Measure Flour.
I don’t have parchment paper or a silicone mat, do I HAVE to use it?
Hi Sam! I haven’t experimented a ton with baking cookies without parchment paper or a silicone mat. It will still work, the bottoms might become more done.
These are delicious and very addictive! I made them small- got about 70 cookies. They are a big hit! Thank you!
Can you use salted butter?
Absolutely Amazing Cookies!! They taste like fall! So easy to make. Thanks for all the great tips as well.
I haven’t made these yet but could these be refrigerated overnight? I take it the key is to chill for 30 mins first but roll in balls correct?
Yes, you can refrigerate overnight!
Made these tonight! They’re very good. Need to flatten the balls before baking though. I got 26 balls out of the recipe! Could made 30 easily and still had good sized cookies.
Definitely made a lot more than said- I got 3 dozen good sized cookies! I did not have to remove any moisture from Libby’s canned pumpkin. I baked for 9 minutes and let them cool (3-4 min) on pan to complete baking.
This recipe is a keeper! Delicious, chewy, cookies!