Baking a batch of pumpkin cookies is the best way to kick of the fall season! These cookies are soft, moist, thick, cake-like cookies that are loaded with chocolate chips and cozy pumpkin pie spices!
Everyone has a different idea of what the perfect cookie looks like. Thick, thin, crispy, soft, chewy, cake-like, healthy, etc.
My favorite? Yep! Pretty much all of them!
These homemade cookies are thick, moist, and soft! They’re exactly what you’d expect a pumpkin cookie to be like. Plus, they have chunks of warm gooey chocolate chips. You could always add walnuts, white chocolate chips, raisins, or cranberries too.
If you’re in love with pumpkin be sure to check out my pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting, no-bake pumpkin cookies (for when you’re really in a hurry), pumpkin icebox cake, and you’ve gotta try my pumpkin French toast!
Why This Recipe Works:
You need a pumpkin recipe that you’ll come back to every single fall…and THIS is it!
- This is a one bowl recipe. No extra dishes to wash here!
- You need simple ingredients. Nothing weird or fancy!
- No chilling time! Who has time to wait? Not me!
- The addition of oatmeal makes them a little more hearty and healthy than traditional pumpkin cookies. You’ll love it!
Ingredients:
You’ll need simple ingredients to make pumpkin oatmeal cookies. Most likely you have all of them in your fridge and your pantry. Let’s go over the details!
- Pumpkin Puree – you need canned pumpkin puree, NOT to be confused with canned pumpkin pie filling.
- Brown Sugar
- Butter – real butter is best, salted or unsalted (you can substitute margarine if needed)
- Eggs
- Vanilla
- Oats – Quick oats or rolled oats have a softer texture than steel cut. Either will work. I prefer steel cut.
- All Purpose Flour
- Baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves
- Chocolate Chips – semi-sweet, milk chocolate, or even white chocolate chips. Butterscotch chips would be fantastic too!
How to Make Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies:
STEP 1: Cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs and beat for 1 more minute. Add pumpkin and vanilla. Beat
STEP 2: Mix dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Add to wet ingredients. Beat until combined.
STEP 3: Add chocolate chips. Stir.
STEP 4: Drop on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Add a few extra chocolate chips to the top if you want.
STEP 5: Bake. Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes. Remove to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Some readers have had trouble with the cookies spreading too much. I’ve never actually had this problem. Remember the dough will be sticky. But here are a few suggestions for making sure the cookies are thick and puffy!
- Pat the pumpkin puree with a paper towel to absorb a little bit of the extra moisture.
- Use one whole egg and one egg yolk instead of of two whole eggs.
- Add a couple of minutes of baking time. 3-5 minutes.
- Add additional flour 1 Tablespoon at a time until the dough is the desired consistency. You can add up to 1/4 cup extra flour if needed.
- As the cookies sit they will get a little bit more dense. Just plan on that!
Recipe FAQ’s
Yes! Pumpkin cookies freeze beautifully. Flash freeze just until they are firm on a baking sheet, then remove to an airtight container. They will keep for up to 4 months.
You can also freeze the cookie dough and bake later if you prefer. Scoop dough into cookies. Freeze until firm. Store in an airtight container for up to 4 months. To bake cookies allow the dough to thaw and bake as instructed.
I’m not sure why I haven’t tried making this recipe into bar cookies because it would be faster than dropping them into cookies, but I haven’t. I imagine it would work well. I’d use a 9″x13″ pan and start with a 20 minute baking time. That’s just a guess though, so watch the baking time closely!
Other Easy Cookie Recipes:
You guys, if I had to choose one dessert to eat for the rest of my life it would definitely be cookies! They’re the best! Here’s a few of our fave’s that I know you’re going to love too!
- Zucchini Oatmeal Cookies
- S’mores Cookies
- Classic No Bake Cookies
- Peanut Butter Fudge Bar Cookies
- Thick Snickerdoodles
- Cake Mix Butterscotch Cookies
I love it when you make my recipes and give me feedback! If you have a minute please comment below and leave a star ranking! Also, be sure to follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook!
Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies with Chocolate Chips
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
- 3/4 cups butter room temperature
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 whole eggs
- 1 cups flour
- 2 cups quick oats
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In large mixer bowl cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs and beat. Add pumpkin and vanilla and mix.
- If desired, add oats to blender and blend into a flour.
- In a separate bowl stir flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking powder, baking soda, salt and oatmeal together.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Mix together only until combined. If needed add a more flour one Tablespoon at a time until the you have a soft dough. Be careful not to over mix.
- Add chocolate chips and mix to incorporate.
- Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Drop cookies a little larger than 1 inch sizes. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Don’t over bake the centers will be soft and will set as they cool.
- Remove immediately from baking sheet and cool on a wire rack.
Video
Notes
- You may need to add a few minutes to the baking time. Especially if using a bigger cookie scoop.
- Use one whole egg, and one egg yolk.
- Oat and oat flour will absorb some moisture as the dough sits. Allowing the dough to rest for 20 minutes before baking will prevent the spreading of the cookies.
- Pumpkin has high water content. You can squeeze the pumpkin puree to eliminate some moisture.
- Although I’ve never added additional flour to these cookies, you may add up to 1/4 a cup more flour than listed on the recipe. Add flour one tablespoon at a time.
- Chilling cookie dough before baking will prevent cookies from spreading too much. I don’t do this, but it can be done to help create a thicker cookie.
Ann Jansen says
I found this recipe and absolutely love it. I eat about 2 a day as a treat! I try to make it a bit healthier brown sugar vs splenda
Amy Engberson says
I’m glad you found a way to make these cookies healthier! Sounds like the perfect treat!
Andrea says
I just made these this morning as a bar cookie because I saw someone suggesting that in the comments and I’m lazy. I used monk fruit as the sweetener because I need to lose a little weight, and added molasses so it’ll be more like brown sugar. I also added pepitas and a mixture of dried cranberries, blueberries, raisins and cherries that I had on hand, and of course the chocolate chips. I didn’t break down the oats in the blender because I love oatmeal. I just took them out of the oven, and can’t wait to try them! They smell amazing!
Amy Engberson says
Bar cookies are so much easier than dropping cookies! Those sound like great additions/substitutions! I’m glad you love them!
Dev says
I’m going to make these tomorrow for a luncheon. The comments aren’t going to deter me but just wondering if maybe some are mistaking putting the whole can of pumpkin purée in instead of 1 cup as recipe reads.
Amy Engberson says
I’m so happy you are going to make these cookies! They are so delicious and always turn out fantastic for me! When people struggle with recipes I always wonder if there is a miscommunication somewhere. Maybe they are adding too much pumpkin puree. Or maybe they just don’t realize these cookies are cakelike and the dough will be much “wetter” than traditional cookies. It makes me sad when it doesn’t work for them because they turn out perfect for me. Let me know what you think!
Kaitlyn says
Didn’t read all the comments, but did you mean 3/4 stick of butter?? 3/4cup is a lot?!
Amy Engberson says
Yes! It is 3/4 of a cup of butter. This recipe always turns out for me. If you feel like the cookie dough is going to be too thin you can always add a few Tablespoons of flour to make it thicker!
Becky says
Love these! Used mini chips and ghee (in place of butter). Will be making these again. Thanks for sharing✌
Amy Engberson says
Great idea! Mini chips are so fun because you’re pretty much guaranteed to get chocolate in every single bite!
Lavonne says
We love your cookies Yummyummy
Amy Engberson says
Yay! It’s finally time for all things pumpkin! Way to start the fall season out in a scrumptious way!