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Pumpkin spice sugar cookies are soft, chewy sugar cookies packed with warm fall spices and rolled in a sweet cinnamon-sugar coating.
If you’ve been searching for a simple way to make pumpkin spice sugar cookies at home, you’re in exactly the right place.
These cookies come together with basic pantry ingredients, no chilling required, and they bake up in under 15 minutes.
The secret to making pumpkin spice sugar cookies that taste like autumn in every bite is the spice blend, a little pumpkin purée, and a generous roll in cinnamon sugar before baking.
In this post, we’ll walk through how to make pumpkin spice sugar cookies step by step, the ingredients you’ll need, tips for the best texture, and common mistakes to avoid.
Let’s get baking.
How to Make Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookies
Making pumpkin spice sugar cookies is easier than you might think, and here’s how it all comes together:
1. Gather Your Ingredients
To make pumpkin spice sugar cookies, you’ll need all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, one egg, vanilla extract, pumpkin purée, and a pumpkin spice blend.
For the pumpkin spice blend, combine cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and a pinch of allspice.
You’ll also want extra granulated sugar mixed with cinnamon for rolling the dough balls before they go into the oven.
Make sure your butter is softened to room temperature and your egg is at room temperature too, because that’s how you get pumpkin spice sugar cookies with an even, tender crumb.
2. Cream the Butter and Sugars
In a large bowl, beat the softened butter with the granulated sugar and brown sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, which usually takes about two to three minutes.
This step is important when you make pumpkin spice sugar cookies because it incorporates air into the dough, giving the cookies a soft, chewy texture instead of a dense one.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl so everything mixes evenly.
3. Add the Egg, Vanilla, and Pumpkin
Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until fully combined, then add the pumpkin purée and mix until smooth.
The pumpkin purée is what makes pumpkin spice sugar cookies so moist and gives them that subtle orange hue.
Don’t worry, the pumpkin flavor stays mild and lets the spices shine through.
4. Mix the Dry Ingredients
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and your pumpkin spice blend.
Adding the dry ingredients separately ensures the spices and leavening agents are distributed evenly, which is key when making pumpkin spice sugar cookies that bake evenly.
5. Combine and Roll
Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients and stir just until no flour streaks remain.
Overmixing can make pumpkin spice sugar cookies tough, so stop as soon as the dough comes together.
Scoop tablespoon-sized portions of dough, roll them into balls, and coat each one in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
Place them on a lined baking sheet about two inches apart.
6. Bake Until Golden
Bake at 350°F for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges are set and the centers look slightly underdone.
This is the trick to soft pumpkin spice sugar cookies, because they continue cooking on the hot baking sheet as they cool.
Let them rest on the sheet for five minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Tips for the Best Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookies
Want your pumpkin spice sugar cookies to turn out perfect every single time?
Keep these tips in mind:
1. Don’t Overdo the Pumpkin Purée
Too much pumpkin makes the dough wet and cakey, so measure carefully.
Blot the purée with a paper towel if it looks watery, because that’s how you keep pumpkin spice sugar cookies chewy rather than spongy.
2. Flatten the Dough Balls Slightly
Press each coated dough ball down just a little before baking.
This helps pumpkin spice sugar cookies spread evenly and bake through without staying domed in the middle.
3. Roll in Cinnamon Sugar Right Before Baking
Coat the dough balls right before they go into the oven so the sugar doesn’t dissolve into the dough.
That crackly cinnamon-sugar crust is what makes pumpkin spice sugar cookies look and taste irresistible.
4. Store Them Properly
Keep pumpkin spice sugar cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days.
Add a slice of bread to the container to keep them soft, and freeze baked cookies for up to three months if you want to enjoy them later.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Making Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookies
Even easy recipes can go sideways, so watch out for these pitfalls when you make pumpkin spice sugar cookies:
1. Using Cold Butter or Eggs
Cold ingredients don’t cream properly, which leads to flat or crumbly pumpkin spice sugar cookies.
Let everything sit out for about 30 minutes before you start.
2. Skipping the Spice Blend
Pre-made pumpkin pie spice works in a pinch, but blending your own cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves gives pumpkin spice sugar cookies a fresher, bolder flavor.
3. Overbaking
Pull pumpkin spice sugar cookies out when the centers still look soft, because a few extra minutes in the oven turns chewy cookies into crunchy ones.
So, How Do You Make Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookies?
You make pumpkin spice sugar cookies by creaming butter with sugars, mixing in pumpkin purée and warm spices, rolling the dough in cinnamon sugar, and baking until the edges are just set.
With the right spice blend, softened butter, and a careful bake, pumpkin spice sugar cookies come out soft, chewy, and full of cozy fall flavor every time.
Hope this post has helped you learn how to make pumpkin spice sugar cookies and given you the tips to get them right on your very first batch.
Now preheat that oven and enjoy.