Pumpkin Spice Cookies: Easy Recipe, Tips, and Variations
Written by MasterClass
Last updated: Feb 25, 2022 • 3 min read
These chewy cookies incorporate the flavor of pumpkin pie into a conveniently portable snack. Learn how to make pumpkin spice cookies with this easy-to-follow recipe.
Learn From the Best
What Are Pumpkin Spice Cookies?
Pumpkin spice cookies are a baked good flavored with warming spices like ground cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and cloves. These are the same spices commonly found in classic pumpkin pie filling and pumpkin bread recipes, and you can find them blended together and sold as pumpkin pie spice at the grocery store. Some pumpkin pie recipes are lean and chewy, like a snickerdoodle, while others are cakey and decorated with cream cheese frosting.
3 Tips for Making Pumpkin Spice Cookies
Improve your pumpkin spice cookies with these tips.
- 1. Make your own pumpkin spice blend. You can find premade pumpkin spice blends at the grocery store, but it’s easy to DIY if you don’t have any on hand or want to customize your spice mix. In a small bowl, whisk together one tablespoon of ground cinnamon, one teaspoon of ground ginger, one teaspoon of ground nutmeg, and half a teaspoon each of ground nutmeg and cloves. Taste the mixture and adjust the balance to your preference.
- 2. Refrigerate the dough overnight. Chilling the cookie dough in an airtight container overnight gives the eggs and butter more time to absorb into the flour. Many cookies benefit from this extra step—try this technique with this classic chocolate chunk cookie recipe by Joanne Chang.
- 3. Use a cookie scoop. Using a cookie scoop to measure out your dough balls will help ensure your cookies bake uniformly.
3 Variations on Pumpkin Spice Cookies
Put a twist on your pumpkin spice cookie recipe with the following suggestions.
- 1. Incorporate chocolate for added sweetness. Mix white chocolate chips or semisweet chocolate chips into the pumpkin spice cookie batter for added sweetness and texture.
- 2. Use nuts to add texture. The addition of pecans, walnuts, or macadamia nuts gives these cookies a crunchy texture and nutty flavor.
- 3. Add a cup of pumpkin purée. To get a cookie with more pumpkin flavor and an orange hue, add a cup of unsweetened pumpkin purée to your cookie batter. Buy canned pumpkin or learn how to make pumpkin purée using fresh winter squash.
Chewy Pumpkin Spice Cookie Recipe
makes
15–18 cookiesprep time
15 mintotal time
30 mincook time
15 minIngredients
Note: The total time does not include 2 hours of inactive time.
- 1
In a medium bowl, whisk together the baking powder, baking soda, flour, salt, allspice, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.
- 2
In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat together the butter, brown sugar, and egg on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5–8 minutes.
- 3
Add the pumpkin purée and vanilla extract and beat until thoroughly combined, about 1 more minute.
- 4
Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until combined.
- 5
Cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap or transfer the dough to an airtight container and refrigerate it for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
- 6
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- 7
In a small bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar and pumpkin pie spice.
- 8
Using a medium-sized cookie scoop or tablespoon, scoop out a dough ball roughly 2 inches in size.
- 9
Dip the dough balls in the sugar-spice mixture and place them on the lined baking sheet.
- 10
Repeat with the remaining cookie dough, making sure to space the dough balls 2 inches apart.
- 11
Bake the cookies until the edges are set and light golden brown, 12–15 minutes.
- 12
Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.
Become a better baker with the MasterClass Annual Membership. Gain access to exclusive video lessons taught by the world’s best, including Joanne Chang, Dominique Ansel, Gordron Ramsay, Chef Thomas Keller, Mashama Bailey, and more.