The first time I made cookies with pumpkin pie filling, I honestly wasn’t sure what would happen.

I had a little pumpkin pie filling left in the refrigerator after making a pie, and I hated the idea of letting it sit there until it became a forgotten container in the back of the fridge. So I mixed some into a basic cookie dough and hoped for the best.

The first batch spread more than I expected. They still tasted delicious, but they looked more like rustic pumpkin cookies than the neat little rounds I had pictured.

That taught me something important: pumpkin pie filling already contains moisture, sweetener, and spices, so you can’t treat it exactly like plain pumpkin purée.

After a few batches, I landed on a version that gives me soft, warmly spiced cookies with lightly crisp edges and a tender center. Now, whenever pumpkin pie filling makes an appearance in my kitchen, these cookies are one of the first things I think about.

They’re especially good when the house smells like cinnamon and brown sugar and you have a mug of coffee or tea waiting nearby.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• You need simple pantry ingredients. Nothing fancy or hard to track down.
• The dough comes together quickly. You don’t need a mixer if you don’t have one.
• They’re wonderfully soft. Pumpkin pie filling gives these cookies a tender texture.
• The spices do the heavy lifting. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger make them taste like fall without needing a complicated recipe.
• They’re great for sharing. Pack them into a container for a school bake sale, family gathering, or weekend treat.

One thing I especially like about these cookies is that they don’t require you to make a separate pumpkin filling. The pumpkin pie filling goes straight into the dough, which makes the whole process much easier.

Ingredients

This recipe makes about 24 cookies, depending on how generously you scoop the dough.

For the cookies

• 1 cup pumpkin pie filling — use prepared canned pumpkin pie filling, not plain pumpkin purée
• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
• ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves

For the optional finish

• ½ cup powdered sugar, for a simple glaze
• 1–2 tablespoons milk, as needed for the glaze
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

You can skip the glaze completely. The cookies have plenty of flavor on their own, but I love the little bit of sweetness it adds.

A note about pumpkin pie filling

This recipe specifically uses pumpkin pie filling, which usually contains pumpkin, sweetener, spices, and other ingredients.

Don’t substitute the same amount of plain pumpkin purée without adjusting the recipe. Plain purée has a different flavor and consistency, so the finished cookies won’t turn out the same.

If you only have pumpkin purée, you can still make pumpkin cookies, but you’ll want a recipe designed specifically for it.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Soften the butter — about 20–30 minutes

Take the butter out of the refrigerator and let it soften at room temperature.

You want it soft enough that you can press a finger into it easily, but you don’t want melted butter.

If you forget this step, don’t panic. You can cut the butter into small cubes and let it sit for a few minutes to soften faster.

2. Prepare your baking sheets — about 5 minutes

Heat your oven to 350°F (175°C).

Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

I like parchment because pumpkin cookies can be soft and slightly sticky, and parchment makes cleanup much easier. A silicone baking mat works well too.

3. Cream the butter and sugars — about 2–3 minutes

Add the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar to a large mixing bowl.

Beat them together with a hand mixer for about 2 minutes, or use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.

The mixture should look creamy and slightly fluffy.

Don’t worry if it doesn’t become dramatically pale. You’re not making a super-light sugar cookie dough here.

4. Add the egg, vanilla, and pumpkin pie filling — about 1 minute

Beat in the egg and vanilla until combined.

Then add the pumpkin pie filling.

Mix just until everything comes together.

At this stage, the mixture will look much softer and wetter than traditional cookie dough. That’s completely normal.

5. Mix the dry ingredients — about 2 minutes

In a separate bowl, whisk together:

• Flour
• Baking soda
• Baking powder
• Salt
• Cinnamon
• Ginger
• Nutmeg
• Cloves

Whisking helps distribute the baking soda and spices evenly, so you don’t end up with one intensely spiced bite and another that tastes bland.

6. Combine the wet and dry mixtures — about 1–2 minutes

Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture in two additions.

Stir gently after each addition.

Stop mixing as soon as you no longer see streaks of flour.

The dough should be soft and scoopable, somewhere between a traditional cookie dough and a thick muffin batter.

