Are you on the hunt for the perfect fall cookie? These Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookies are it. Each bite is full of warm pumpkin spice flavor, and they're such a fun and simple spin on classic sugar cookies. All you have to do is gather the simple ingredients, add the perfect amount of pumpkin spice, and get ready to enjoy the season of all things pumpkin.
I love baking with cozy spices. Adding a pumpkin spice blend to these soft sugar cookies really does make the best fall cookies. If you're a fan of just a little pumpkin spice flavor, you can alter the amount of spice that you add.
That's the great part about making pumpkin cookie recipes like this. You can increase or decrease the fall spices to make them taste just like you want. Once the first batch bakes and you take a bite, you'll know instantly if you want to add more or less!
Be sure to try my 3 Ingredient Pumpkin Muffins and this No Bake Pumpkin Pie for two other delicious fall treats.
Ingredients
- Salted butter - Melt the butter before mixing the sugar cookie dough. The butter adds flavor and moisture.
- Granulated sugar - For sweetness and the coating on the outside of the cookies.
- Brown sugar - Adds sweetness, flavor, and moisture.
- Egg - One large egg helps bind the ingredients together.
- Vanilla extract - A teaspoon of vanilla adds flavor.
- Pumpkin spice - The star of the show for this pumpkin spice sugar cookie recipe. This warm spice blend typically includes cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.
- All-purpose flour - Gives the cookies structure.
- Baking powder - Helps the cookies rise.
- Baking soda - Helps with the soft texture and browning.
- Salt - For flavor.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookies
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Add parchment paper to two cookie sheets.
Step One: Combine the melted butter and sugars in a large bowl and mix. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and pumpkin spice. Mix on low speed or with a wooden spoon until combined.
Step Two: Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix just until the dry ingredients are incorporated. Don't overmix the sugar cookie dough.
Step Three: Scoop the cookie dough into balls. Combine the coating ingredients and roll each dough ball in the mixture before putting it on the prepared baking sheet.
Step Four: Bake the cookie pans. Once the baking time has passed, remove the pans from the oven and let the pumpkin cookies cool on the baking sheets.
Top Tip
Let the pumpkin spice sugar cookies cool quite a bit, even to room temperature, before eating them. They'll firm up as they cool while keeping that soft texture and tenderness in the center.
Substitutions
- Spices - You can adjust the pumpkin pie spice or add extra ground cinnamon, nutmeg, or cloves to change up the flavor.
- Brown sugar - I use light brown sugar, but dark brown sugar will work, too.
- Unsalted butter - If all you have is unsalted butter, add a little extra salt to make up the difference.
Variations
- Unsalted butter - If all you have is unsalted butter, just add a bit extra salt to offset the difference.
- Toppings - I'm all about enjoying these pumpkin spice cookies just like they are, but you can easily dress them up. Dust them with powdered sugar or add cream cheese frosting, buttercream frosting, or maple icing for even more fall flavor.
- Sprinkles - Add fall or Halloween sprinkles to the coating or on top of frosting for a fun seasonal cookie.
See this Pumpkin Chai Latte Recipe for a fun fall drink to pair with these homemade cookies.
Equipment
All you need to make these pumpkin spice cookies is a large bowl, a hand mixer, a rubber spatula for scraping the sides of the bowl, parchment paper, baking sheets, and a cookie scoop.
Storage
Let the baked cookies cool completely before storing any leftovers in an airtight container. Keep them at room temperature for a few days or store them in the refrigerator to keep them longer.
You can also freeze the baked cookies in a freezer-safe bag or container.
Common Questions
You can! If you want to make these for a Halloween or fall party, add a little orange food coloring to the cookie dough to give them a fun pop of color.
Follow the measurements and instructions on the printable recipe card, and be careful not to overmix the cookie dough. Mix just until the dry ingredients are incorporated to help keep that soft texture.
Lastly, be patient. These cookies need time to firm up as they cool. If you try to move or eat one too quickly, it may fall apart.
This dough may be a little sticky because of the melted butter and brown sugar. If it's too sticky to scoop into balls, let it sit for a few minutes before scooping. Follow the flour measurements in the recipe card rather than adding extra tablespoons of flour, which can make the cookies dry.
No. One of the things I love about this pumpkin spice sugar cookie recipe is that you don't need to chill the dough before baking. Once the dough is mixed and coated, the cookies can go right onto the prepared baking sheets and into the oven.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
📖 Recipe
Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup salted butter melted
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1.5 teaspoon pumpkin spice
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Coating
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin spice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, mix the butter and sugars.
- Add the egg, vanilla, and pumpkin spice and mix well.
- Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt on top of the butter. Give them a little mix. (This saves the step of mixing them in a separate bowl).
- Now, mix the dry ingredients in just until they are incorporated. Stop as soon as they are mixed in.
- Using a medium cookie scoop drop balls of dough on the prepared trays.
- In a small bowl, combine the remaining sugar and pumpkin spice. Roll each dough ball lightly in the sugar mixture before placing it on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 12 minutes or until barely set. The center should still be a bit shiny.
- Remove from the oven.
- Let cool on the baking sheets.
Nutrition
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