Thick, soft and warmly-spiced, these old-fashioned Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies are the perfect fall treat. Best of all, the simple dessert only requires 10 minutes of prep! Stir in raisins, chocolate chips, cranberries or nuts to add even more flavor and texture.
Easy Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
It's no secret that I love classic oatmeal cookies, so what could be better than combining my favorite cookies with pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves?! The result is a mish-mash of delicious fall flavors that come together quickly and easily in one sweet treat. These easy Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies are a simple dessert that both kids and adults love!
The Texture of Pumpkin Cookies
Pumpkin cookies are typically soft and tender, with an almost cake-like texture, thanks to the moisture that the canned pumpkin adds to the dough. These pumpkin oatmeal cookies are like a cross between pumpkin cookies, pumpkin muffin tops, and pumpkin pie. Thick, puffy and packed with great texture from the oats and flavor from the warm fall spices, they're a little sweet snack with a cold glass of milk or a cup of hot tea. Feel free to add chocolate chips, raisins, dried cranberries or chopped nuts to make them your own!
Should I chill the dough?
While these cookies stay nice and thick in the oven, it's important to chill the dough for at least 30 minutes (I try to leave it for an hour), or up to 1 day. Otherwise, the warm dough is pretty sticky and can be difficult to scoop if it's not chilled first.
How to make Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
This simple cookie dough comes together with just 10 minutes of prep. Remember to allow enough time for the dough to chill for at least 30 minutes before baking, though!
Ingredients
- Butter
- Sugar
- Brown sugar
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Oats (I prefer quick-cooking "instant" oats in this recipe, but you can substitute with regular old-fashioned rolled oats)
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg
- Canned pumpkin puree
- Optional mix-ins, such as chocolate chips, raisins, dried cranberries or chopped nuts
Step 1: Make Dough
This simple cookie dough is made in the same way that you would prepare most other cookie doughs -- cream together the butter and sugars, add the egg and vanilla, and then alternately mix in the dry ingredients and the pumpkin. Fold in any optional mix-ins at the very end.
Step 2: Chill
Cover the dough and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Step 3: Arrange on Baking Sheets
Use a cookie dough scoop to drop the dough onto lined baking sheets, then gently press down on the round balls to flatten slightly. I like to use the flat bottom of a glass or measuring cup for this.
Step 4: Bake
Bake the cookies in batches in a 350 degree F oven for 12-17 minutes, or until they're slightly browned on the edges, soft in the center, but not wet or shiny looking. Allow them to rest on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, and then use a spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
How to Store Pumpkin Cookies
Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. They will last on the counter for about 3 days. To extend the life of your cookies, wrap them tightly and freeze them for up to 3 months.
Variations
- Use old-fashioned rolled oats instead of the quick-cooking instant oats. The rolled oats will add even more chewy texture to the cookies if that's your preference.
- Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies: Fold 1 cup of chocolate chips into the dough. Milk chocolate, dark chocolate, or white chocolate chips will all be delicious!
- Pumpkin Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies: Fold 1 cup of dried sweetened cranberries (such as Craisins) into the dough.
- Other delicious mix-in's include 1 cup of raisins or 1 cup of chopped pecans. You can omit the mix-in's entirely, if you prefer, or use a combination of different mix-in's, such as chocolate chips and walnuts.
- Roll the dough balls in powdered sugar before baking. This will give the cookies a nice "crinkle" look on the outside.
- Frost the cookies with cream cheese frosting, or drizzle with a powdered sugar glaze like this one.
Tips for the Best Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies Recipe
- Use 100% pure canned pumpkin puree -- not canned pumpkin pie filling. The pie filling has a lot of added ingredients (such as sweeteners, spices, and water), so it will not work in this recipe.
- Watch the baking time. Ovens, baking sheets, and cookie dough temps vary, which means that the total baking time for your batches of cookies will also vary. You want to keep the cookies soft (so do not over-bake), but you want them cooked through so that they're not wet or mushy on the inside. You can start by baking 1-2 cookies first to gauge the timing, and then finish with larger batches if you like. My cookies generally require at least 15 minutes.
- Flatten the cookies slightly with the bottom of a glass or measuring cup before baking. They will not spread too much in the oven, so this helps the cookies have that perfect amount of thickness, without being too puffy.
- If you choose to use fresh pumpkin instead of canned pumpkin puree, try to strain out as much excess liquid as possible from the fresh pumpkin puree before adding it to the dough.
More pumpkin recipes that you'll love:
- Pumpkin Bread
- 2-Ingredient Pumpkin Cake Mix Muffins
- Pumpkin Dump Cake
- Easy Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) salted butter, softened
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon cloves
- ¾ teaspoon ginger
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 cup quick-cooking “instant” oats
- ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons pumpkin puree (half of a 15-ounce can)
- Optional mix-ins: 1 cup of raisins, dried cranberries, chocolate chips, and/or nuts
Instructions
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together butter, sugar and brown sugar. Add egg and vanilla; beat until fluffy.
- Stir or whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and nutmeg. Stir in the oats. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, alternating with the pumpkin. Fold in the optional mix-ins, if desired.
- Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, or up to 1 day.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Using a 1 ½ -tablespoon cookie scoop, drop the cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheets. Use the bottom of a measuring cup or glass (or fork tines) to gently press the cookies down and flatten them slightly, because the cookies will not spread too much in the oven.
- Bake for about 12-17 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are lightly browned. You want them soft (not over-baked and dry), but the tops shouldn’t be shiny at all. Remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
- Use 100% pure canned pumpkin puree -- NOT canned pumpkin pie filling. The pie filling has a lot of added ingredients (such as sweeteners, spices, and water), so it will not work in this recipe.
- Watch the baking time. Ovens, baking sheets, and cookie dough temps vary, which means that the total baking time for your batches of cookies will also vary. You want to keep the cookies soft (so do not over-bake), but you want them cooked through so that they're not wet or mushy on the inside. You can start by baking 1-2 cookies first to gauge the timing, and then finish with larger batches if you like. My cookies generally require at least 15 minutes.
- Flatten the cookies slightly with the bottom of a glass or measuring cup before baking. They will not spread too much in the oven, so this helps the cookies have that perfect amount of thickness, without being too puffy.
- If you choose to use fresh pumpkin instead of canned pumpkin puree, try to strain out as much excess liquid as possible from the fresh pumpkin puree before adding it to the dough.
I’ve made your blueberry muffin recipe several times. I made them last week for last week for my Mom who’ was celebrating her 90 birthday. She loved them! These pumpkin cookies look and sound delicious! I’ll try them next. Thanks for sharing
That's great, Pam! I'm so glad that you enjoy the muffins. I hope you love the cookies, too! 🙂
Blair, These were fantastic! I like to make cookies because I can leave the dough in the freezer and bake a batch when we need a sweet, FABULOUS! I will be making these all year round -- and next batch will try some mix-ins. Thanks for a great recipe!
Yay! I'm so glad that you enjoyed them, Tami! I agree -- a fall favorite around here, too. 🙂