Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies are soft, chewy, and spiced with fall flavors. Optionally, top with a sweet pumpkin-spiced glaze.
Looking for a pumpkin and chocolate cookie combo? Try Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies or Healthy Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies.
Best Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
These cookies are adapted from my Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies to be more cookie-like than cake-like. They feature crunchy edges and a soft, chewy inside, thanks to using just an egg yolk and only 1/2 cup of pumpkin. This keeps them from being too cake-like and gives a more subtle pumpkin spice flavor.
After a day, the flavors deepen, and the pumpkin taste becomes more noticeable—this is when I love these most!
These Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies are sweet, perfectly spiced for fall, and have an amazing texture. The pumpkin-spice glaze on top is the perfect final touch!
Let’s Talk Pumpkin
Pumpkin usually causes oatmeal pumpkin cookies to feel more like cake due to its moisture.
- Use the precise amounts of pumpkin in the recipe, filling measuring cups and leveling them.
- Opt for good quality canned pumpkin; runny pumpkin can lead to not-as-good taste and feel (less crisp). I recommend Libby’s® canned pumpkin (not sponsored).
- Make sure you’re using 100% pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie mix, which has milk, sweeteners, and spices. Look for a list of ingredients that shows just pumpkin puree.
How To Make Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
- Prepare the Dough: Cream the butter and sugars, then mix in pumpkin, egg yolk, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and mix until smooth.
- Chill the Dough: Refrigerate the dough to firm it up.
- Shape Cookies: Roll the dough into balls and chill briefly again.
- Bake: Bake the cookies in batches until lightly browned.
- Cool: Let the cookies rest before transferring them to a cooling rack.
- Glaze: Make a glaze and dip the cooled cookies, then allow them to set.
Favorite Cookie Baking Tools
- Silicone Liner: Use a silicone mat for even baking and to prevent hard bottoms.
- Food Scale: A scale makes sure all cookies are the same size for even baking. Guessing can cause some to bake too much or not enough, so it’s better than measuring cups.
- Mixer: A hand or stand mixer is needed for thick, creamy dough. Don’t use a wooden spoon for this.
Tips For Success
- Use room-temperature ingredients. It’s crucial for the butter to be at room temperature to cream well with the sugars.
- Use quick oats. They work best in this recipe since their small, dense shape acts more like flour.
- Roll the right cookie size. For the best texture, use exactly 3 tablespoons of dough per cookie.
- Don’t rush the chilling time. Allow the dough to absorb the wet ingredients.
- Bang the pan. To avoid a cake-like texture, hold the cookie sheet and bang it on the counter a few times right after baking to flatten the cookies.
Storage
Enjoying This Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookie Recipe
Let the Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies cool on a wire rack to stop them from getting soggy.
They taste best at room temperature, with a stronger pumpkin flavor the next day. Leave them uncovered on a plate to keep their texture.
Can You Freeze Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies?
Freeze the dough, not the baked cookies, for up to 3 months. You can bake them straight from the freezer, just add a few extra minutes to the baking time if needed.
Use Leftover Pumpkin In
- Pumpkin Muffins big, beautiful, bakery-style muffins
- Pumpkin Bars with cream cheese frosting
- No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake with a graham cracker crust
- Pumpkin Pie Recipe with a homemade pie crust recipe
- Pumpkin Bread with Streusel Topping and a quick glaze
Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies are soft and chewy, with a touch of fall spices. Add an optional pumpkin-spiced glaze for an extra sweet touch!
Equipment
- stand mixer
- large sheet pan,
- Parchment paper or silicon baking mat
- Medium pot optional
Ingredients
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature, see note 1
- 1 cup light brown sugar lightly packed
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup canned pumpkin not pumpkin pie filling
- 1 large egg yolk discard or save the whites for another recipe
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice see note 2
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1-1/2 cups quick oats see note 3
- 1-3/4 cup flour
Optional Glaze
- 1/4 cup milk whole preferred
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Add room-temperature butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar to a stand mixer with a whisk attachment. Beat until creamy, scraping edges as needed. Add pumpkin, egg yolk, and vanilla. Mix to incorporate.
- Add cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and quick oats to the mixture. Beat until combined. Add flour and mix until no streaks remain.
- Cover and place the bowl of dough in the fridge for 1 hour.
- Roll chilled dough into large, 3-tablespoon balls or 55 grams (see note 4). Roll to be taller instead of wider and place on a parchment-lined tray or plate. Batter should make 17–18 cookies. Chill dough balls in the fridge for 15–20 minutes. While dough balls are chilling, preheat oven to 350℉. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat.
- Add only 6 dough balls to a sheet pan at a time, spacing them out well. Bake 12–15 minutes or until very lightly browned at the edges and slightly gooey in the center. These cookies are best slightly underbaked! If cookies are poofy, right out of the oven, bang the sheet pan on the counter a few times to flatten cookies slightly.
- Optionally, right after banging the pan, quickly press cookie edges inward with the back of a large spoon.
- Let cookies rest on the pan 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Repeat this process to bake all cookies. These cookies taste best at room temperature and even better the next day—the pumpkin flavor has intensified by then!
- Add milk to a medium pot and heat over low heat until warmed. Add powdered sugar and whisk in slowly until well combined. Remove glaze from heat and stir in pumpkin pie spice and vanilla. Dip completely cooled cookies into the glaze, one at a time, and set on a cooling rack atop a sheet pan. Let stand 5 minutes until glaze is hardened. (If glaze starts to harden while dunking cookies, just whisk it up again!) You'll likely have a bit extra glaze, but dipping works best with this quantity.
Video
Recipe Notes
Note 1: It’s really important to use butter at room temperature so it will cream with the sugars properly. Don’t melt or soften; set it out at room temperature for 45 minutes to an hour before starting.
Note 2: Although it would make sense that any oats would work, they aren’t interchangeable here. Quick oats act more like flour since they are smaller, denser, and more compact.
Note 3: Pumpkin pie spice can be found among other spices in the grocery store, or you can make your own pumpkin pie spice!
Note 4: Cookies work best at this size. While you may want smaller cookies, know that the texture is not the same. The sweet spot for this recipe is exactly 55 grams (3 packed tablespoons) of dough. Big, I know, but totally perfect for ensuring crisp edges and soft, chewy center!
Storage: Most cookies are the best right out of the oven, but these are best at room temperature—and even better (with a much more pronounced pumpkin flavor) the next day! I actually don’t cover these cookies—just leave them on a plate at room temperature—this keeps them from becoming too moist and losing texture. After baking the cookies, let them cool completely on a wire rack (this will keep the bottoms from getting soggy from the steam).
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 245kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 153mg | Potassium: 72mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 33g | Vitamin A: 1405IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