If your dough looks unusually loose, don’t immediately dump in lots of extra flour. Different brands of pumpkin pie filling can have slightly different consistencies.

Instead, let the dough sit for 5 minutes. The flour will absorb some of the moisture.

7. Chill the dough — 30 minutes

Cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

Don’t skip this if your dough feels very soft.

Chilling helps the cookies hold their shape and makes the dough much easier to scoop.

If you’re working in a warm kitchen, you may need an additional 10–15 minutes of chilling time.

8. Scoop the cookies — about 5 minutes

Use a tablespoon-sized cookie scoop to portion the dough onto your prepared baking sheets.

Leave about 2 inches of space between each cookie because they’ll spread as they bake.

For evenly sized cookies, I strongly recommend using a cookie scoop. It also keeps your hands from getting covered in sticky dough.

9. Bake — 10–12 minutes

Bake one tray at a time for about 10–12 minutes.

Look for lightly golden edges and centers that look set but still soft.

Don’t wait for the entire cookie to become deeply golden. These cookies should stay soft in the middle.

One of my favorite tricks is to gently press the edge of a cookie with a fingertip while it’s still on the baking sheet. If the edge feels set while the center remains slightly soft, you’re in the sweet spot.

10. Cool — about 10 minutes

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes.

Then transfer them to a wire cooling rack and let them cool completely.

They’ll firm up as they cool, so don’t judge the final texture while they’re piping hot.

11. Add the optional glaze — about 5 minutes

If you’d like a sweet finish, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla.

Start with just 1 tablespoon of milk and add more a tiny splash at a time until the glaze becomes smooth and drizzle-friendly.

Drizzle it over completely cooled cookies.

Let the glaze sit for about 15 minutes before stacking the cookies.

Pro Tips & Tricks

Don’t confuse pumpkin pie filling with pumpkin purée

This is the biggest detail to remember.

Pumpkin pie filling already contains sweetness and seasoning. Plain pumpkin purée doesn’t.

Using the wrong one can completely change the balance of the recipe.

Chill the dough if it looks too soft

I’ve learned not to fight soft pumpkin cookie dough by throwing handfuls of flour into it.

Too much flour can make the finished cookies dense and dry.

A short chill usually does a much better job.

Don’t overbake them

These cookies won’t look completely finished in the oven.

The centers should still look soft when you pull them out. They’ll continue cooking from the residual heat on the baking sheet.

If you wait until the centers look dry, you may end up with a firmer cookie than intended.

Let the cookies cool before glazing

Warm cookies make glaze run everywhere.

Give them enough time to cool completely, then drizzle. The glaze will sit neatly on top instead of disappearing into the cookie.

Store them properly

Once completely cool, keep the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

For longer storage, refrigerate them in a tightly sealed container for up to 5 days.

Bring refrigerated cookies back to room temperature before serving for the best texture.

Make the dough ahead

You can prepare the dough, cover it tightly, and refrigerate it for up to 24 hours.

When you’re ready to bake, scoop the chilled dough onto your baking sheets.

If the dough becomes very firm, let it sit at room temperature for 10–15 minutes before scooping.

Variations & Substitutions

Add chocolate chips

If you’re a chocolate-and-pumpkin person, stir ¾ cup of semisweet chocolate chips into the finished dough.

Mini chocolate chips work especially well because they distribute throughout the soft cookies without making every bite feel overly heavy.

Make them extra nutty

Add ½ cup of chopped pecans or walnuts to the dough.

Pecans are my favorite here because their buttery flavor works beautifully with the brown sugar and warm spices.

For an extra-special batch, lightly toast the nuts first and let them cool completely before adding them.

Give them a maple twist

Replace half of the vanilla extract with ½ teaspoon maple extract, or add a small amount of maple-flavored glaze on top.

The maple flavor pairs naturally with pumpkin and brown sugar.

Just keep the amount modest. Too much maple extract can overpower the spices.

Make a dairy-free batch

Use a dairy-free butter substitute that works as a direct replacement for regular butter.

Check the ingredient label on your pumpkin pie filling as well, since prepared products can vary.

