These cookies capture all the warm, cozy flavors of fall without any actual pumpkin in the dough. Think of them as a close cousin to a classic snickerdoodle, soft and chewy with a generous roll in spiced sugar before baking. With just 30 minutes of chilling, they come together quickly for a batch of fall-flavored cookies.
Quick facts
- Prep time: 15 minutes
- Cook time: 10 minutes
- Chilling time: 30 minutes
- Total time: 55 minutes
- Makes: 28 cookies
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- Electric mixer
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
For the cookies
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ½ cups (300 g) brown sugar, firmly packed
- 1 Tablespoon pumpkin spice
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
- 2 ¾ cups (350 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon table salt
For rolling
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice
How to Make Pumpkin Spice Cookies
Part 1: Make the Dough
1. Cream the butter, sugar, and spices. In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, combine the butter, brown sugar, pumpkin spice, and cinnamon. Beat together until smooth and well creamed.
2. Add the eggs and vanilla. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract, mixing on low speed and pausing to scrape down the bowl as needed, until well incorporated.
3. Mix the dry ingredients. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt.
4. Combine. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients in 3 to 4 additions, mixing until completely combined and scraping the bowl as needed.
Part 2: Chill
5. Refrigerate. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill the dough for 30 minutes. While it chills, whisk together the sugar and pumpkin spice for rolling in a small bowl.
Part 3: Shape and Bake
6. Preheat and prep. Toward the end of the chilling time, heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
7. Shape the dough. Remove the dough from the fridge and roll it into balls of about 1 ½ tablespoons (35g) each.
8. Coat in spiced sugar. Roll each ball through the sugar and pumpkin spice mixture until fully coated, then place on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them at least 2 inches apart.
9. Bake. Bake on the center rack for 8 to 10 minutes, until the edges are set. The centers should still look slightly underdone.
10. Cool. Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheet before removing and enjoying.
Tips for the Best Cookies
Don’t skip the chilling time. Even a short 30 minutes helps the dough firm up enough to roll and keeps the cookies from spreading too much.
Coat the dough generously. A thorough roll in the spiced sugar mixture gives these cookies their signature look and an extra pop of flavor in every bite.
Space the cookies well. Leaving at least 2 inches between them gives them room to spread evenly.
Pull them while the centers look soft. This keeps the cookies chewy, since they’ll continue to set as they cool on the pan.
Let them cool fully before moving. They firm up as they sit, so give them time on the baking sheet before transferring.
Final Thoughts
These pumpkin spice cookies prove you don’t need actual pumpkin to get that cozy, autumn flavor in a cookie. With a short chill time and a generous coating of spiced sugar, they come together quickly and taste like everything you want from fall baking. Bake a batch and let me know how they turn out.