These pumpkin oatmeal cookies are super soft, chewy, thick, and full of pumpkin flavor! The perfect cookie for fall! 

These pumpkin oatmeal cookies are super soft, chewy, thick, and full of pumpkin flavor! The perfect cookie for fall! 

Ever since I made my pumpkin snickerdoodles, I’ve wanted to create a pumpkin oatmeal cookie recipe. The problem with pumpkin cookies is that they can sometimes end up cakey. While cakey cookies can be delicious, I wanted to create a cookie recipe that was soft and chewy just like a regular oatmeal cookie.

This recipe took several tries, but after some adjusting, I finally found the winning recipe! These pumpkin oatmeal cookies bake up thick, they’re soft and chewy, and made with pumpkin puree.

You can even customize these cookies by adding some chocolate chips, your favorite chopped nuts, or top them with a simple vanilla glaze!

These pumpkin oatmeal cookies are super soft, chewy, thick, and full of pumpkin flavor! The perfect cookie for fall! 

To make these cookies, you’ll start out by whisking together some all-purpose flour, spices, baking soda, and salt. For the spices, I added some pumpkin pie spice to these cookies along with some extra ground cinnamon for flavor. If you don’t have any pumpkin pie spice you can use my homemade recipe here.

Then, you’ll cream together some butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar for a minute or two until they’re well combined. Once the butter and sugars are mixed together, mix in an egg yolk and vanilla extract.

Since there’s pumpkin puree in these cookies, it’s necessary to remove some of the moisture from the cookie dough. Too much moisture in your cookie dough will result in a cakey cookie, but we’re going for a chewy cookie here. Just like my pumpkin snickerdoodles, I removed the egg white and stuck with just the egg yolk to add a little chewiness.

 

These pumpkin oatmeal cookies are super soft, chewy, thick, and full of pumpkin flavor! The perfect cookie for fall! 

For the last of the wet ingredients, you’ll be mixing in the pumpkin puree. I found that just mixing in the pumpkin resulted in a cookie dough that was sticky and the cookies ended up softening quite a bit after a few hours.

The solution? You need to squeeze some of the moisture out of the pumpkin puree. The easiest way that I’ve found to get some of the moisture out of the puree is to line a plate with a few paper towels, spread the pumpkin on top, then top with a few more paper towels and blot out as much moisture as possible.

You may need to use a few more paper towels to get some more moisture out. You won’t get every last bit of moisture out of the pumpkin, but it should look drier and be easy to peel up off the paper towels.

These pumpkin oatmeal cookies are super soft, chewy, thick, and full of pumpkin flavor! The perfect cookie for fall! 

Once you’ve removed as much moisture as you can from the pumpkin puree, you’ll mix it in with the wet ingredients. Then, mix in the dry ingredients and the oats. At this point, you can also add some chocolate chips or nuts to the cookie dough.

It’s also best to allow the cookie dough to chill for about 30 minutes because it makes it easier to work with and the cookies bake up nice and thick. After you bake the cookies and let them cool, they stay soft and chewy for days!

Baking Tips for Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

  • When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it from the container. Instead, stir the flour around, spoon it into your measuring cup, and level it off with the back of a knife.
  • Make sure to press some of the moisture out of the pumpkin puree before mixing it into the wet ingredients. I like to spread the pumpkin onto a few paper towels then use some more paper towels to press out as much moisture as possible.
  • The cookies don’t spread too much in the oven so it helps to slightly flatten them, before baking, to help them spread a little.
These pumpkin oatmeal cookies are super soft, chewy, thick, and full of pumpkin flavor! The perfect cookie for fall! 

Soft and Chewy Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

4.90 from 29 ratings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
These pumpkin oatmeal cookies are super soft, chewy, thick, and full of pumpkin flavor! The perfect cookie for fall! 

Ingredients

Servings: 24 cookies
  • 1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup (115 grams) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
  • 1/2 cup (100 grams) brown sugar lightly packed
  • 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg yolk room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup (80 grams) pumpkin puree squeeze out excess moisture with paper towels*
  • 1 and 1/2 cups (150 grams) old-fashioned rolled oats

Instructions
 

  • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Set aside
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar for 1-2 minutes until well combined. Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract and mix until fully combined. Then mix in the pumpkin puree until well combined.
  • Slowly mix in the dry ingredients, making sure to stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Then mix in the old-fashioned rolled oats until just combined.
  • Cover the cookie dough tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • Using a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop the cookie dough and drop onto the prepared baking sheets. Roll the cookie dough into balls and very gently press down with your hand to flatten each ball of cookie dough slightly. Make sure to leave a little room between each ball of cookie dough as they will spread a little while they bake.
  • Bake in separate batches at 350°F for 9-12 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are lightly browned and the top is set. Remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Notes

*Make sure to press some of the moisture out of the pumpkin puree before mixing it into the wet ingredients. I like to spread the pumpkin onto a few paper towels then use some more paper towels to press out as much moisture as possible.
Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days. 
Freezing Instructions: Cookie dough balls may be frozen for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen for an additional 1-2 minutes. Baked cookies will also freeze well for up to 3 months, thaw to room temperature before serving.
Cuisine: American
Course: Dessert
Author: Danielle
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