Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Pumpkin Spice Cookies that actually taste like fall are impossible to find – until now! My neighbor Sarah dropped off some fancy bakery cookies last October that cost her four bucks each, and after one bite I knew I had to figure out how to make them myself.

After turning my kitchen into a pumpkin-covered disaster zone for a solid week (I’m still finding puree in weird places), I finally figured it out. These cookies are insanely soft, packed with real fall spices, and rolled in cinnamon sugar so they sparkle like tiny autumn gems.

❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Most pumpkin cookie recipes are garbage – too cakey, too sweet, or taste like cardboard with fake spices. These aren’t those cookies. They’re pillowy soft with the perfect chew, and the flavor actually screams autumn instead of disappointing you.

My husband hid a batch from me once to test how long they’d stay soft (rude, right?). Seven days later they were still perfect. That’s when I knew I’d finally nailed the recipe everyone keeps begging me for.

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📝 Ingredient List

For the Cookie Base:

• 2½ cups all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
• ¾ cup packed brown sugar
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ cup canned pumpkin purée (NOT pumpkin pie filling!)

For the Cinnamon Sugar Coating:

• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

Substitution Notes:

• Can’t find cream of tartar? Use extra ¼ teaspoon baking soda but they won’t be as chewy
• No brown sugar? All white sugar works but add extra tablespoon pumpkin
• Missing nutmeg? Double the cinnamon, still tastes amazing

🔍 Why These Ingredients Work

This cornstarch trick? Total accident. Ran out of flour one day and had to improvise – best kitchen disaster ever! It makes these cookies stupid soft, like bakery-level soft.

That cream of tartar came from my grandma’s ancient recipe box. Sounds weird but it gives this subtle tang and creates the perfect chewy bite. Brown sugar adds moisture and this deep caramel thing that makes pumpkin taste incredible instead of boring.

Make sure you grab actual pumpkin puree, not that pie filling nonsense. Did that once and my cookies tasted like artificial candy. Learned my lesson real quick.

The spice mix took forever to nail down. Too much cinnamon and you’ve got Red Hots cookies. Too little and they’re flavorless. This combo hits that sweet spot where you taste warmth without your mouth catching fire.

Essential Tools and Equipment

• Large mixing bowls (at least 2)
• Electric mixer (hand or stand mixer)
• Wire whisk
• Cookie scoop or tablespoon for portioning
• Parchment paper
• Baking sheets
• Wire cooling racks
• Small bowl for cinnamon sugar coating

👩🍳 How To Make Pumpkin Spice Cookies

1. Make the Dry Mix (5 minutes) Dump flour, cornstarch, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves into a bowl. Whisk the hell out of it for 30 seconds so everything’s mixed.

2. Cream the Butter and Sugars (3-4 minutes) Beat that butter with both sugars until it looks fluffy and pale. Takes about 4 minutes with my crappy hand mixer. Don’t rush this – it’s what makes them soft.

3. Add Wet Ingredients (2 minutes) Crack in the egg, dump in vanilla and pumpkin. Mix it up. Looks chunky and weird? That’s normal when pumpkin hits the butter mix.

4. Combine Wet and Dry (1 minute) Slowly add the flour mixture. I do it in two dumps so it doesn’t fly everywhere. Mix just until you don’t see flour streaks. Overmixing makes tough cookies.

5. Chill Time (2+ hours) Cover with plastic wrap and shove in the fridge for at least 2 hours. Dough’s super sticky right now. Patience pays off here.

6. Prep for Baking (5 minutes) Crank oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment. Mix up your cinnamon sugar coating.

7. Shape and Coat (10 minutes) Scoop golf ball-sized chunks of dough. Roll each one in cinnamon sugar like you mean it. Plop on baking sheet 2 inches apart. Press down gently with your fingers.

8. Bake to Perfection (8-10 minutes) Bake 8-10 minutes until edges look set but centers still seem soft. They look underdone but they’re not. They keep cooking on the hot pan.

9. Cool and Enjoy (5 minutes) Let them sit on the pan for 5 minutes before moving to cooling rack. Longest 5 minutes of your life but don’t skip it.

Tips from Well-Known Chefs

My culinary school friend drilled this into me – spoon flour into the cup, then level it off. Scooping straight from the bag crams too much flour in and you’ll get hockey pucks instead of cookies.

