These Soft Pumpkin Cookies are a favorite and easy fall dessert! Full of pumpkin spice flavor, they’re the perfectly cake-like texture.
Easy Pumpkin Cookies
These soft pumpkin cookies are the perfect fall treat! Made with canned pumpkin and a blend of warm spices, they are soft, chewy, and bursting with delicious pumpkin flavor.
My mom has been making the best pumpkin cookies for years and years and it’s something I love most about the fall season. Right out of the oven, they have the perfect crispy edges and chewy texture in the middle for my favorite cake-like cookie.
They’re perfect without any frosting or icing on top because hey, I love a lazy dessert, but you can add some if you’d like!
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Old Fashioned Soft Pumpkin Cookies Ingredients
You’ll just need a few ingredients to make this pumpkin cookie recipe:
- Crisco
- Sugar
- Canned pumpkin puree
- Egg
- Salt
- Cinnamon
- Vanilla
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Flour
Ingredient Substitution
If you make you’re own pumpkin puree, fresh pumpkin puree works too! Pumpkin pie filling might be a little bit different of a texture and flavor with the seasonings already added in, so that’s more risky to try.
You can also swap bout the granulated sugar for brown sugar if that’s all you have on hand which will make it a little sweeter and might change the texture a bit since it’s got a bit more moisture.
For even more pumpkin flavor, try adding in pumpkin pie spice instead of cinnamon!
I haven’t made these cookies without Crisco, but unsalted butter should be a good swap. Make sure it’s room temperature so it’s easy to mix together.
Have extra pumpkin spice? Try out these Pumpkin Spice White Russians!
Variations for Easy Pumpkin Cookies
Using cream cheese frosting or an icing on top will always be a hit! Just be sure to wait for the cookies to cool completely to avoid melting any toppings.
Pumpkin cookies with chocolate chips or chopped nuts are always a big hit too!
Try these out with Reese’s Pieces for the perfect Pumpkin Reeses Cookies.
Can I make a frosting for the cookies?
Definitely! Most pumpkin cookies are usually served with some type of cream cheese frosting. You can make a quick one by mixing together cream cheese, butter, sugar, and vanilla extract.
The icing we use if we’re feeling up to it is a little different! You’ll mix together ½ cup of sugar, 3 tablespoons of butter, 4 tablespoons of milk and boil for 2 minutes. Then add in 1 cup of powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla and mix well to drizzle glaze on the cookies.
If you’re a cream cheese frosting fan, try it out on these Pumpkin Cupcakes!
Can I make Soft Pumpkin Cookies ahead of time?
You can make the cookie dough ahead of time, but I would cook the cookies right before you want to serve them to keep the texture as cakey as possible!
Pair these with this Polyjuice Potion for a fun Halloween celebration.
More cookies to try:
How to make Soft Pumpkin Cookies
To make pumpkin cookies, preheat your oven to 350°F and set aside a cookie sheet. In a large mixing bowl, beat together Crisco and sugar until well combined and smooth using a hand mixer or electric mixer on a low or medium speed. Beat in pumpkin, egg, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla.
In a separate medium bowl, whisk together your dry ingredients. Gradually add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture, stirring until the dough comes together.
Use a small cookie scoop or spoon to scoop onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, or until golden and set.
Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, and then transfer them to a cooling rack on a single layer to cool completely. Enjoy, or store in an airtight container!
Soft Pumpkin Cookies
These Soft Pumpkin Cookies are a favorite and easy fall dessert! Full of pumpkin spice flavor, they’re the perfectly cake-like texture.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Crisco
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup canned pumpkin
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 cups flour
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and set aside a baking sheet.
- In a large bowl, beat Crisco and sugar together until they are well combined and the mixture is smooth and creamy.
- Beat in canned pumpkin, egg, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla until mixed together.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together baking soda, baking powder, and flour.
- Gradually add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture, stirring until the dough comes together and is well combined.
- Use a small cookie scoop or spoon to drop balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
- Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, or until they are golden and set.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Serve the cookies as is, or top them with cream cheese frosting and enjoy!
Notes
- Butter should be able to be swapped for Crisco, but the texture may end up slightly different.
- Add in chocolate chips for the best chocolate chip pumpkin cookies!
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 2 cookiesAmount Per Serving: Calories: 155Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 241mgCarbohydrates: 35gFiber: 1gSugar: 17gProtein: 3g
Nutrition provided is only an estimate.
