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Pumpkin cookies are the soft, cakey fall treat that disappears off the cooling rack, and these get a melty chocolate kiss pressed right into the warm center, so Maddie and Lizzie fight over who gets to place the kisses every first cool day of September. If you love a soft cookie with a candy center, our chocolate blossom cookies are the year round favorite that started it all.
These pumpkin cookies bake up pillowy soft with warm pumpkin spice, then get topped with a Hershey Kiss the moment they come out of the oven for a blossom style finish.
Pumpkin Cookies Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 10 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 20 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 60 cookies
- ⚡ Calories: 111kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Soft, cakey pumpkin spice cookies with a melty chocolate kiss center
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, right up there with our pumpkin chocolate chip cookies
Quick Answer
Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin spice in one bowl. In a stand mixer, beat softened butter with granulated and brown sugar until fluffy, then beat in the egg and pumpkin puree. Stir in the dry ingredients just until combined, scoop tablespoon sized balls onto parchment lined sheets, and bake at 400 degrees F for 8 to 10 minutes until puffed and set. The moment the cookies come out of the oven, press an unwrapped Hershey Kiss into the center of each one, then let them cool completely so the chocolate resets into shape.
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Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Pumpkin puree keeps them soft and cakey. Real pumpkin gives these cookies their pillowy, tender texture and built in moisture, so they stay soft for days instead of drying out.
- A quick 400 degree bake locks in softness. The hot, short bake sets the edges while keeping the centers soft and cakey, exactly what you want in a pumpkin cookie.
- The kiss goes on warm. Pressing the Hershey Kiss in right out of the oven lets it soften and grip the cookie, then it resets into that perfect blossom shape as it cools.
- Pumpkin spice plus cinnamon doubles the cozy. Using both pumpkin pie spice and a little extra cinnamon layers the warm fall flavor so every bite tastes like the season.
- One batch makes a crowd. This recipe yields about 60 little cookies, perfect for parties, bake sales, and lunchbox treats all fall long.
- No chilling required. The dough scoops and bakes right away, so you can go from craving to warm cookies in about 20 minutes.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- They are unbelievably soft and cakey with real pumpkin flavor in every bite.
- The melty chocolate kiss center makes them feel special with almost no extra effort.
- They come together fast with no dough chilling, just like our crispy peanut butter cookies.
- One batch makes about 60 cookies, so they are perfect for fall parties next to a pumpkin spice cake.
Key Ingredients
Here is everything you need to make these soft pumpkin cookies.
- Pumpkin puree: Use 100% pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling. It gives the cookies their signature soft, cakey crumb and real pumpkin flavor.
- Pumpkin spice and cinnamon: Both together layer the warm fall flavor. Pumpkin pie spice covers cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves, and the extra cinnamon deepens it.
- Hershey Kisses: Unwrap them ahead of time so they are ready to press in the second the cookies come out of the oven.
- Butter and sugars: Creamed butter with granulated and brown sugar builds a tender cookie with a hint of caramel from the brown sugar.
- All-purpose flour: The structure that holds these soft cookies together, the same base we use in our pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
These pumpkin cookies are easy to switch up. Here are our favorite spins.
- Swap the kiss for chocolate chips folded into the dough for our pumpkin chocolate chip cookies instead.
- Use a cookies and cream kiss like in our cookies and cream blossom cookies for a fun twist.
- Roll the dough balls in cinnamon sugar before baking for a snickerdoodle style crackle.
- Add a half cup of white chocolate chips or chopped pecans to the dough for extra texture.
- Top with a caramel kiss or a Rolo instead of a classic Hershey Kiss for a salted caramel pumpkin cookie.
- Drizzle cooled cookies with melted white chocolate for a bakery look, like our red velvet blossom cookies.
How to Make Pumpkin Cookies
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin spice.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar.
- Beat on medium speed for 5 to 7 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed, until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Add the egg and pumpkin puree and beat until evenly combined.
- Add the flour mixture and stir just until combined with no dry patches. Do not overmix.
- The dough will be soft and scoopable. Give it a final stir by hand to make sure everything is evenly combined.
- Using a small 1 tablespoon cookie scoop, portion the dough into balls and place them about 1 inch apart on the prepared sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the cookies are puffed and the edges are set.
- Remove the sheets from the oven and immediately press an unwrapped chocolate kiss into the center of each cookie. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely. The kisses will look melty at first but will resolidify into shape as they cool, so do not disturb them.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Use pure pumpkin, not pie filling, pie filling is pre sweetened and pre spiced and will throw off the texture and flavor.