The texture may vary slightly depending on the butter substitute you use.

Serving Suggestions

These easy cookies made with pumpkin pie filling are perfect when you want something cozy without spending an entire afternoon in the kitchen.

Serve them slightly warm with a glass of cold milk, or let them cool completely and arrange them on a dessert plate.

For a fall breakfast treat, I like serving one alongside coffee or hot tea.

They’re also a natural fit for:

• Autumn family gatherings
• Halloween parties
• Thanksgiving dessert tables
• School or community bake sales
• Weekend baking with kids
• Casual potlucks
• Holiday cookie trays

If you’re making them for a gathering, I recommend baking them the same day whenever possible. That’s when the centers have their nicest soft texture.

For a dessert platter, arrange them with a few different cookies so the pumpkin flavor doesn’t dominate the whole tray.

Related Recipes:

• Pumpkin Crisp Bars
• No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Ball
• How to Make Caramel Apple Streusel Cheesecake
• How to Make Pecan Pie Cheesecake From Scratch
• Southern Pecan Pie Cheesecake for Thanksgiving

FAQ’s

Can I use plain pumpkin purée instead of pumpkin pie filling?

Not as a straight one-to-one swap in this recipe.

Pumpkin pie filling already contains sweetener and spices, while plain pumpkin purée generally contains only pumpkin. Changing the ingredient without adjusting the sugar and spices will give you a different cookie.

If plain pumpkin purée is all you have, use a pumpkin-cookie recipe specifically developed for it.

Why are my pumpkin cookies spreading too much?

The most common culprit is overly soft dough.

Butter that’s too warm, a particularly wet pumpkin pie filling, or a warm kitchen can all make the dough difficult to handle.

Chill the dough for 30 minutes before baking. If the first test cookie still spreads excessively, chill the remaining dough a little longer.

Also make sure your baking sheet has cooled before adding the next batch.

Can I freeze these cookies?

Yes.

Let the baked cookies cool completely, then place them in an airtight freezer-safe container with parchment between the layers.

Freeze them for up to 2 months for the best quality.

Thaw them at room temperature before serving.

If you plan to freeze them, I recommend leaving off the glaze and adding it after thawing.

Can I freeze the cookie dough?

Yes. Scoop the dough into individual portions and place them on a parchment-lined tray.

Freeze the portions until firm, then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container.

When you’re ready to bake, place the frozen dough portions on a lined baking sheet and allow a little extra baking time.

Keep an eye on the first batch because frozen dough can bake differently depending on the size of your scoops.

How should I reheat the cookies?

These cookies taste great at room temperature, so reheating isn’t necessary.

If you prefer them warm, place one cookie in the microwave for about 8–10 seconds.

Don’t heat it for too long. Pumpkin cookies can become surprisingly hot in the center.

Can I leave out the cloves?

Absolutely.

Cloves have a strong flavor, and some people find them overpowering.

You can simply omit them or replace them with an extra pinch of cinnamon. The cookies will still have plenty of warm pumpkin-spice flavor.

Why did my cookies turn out cakey?

Pumpkin naturally adds moisture, and pumpkin pie filling can make cookies softer and more cake-like than classic chocolate chip cookies.

If your cookies seem especially cakey, check that you measured the flour correctly and didn’t add more pumpkin pie filling than the recipe calls for.

A kitchen scale gives you the most consistent flour measurement, but the spoon-and-level method works well too.

Final Thought

There’s something wonderfully satisfying about turning a leftover ingredient into something completely new.

That’s really how these easy cookies made with pumpkin pie filling became a regular in my kitchen. I started with a simple “I don’t want to waste this” moment and ended up with a cookie I now look forward to making every fall.

They’re soft, warmly spiced, uncomplicated, and forgiving enough for a relaxed weekend baking session.

And if your first batch doesn’t look picture-perfect, don’t worry. Mine certainly didn’t. Sometimes the slightly wonky cookies disappear from the cooling rack faster than the pretty ones anyway.

So grab that can of pumpkin pie filling, preheat the oven, and give them a try. If you add chocolate chips, pecans, or your own little twist, that’s part of the fun.