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Pumpkin Crinkle Cookies

Pumpkin crinkle cookies are soft and moist cookies with the perfect amount of pumpkin spice flavor, perfect for Fall baking!

A spatula picking up a baked pumpkin crinkle cookie.


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Fall is the prime baking season for all things cookies, with a hot cup of coffee or my Slow Cooker Hot Cider, I'm set! I love pumpkin recipes during the fall season, you can't beat a soft delicious cookie. These pumpkin cookies have a soft cake-like texture like these Pudding Cookies and are so addicting hard to stop at just one.

Why this recipe works

Just like their Christmas cousin cookie the Chocolate Crinkle Cookies, these pumpkin cookies are beautiful, chewy cookies.

These delicious pumpkin crinkle cookies are easy to double or triple to make more and are great to serve at fall bake sales, harvest parties, and more!

All the ingredients needed for these pumpkin crinkle cookies.
  • Flour: all-purpose flour. If you need to use self-rising flour, ditch the salt and baking powder in the recipe.
  • Pumpkin Pie Spice: you can make your own or use storebought.
  • Baking Powder & Baking Powder: your leavening agent.
  • Salt
  • Vegetable Oil
  • Sugar: You need brown sugar, granulated white sugar and confectioners sugar.
  • Egg
  • Unsweetened Pumpkin: use fresh pumpkin or canned puree
  • Vanilla Extract: pure is better than imitation but it can be used if needed.
  • Confectioner sugar: also called powdered sugar

How to make pumpkin crinkle cookies

Dry ingredients mixed in a bowl, and the wet ingredients mixed into another bowl.
  • Step 1: In a medium bowl, add flour, pumpkin spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well together. 
  • Step 2: In a large bowl, add oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, egg pumpkin puree, and vanilla. Mix together. 


Dry ingredients added into the wet ingredients.
  • Step 3: Add dry ingredients to the bowl of wet ingredients and mix well together. 
  • Step 4: Let cookie batter rest. 
A cookie scoop picking up a ball and placed into powdered sugar.
  • Step 5: Use a small cookie scoop or spoon to scoop out cookie balls and roll cookies in granulated sugar. 
  • Step 6: In another separate bowl, add confectioner's sugar and roll cookie dough balls in the powdered sugar until well covered. 
Powdered sugar coated pumpkin cookies placed on a baking sheet and baked.
  • Step 7: Place cookies covered with sugar on a parchment paper-lined baking tray. 
  • Step 8: Bake cookies on a baking sheet until the sugar shows the pumpkin crinkles in the cookies before letting them cool on a cooling rack. 
A plate of pumpkin crinkle cookies.

Recipe Tips for Pumpkin Crinkle Cookies

  • The dough is soft, letting it rest for 10 minutes will help firm it up a bit.
  • Use pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling.
  • The balls donโ€™t have to be perfect.
  • It helps to use a cookie scoop to create the balls.
A plate of pumpkin crinkle cookies with a bite out of one.

Recipe Faq's

What makes a cookie crinkle?

The "crinkles" in the cookies are due to the top part of the cookie drying out before the rest cookie has completed its rising and baking process. As a result, the top becomes solid while the rest of the cookie is still attempting to expand and spread which then causes the formation of small cracks and crevices that are commonly known as "crinkles" in these cookies. Adding the powdered sugar makes these cracks and crevices more prominent and noticeable.ย 

Why are my crinkle cookies hard?

The most common reason why your crinkle cookies are hard is that they are over-baked. When baking these cookies, pay attention to the suggested time the recipe gives and set a timer for about two minutes less than that. This will ensure that your cookies stay soft and chewy instead of hard and crunchy. Another reason why your crinkle cookies may be hard is that the dough was too dry when it went into the oven.ย 

Can I freeze pumpkin crinkle cookies?

Yes, Place the cookie dough balls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place in the freezer for a couple of hours or until hard. Put the cookie dough balls in a large freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Let the cookies thaw a bit roll them in the powdered sugar and bake.

More Pumpkin Recipes

A spatula picking up a baked pumpkin crinkle cookie.

Pumpkin Crinkle Cookies

4.18 from 35 votes
Written By: Wendie
Pumpkin crinkle cookiesย are soft and moist cookies with the perfect amount of pumpkin spice flavor, perfect for Fall baking!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 12
Calories 145

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ยฝ teaspoon salt
  • ยฝ cup of vegetable oil
  • ยฝ cup brown sugar packed
  • ยฝ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup pumpkin not pie filling
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

For Rolling the cookies

  • 1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  • Line parchment paper or baking mats on baking sheets
  • In a medium bowl add flour, pumpkin spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt mix and set aside.
  • In a large bowl add oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg, pumpkin, and vanilla. Mix just until combined.
  • Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until combined.
  • Let rest 10 minutes
  • Place confectioners sugar for rolling in a shallow bowl.
  • Scoop the cookie dough by using a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop or spoon, form into a ball (the dough is soft) then roll in the confectioner's sugar and roll again until well coated.
  • Place on a baking sheet. Bake 9-10 minutes until puffy and cracked. Do not over bake.
  • Cool slightly and remove to a wire cooling rack.

Notes

Make sure you get 100% pure pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling.
The dough is very soft, the balls don't have to be perfectly formed.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 145kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 1gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 7mgSodium: 141mgSugar: 15g
Did You Make This Recipe?Please leave a comment below or pin it to your Pinterest account!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
4.18 from 35 votes (35 ratings without comment)

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4 Comments

  1. Is there a separate bowl of granulated sugar to roll the balls in before you roll them in confectioner's sugar? The amount is not listed in the ingredients.