Also learned butter should be soft enough to leave a fingerprint but not melting into a greasy mess. Room temp is key.

❗ You Must Know

DO NOT skip chilling this dough! Made this mistake once for a last-minute potluck. Cookies spread into one giant flat disaster. Kids still call it “the pancake cookie incident.” Learn from my shame.

Personal Secret: I make double cinnamon sugar because I roll them twice – once when shaping, again before baking. Makes them look like they’re covered in edible glitter.

💡 Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks

Real talk from my years of screwing up cookies:

• Pull butter and egg out 30 minutes before baking. Cold ingredients don’t mix for shit
• Set timer for 8 minutes and check. These go from perfect to overdone fast
• Use cookie scoop for uniform size. Otherwise some burn while others stay raw
• Press cookies down before baking. They don’t spread much on their own
• Read your pumpkin can twice. Pie filling will ruin your whole day

🎨 Flavor Variations / Suggestions

Chocolate Chip Version: Fold in ½ cup mini chips. My teenagers demolish these faster than I can make them.

Maple Pecan: Swap vanilla for maple extract, add ½ cup chopped pecans. Tastes like Vermont threw up on a cookie in the best way.

Cream Cheese Frosted: Let cookies cool completely, slather with cream cheese frosting. Perfect for when you want to be extra.

Coffee Shop Style: Add tablespoon instant coffee to dry ingredients. Subtle coffee flavor that doesn’t fight the pumpkin.

⏲️ Make-Ahead Options

Dough keeps in fridge for 2 days. I make it Sunday, bake fresh cookies all week. You can also shape into balls, coat with cinnamon sugar, and freeze on baking sheet. Once frozen solid, dump in freezer bag. Bake straight from frozen, maybe add extra minute.

Recipe Notes & Baker’s Tips

That cornstarch and cream of tartar combo is what makes these special. Weird ingredients for cookies but they create this texture you can’t get any other way.

These are best within 3 days but stay soft for a week if stored right. When my family stops sneaking them from the container, I know I messed up the recipe.

🍽️ Serving Suggestions

Perfect with milk or coffee. I also crumble them over vanilla ice cream for instant fall sundae. Great for lunch boxes, potlucks, or bribing your kids’ teachers.

I always make double batch in October because everyone starts dropping hints about wanting some.

🧊 How to Store Your Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Room Temperature: Airtight container for 5 days. Throw a piece of bread in there – keeps them extra soft. Old trick from my mom.

Fridge: Don’t really need to but they’ll keep 10 days if you want.

Freezer: Baked cookies freeze for 3 months. Thaw at room temp for 30 minutes.

Reheating: Microwave 10-15 seconds to get that fresh-baked warmth back.

⚠️ Allergy Information

Contains: Wheat, eggs, dairy

Gluten-Free: Use 1:1 GF flour blend. Texture’s slightly different but still good.

Dairy-Free: Sub butter with good baking margarine. Make sure it’s actually meant for baking.

Egg-Free: Mix 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons water, let sit 5 minutes, use instead of egg.

❓ Questions I Get Asked A Lot

Why do I need to chill the dough?

Dough’s sticky as hell when you make it. Chilling firms it up so you can actually shape it without making a mess. Also keeps cookies from spreading into pancakes.

What texture should these cookies have?

Soft and chewy in middle, tiny bit crispy around edges. Like a perfect chocolate chip cookie but with pumpkin spice.

Can I make these ahead of time?

Hell yes. Dough keeps in fridge 2 days, or freeze shaped balls for 3 months.

How should I store them?

Airtight container at room temp. Stay soft for 5 days, especially with that bread trick.

Can I freeze these cookies? Baked cookies freeze for 3 months. Unbaked dough balls bake straight from freezer.

What’s the difference between pumpkin purée and pumpkin pie filling?

Puree is just plain pumpkin. Pie filling has sugar and spices added that’ll screw up your recipe balance.

These cookies are my pride and joy. Nothing beats the smell of them baking – makes your whole house feel like a cozy fall hug.

Hope you love them as much as my family does! 🍪🍂

💬 Tried this recipe? Leave a comment and rating below! I live for hearing about your baking adventures! Did you try any variations? How’d your family react? Share pics – seeing your cookies always makes my day!