Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
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Snuggle up in your coziest sweater and dive into fall with these deliciously soft, homemade pumpkin sugar cookies. These are EXACTLY what a cookie should be: crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, full of fall pumpkin flavor, then coated in the most satisfying, easy-to-make ginger maple glaze.
These pumpkin sugar cookies are all about flavor and texture, not that dense, cakey thing pumpkin cookies sometimes fall into. They bake up tender with lightly crisp edges and a soft center, with warm pumpkin flavor that’s earthy, gently sweet, and nicely spiced. Thanks to the balance of butter, coconut oil, and granulated sugar, they stay rich and moist without tipping into muffin territory.
Pumpkin purée adds depth and color while serving as a binder, keeping the cookies together without eggs. Cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg (or a good pumpkin pie spice) give them that unmistakable fall warmth, while vanilla rounds everything out. The use of granulated sugar is key here—it encourages those crisp edges and keeps the texture chewy rather than fluffy.
They come together quickly and bake in minutes, making them an easy, satisfying cookie to turn to when the craving hits. Warm, spiced, and perfectly balanced, these are pumpkin cookies for people who love real cookie texture—soft, chewy, and absolutely not cakey.
- Measure carefully: Cooking leaves room for creativity, but baking is precise. Small changes can throw off the final result, so skip the eyeballing and use proper measuring cups to keep everything on track.
- Chill the dough: If the dough feels too soft to work with, refrigerate it for 30–60 minutes. Chilling allows the flour to fully hydrate and firms up the butter, which helps the cookies spread less as they bake.
- Use parchment: Line your baking sheets with parchment paper or a reusable baking mat to prevent sticking and promote even baking.
- Glaze, if you like: The glaze recipe lightly coats all 15 cookies. If you want a thicker, sweeter finish, make extra glaze and apply a second layer—just be sure the first coat is completely dry before adding more.
- Learn the why: If you’re curious about the science behind cookie baking, The Ultimate Cookie Handbook by Tessa Arias of Handle the Heat is a fantastic resource. It breaks down how small changes affect texture, flavor, and spread so you can bake with confidence.
Pumpkin Sugar Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter (melted)
- ½ cup coconut oil (melted)
- ½ cup canned pumpkin
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon EACH: allspice and nutmeg
The Glaze
- 2 inch piece of ginger
- 1 ¼ cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Add the butter, coconut oil, pumpkin, sugar, and vanilla to a large bowl and beat with electric beaters.½ cup butter, ½ cup coconut oil, ½ cup canned pumpkin, 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, sea salt, allspice, and nutmeg to the bowl and beat until a crumbly batter forms.3 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, ½ teaspoon EACH: allspice and nutmeg, 1 teaspoon sea salt
- Divide the batter into 15 balls, place them onto baking sheets, and press each down to ¼ inch thick cookies. Bake for 12-15 minutes per batch, or until the cookie bottoms start to brown. Remove the cookies from the oven and wait until they are completely cool before you frost them.
- Prepare the glaze just before you frost the cookies. Peel then grate the ginger using a microplane or the small holes on your grater. Squeeze the juice from the grated ginger into a small bowl and discard the pulp. You want to have ½ teaspoon of ginger juice.2 inch piece of ginger
- Combine the ginger juice with the powdered sugar and maple syrup in a small bowl. Add one tablespoon of water and mix the glaze. If the glaze is too thick, you can add a small amount of water, ½ teaspoon at a time, until it is thin enough to spoon over the cookies.1 ¼ cups powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- Pour the glaze over the cooled cookies and use a spoon to spread it around. Let the glaze harden for a few minutes and then store the cookies in a sealed container … or dig in and eat them right away! Note: For an extra treat, double the icing. Wait for the first layer to harden before adding the second coat.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
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Once these cookies are cooled with glaze on them can you stack them one on top of the other without messing up the glaze? Cannot wait to make these and the gluten free version too!
Once the glaze hardens you can stack them!
D-Lish!!! Turned out perfectly! Thank you! My whole family loved them…….my husband, a little too much. Even the picky 5 year old liked them. Definitely making again.
I had really high hopes for this cookie recipe, because I love maple and love ginger and love pumpkin and thought what could be better? I tried to make these three times, each time was a failure. My cookies would not look at all like your photographs. They were cake-y and had none of the side crackles or crisp outside and chewy center.
The first time I made a batch and followed your recipe perfectly. I even watched your video twice. However, when I mixed the flour in it did not look like the stiff pale batter that you had. It was dark, soft and greasy. The first pan of cookies came out flat and cake-y dry. So I threw the other two pans in the freezer for 10 minutes to try to save them. They cooked a little better, not so dry. But still cake-y. I believe part of this is because you said the butter needs to be melted (and it looked thoroughly melted in the video). So then I made another batch but using soft butter that was just barely melted. They came out a little better. So then I made another batch with more pumpkin (about 1/2 cup more) and cooked them 2 minutes less. They came out a little better. But still, these cookies disappoint. They are cake-y and fluffy, not at all like you describe. I think you are achieving what you are by using cold butter and coconut oil, and your recipe is flawed. Unfortunately. I am out of ingredients and I’ll never get to experience them as I hoped.
I’m sorry to hear the recipe didn’t turn out for you. I’ve made this many times exactly as the recipe is written and have always had them turn out perfectly.
And you’re right, I do use a mix of butter and coconut oil … just as the recipe calls for. 🙂
Just made these and you’re right that they are the best. Will be making these again for sure.
I’m so happy you think so, too! I absolutely adore them!
Oh hell ya we should!!
Can you use pumpkin puree instead of pumpkin pie mix?
Absolutely you can! I would recommend tasting the batter before you bake the cookies as you might need to add a bit more cinnamon. 🙂
Would this recipe still come out crispy on the outside chewy on inside if mashed banana was used instead of pumpkin, as i been trying to find a non- cakey banana spice cookie recipe with the texture your describing, but I haven’t found one yet?
Hey, Monica! I can’t say for sure without trying it, but I think it could work. There’s only one way to know for sure! If you try it, I’d love to hear how it turns out. 🙂
Hi! I know I’m a year late here, but I was wondering if I could sub brown sugar for white? Or maybe just cut back on the white and add a little brown? Any thoughts?
Thank you
Hey Ari! You could sub brown sugar, but you’ll end up with cookies that have a cakey texture. Because of the molasses added to brown sugar (which is what gives it the brown color) it has a lot more moisture than white sugar. The white sugar is what makes the cookies crispy. 🙂
Oh they are! 🙂
No eggs in this recipe. Is this right?
That’s right! Egg in this recipe would have made the cookies have a cakey texture. It does feel strange to make cookies without eggs, doesn’t it?!
Thank you so much, Evi! I always feel the same when I’m on your site. 🙂
Thanks, Anu!
Thank you so much!
Sooo I’m catching up on my blog reading and these truly are a thing of magic. THEY LOOK SO GOOD, Kristen! I’m all for a crispy cookie, especially when they’re glazed. The ginger and maple flavoring probably make these cookies taste like fall. Ahhh <3
Thank you so much, Christine! They really were delicious!!
Thanks, Nicole! They really were good!
Yum!! I love that you added ginger to the glaze. Spicy/sweet combos are my favorite.
They’re mine too! Sweet and spicy is the best!