- Unwrap the kisses first so they are ready to press in the second the cookies come out of the oven while they are still warm.
- Do not overmix the dough, stir just until the dry patches disappear for a tender, cakey cookie.
- Do not disturb the melty kisses, they look like they are melting when you first press them in but will set back into shape as the cookies cool.
- Scoop evenly with a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop so they bake at the same rate, the same trick we use for our chocolate sugar cookies.
- Cool completely on a rack before stacking or storing so the chocolate fully resets and the cookies stay soft.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
Pile these pumpkin cookies on a platter with a bowl of extra kisses for a pretty fall dessert table, and set them out with a cup of coffee or cold milk. They are perfect for Halloween parties, Thanksgiving, bake sales, and lunchbox treats, right next to a pumpkin snack cake.
Build a full fall cookie plate with our chocolate blossom cookies, maple bacon cookies, and soft frosted lofthouse cookies so there is something for everyone.
Hosting a bigger crowd? Set these out next to a spice layer cake and a batch of chocolate covered peanut butter pretzels and watch the whole tray vanish.
Pumpkin Cookies FAQs
Yes, pumpkin cookies are great for making ahead. Bake and cool them completely, then store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can also make the dough ahead and refrigerate it for up to 2 days, letting it sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes before scooping so it is soft enough to portion.
Store pumpkin cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to a week. Because of the chocolate kisses, keep them somewhere cool so the chocolate stays set. Place a piece of parchment between layers so the kisses do not stick to the cookies above them.
Yes, pumpkin cookies freeze well. Freeze the baked and cooled cookies in a single layer, then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 2 months and thaw at room temperature. You can also freeze scoops of raw dough, then bake from frozen adding 1 to 2 extra minutes and pressing the kiss in right after they come out of the oven.
Pumpkin cookies are meant to be soft and cakey because pumpkin puree adds a lot of moisture that keeps them tender rather than chewy. If you prefer a denser cookie, you can blot some of the moisture from the pumpkin puree with a paper towel before measuring, but the classic version is pillowy soft by design.
The chocolate kiss gives these pumpkin cookies their blossom style look and a melty chocolate center, but it is easy to swap. Try a caramel kiss, a Rolo, a chocolate chip mound, or a dollar sized dab of cream cheese frosting. You can also leave them plain and roll the dough in cinnamon sugar before baking for a snickerdoodle style cookie.
You can use homemade pumpkin puree in pumpkin cookies as long as it is thick and well drained. Fresh puree tends to be more watery than canned, so strain it through cheesecloth to remove excess moisture before measuring, otherwise the extra liquid can make the cookies spread and bake up too soft in the center.
Keeping the fall baking going? Our chocolate cream cheese frosting and almond flour cookies are next on the list.
Pumpkin Cookies
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ teaspoon pumpkin spice
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup light brown sugar packed
- ¾ cup pumpkin puree
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 60 Hershey’s Chocolate Kisses unwrapped
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400°F. Prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin spice.4 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 ½ teaspoon pumpkin spice
- Beat the butter and the sugars on medium speed in the body of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric hand micer, scraping down the sides as needed, beating for 5 to 7 minutes or until fluffy.1 cup unsalted butter, 1 ½ cups granulated sugar, ⅔ cup light brown sugar
- Add the egg and pumpkin puree, beating until evenly combined.1 large egg, ¾ cup pumpkin puree
- Add the flour mixture and stir it in until combined with no dry patches.
- Using a small (1 tablespoon) cookie scoop, portion the cookie dough and shape dough into balls.
- Place them on the prepared cookie sheets about 1 inch apart.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the cookies are puffed and the edges are set.
- Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and immediately press one of the milk chocolate kisses into the center of each cookie.60 Hershey’s Chocolate Kisses
- Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and allow them to cool completely. The candies will look like they are melting, but do not disturb them; they will resolidify in the correct shape.
Notes
- Use room temperature ingredients: This helps the ingredients mix together smoothly, resulting in a better texture for your cookies.
- Don’t overmix the dough: Overmixing can make the cookies tough. Mix just until the flour is incorporated.
- Chill the dough if needed: If the dough feels too soft, chill it for 20-30 minutes before rolling into balls.
- Gently press the Kisses: As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, gently press a chocolate candy piece into the center of each one. This helps them stick without melting too much.
- Use parchment paper: This prevents the cookies from sticking to the baking sheet and makes cleanup easier.
- Add an extra minute: If you like your cookies slightly crispy on the edges, bake them for an extra minute or two.
Nutrition
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