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Another variation of one of my most popular recipes, and this time, itโ€™s seasonal! These Pumpkin Sugar Cookies are made with real canned pumpkin, and come together in less than 20 minutes thanks to melted butter and a one-bowl method! You will be making this all Fall, trust me!

Orange pumpkin sugar cookies stacked up with bite missing from top cookie.

If you know and love my small batch sugar cookies, you can skip right over this text and get straight to the recipe. Iโ€™m so happy to provide you another delicious variation of the easiest sugar cookies ever!

If youโ€™re new here, let me fill you in: sugar cookies made with melted butter in one bowl are ready to eat in just 20 minutes! The recipe makes 6 cookies because this is a small-batch recipe site! If you wish to double this recipe for pumpkin sugar cookies, follow the instructions exactly, please!

Ingredients

Small bowls of melted butter, flour, spices, and vanilla for baking.
  • Butter. Half of a stick of unsalted butter, melted. I love that this recipe for pumpkin sugar cookies uses melted butter because itโ€™s so much easier than waiting for butter to soften to the exact temperature and then using an electric mixer.
  • Pumpkin. Two tablespoons of canned pumpkin puree. Be sure to use just canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling! You can use the rest of the can to make my pumpkin coffee cake or my delicious pumpkin madeleines.
  • Sugar. One-third cup of granulated sugar for the dough, and have a few tablespoons of extra sugar in a small shallow bowl for rolling the cookies in before baking.
  • Vanilla. One-half teaspoon of vanilla extract.
  • Flour. We need one-half cup of flour plus another 2 tablespoons. This might seem like an odd amount of flour, but itโ€™s because this is a small-batch recipe.
  • Pumpkin Spice. One-half teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice. This is usually a blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. I personally like to add some black pepper to my pumpkin pie spice for flavor.
  • Baking Soda. One-half teaspoon of baking soda is what makes our cookies puff up and crackle as they cool. Baking soda makes cookie batter acidic, which makes them chewy, too! Also, add 1/8 teaspoon (or a generous pinch) of salt when you add the baking soda.
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How to Make Pumpkin Sugar Cookies

Speckled bowl with melted butter, orange batter, and sugar in it.
Bowl with orange batter and white and brown powder sprinkled on top.

In a medium bowl, combine the melted butter, pumpkin puree, sugar, and vanilla and whisk together very well.

Then, sprinkle the flour, pumpkin spice, baking soda, and salt on top. Stir to combine.

Pumpkin sugar cookie dough in a bowl divided into 6 portions.
Raw dough balls being rolled in sugar before baking.

Divide the dough in half in the bowl, and you can make 3 pumpkin sugar cookies from each half (for a total of 6).

In a small shallow bowl, whisk together the extra sugar and pumpkin pie spice. Roll each cookie in this mixture before placing on the baking sheet. Bake for 10-11 minutes.

Six pumpkin sugar cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Recipe Variations for Pumpkin Sugar Cookies

  • Double/ Triple the Recipe โ€“ Yes, you may double or triple this recipe, but please copy it exactly. Double everything or triple everything to be exact!
  • Other Flavors โ€“ I have a chocolate sugar cookies recipe that you might like. If you have egg allergies (or are baking for someone with egg allergies), donโ€™t miss my Eggless Sugar Cookies recipe.
  • Seasonal โ€“ You would like how I modify this recipe to become Grinch Sugar Cookies. For Valentineโ€™s Day, they become red velvet sugar cookies. Another Christmas favorite is Candy Cane Sugar Cookies.
Overhead image of pumpkin sugar cookies on a wire rack with cinnamon sticks.

Storage/ Make Ahead:

This recipe makes 6 cookies, so I donโ€™t think we really need to talk about storing leftovers, but I must. Keep these on the counter at room temperature in an air-tight bag or container so they stay soft.

You may make and freeze the dough balls ahead of time. Bake from frozen, adding another 1-2 minutes of bake time.

Orange pumpkin sugar cookies stacked up with bite missing from top cookie.
Print

Pumpkin Sugar Cookies

Easy and fast, these pumpkin sugar cookies are ready in 20 minutes!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword pumpkin sugar cookies, sugar cookies with pumpkin
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 2
Calories 453kcal
Author DessertForTwo.com

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons butter melted
  • 2 tablespoons pumpkin puree
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar plus extra for rolling
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice plus extra for rolling
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350, and have ready a cookie sheet that is non-stick or lined with parchment paper.
  • Combine the melted butter, pumpkin puree, sugar, and vanilla and whisk together very well.
  • Evenly sprinkle the flour, pumpkin spice, baking soda, and salt on top. Stir to combine.
  • Divide the dough in half in the bowl, and form 3 cookies from each half (for a total of 6 cookies).
  • In a shallow bowl, combine the extra sugar for rolling with an extra sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice.
  • Roll each dough ball in your hands, roll lightly extra granulated sugar and pumpkin spice mixture, and then space evenly on the prepared baking sheet.
  • Bake for 10-11 minutes, until they spread, start to crackle and appear dry on top.Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Video

Notes

Keep any leftover pumpkin sugar cookies on the counter at room temperature in an air-tight bag or container so they stay soft.
You may make and freeze the dough balls ahead of time. Bake from frozen, adding another 1-2 minutes of bake time.

Nutrition

Serving: 3cookies | Calories: 453kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 60mg | Sodium: 601mg | Potassium: 77mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 34g | Vitamin A: 3035IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 2mg

About Christina Lane

Christina Lane is the author of 5 cookbooks all about cooking and baking for two. She has scaled down hundreds of recipes into smaller servings so you can enjoy your favorite dishes without the leftovers! Valentine's Day is her favorite holiday.

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1 Comment

  1. Becky D says:

    Christina, these look delicious! For step 4, if using a cookie scoop, would each ball of cookie dough equal perhaps 2 tablespoons?