Pumpkin Drop Cookies

These Pumpkin Drop Cookies are one of the easiest fall cookies you can make. All you need is spice cake mix, pumpkin puree, and chocolate chips to make soft, cakey pumpkin cookies packed with warm fall spice and plenty of chocolate. No eggs, oil, butter, or dough chilling needed!

What Are Pumpkin Drop Cookies?

Drop cookies get their name from the way the dough is placed on the baking sheet. Instead of rolling and cutting the dough or forming perfectly smooth balls, you simply scoop or drop the dough onto the pan.

That makes these especially easy because there is no rolling, cutting, or chilling.

The cookie dough is thick and sticky, and the cookies don’t spread nearly as much as traditional chocolate chip cookies. How they look when they go into the oven is pretty close to how they will look when they come out.

If you like a rustic, rounded cookie, leave the scoops alone. If you want them a little flatter, gently press the tops before baking.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Spice cake mix – Use the dry cake mix straight from the box. It gives these cookies their structure, sweetness, and warm pumpkin spice flavor without measuring flour or individual spices.
• Pumpkin puree – Use a 15-ounce can of 100% pure pumpkin puree for moisture and pumpkin flavor. I recommend pumpkin puree rather than pumpkin pie filling.
• Semi-sweet chocolate chips – Semi-sweet chocolate balances the sweet, spiced cookie really well, but you can easily change the type or amount of chocolate.

That’s really it. You don’t prepare the cake mix according to the box directions, and you don’t need eggs, oil, or butter.

Ingredient Additions and Substitutions

These three-ingredient pumpkin cookies are really easy to customize.

• Use fewer chocolate chips: If a full bag feels like too much chocolate, use half to three-quarters of the bag. Several readers prefer them that way.
• Cinnamon chips: Replace half of the chocolate chips with cinnamon chips for even more fall flavor. One of our readers does this and loves the combination.
• Milk or dark chocolate: Both work well in place of semi-sweet chocolate chips.
• White chocolate chips: White chocolate is sweeter, but it pairs really well with pumpkin spice.
• Mini chocolate chips: These spread little bits of chocolate throughout each cookie and work especially well if you are making smaller cookies.
• Raisins or dried cranberries: Replace some or all of the chocolate chips with dried fruit.
• Pecans or walnuts: Chopped nuts add a little crunch to an otherwise very soft cookie.
• Different cake mix: You can experiment with yellow, vanilla, or chocolate cake mix. For yellow or vanilla cake mix, add pumpkin pie spice if you still want that classic fall flavor.
• Cream cheese frosting: Let the cookies cool completely, then spread them with Cream Cheese Frosting for a more decadent pumpkin cookie.
• Simple glaze: Stir powdered sugar with just enough milk to make a drizzle consistency, then spoon it over completely cooled cookies.

For the most consistent results, I recommend sticking with 100% pure pumpkin puree. Pumpkin pie filling already contains sweeteners and spices, which can change the flavor and sweetness of the finished cookies.

How to Make Pumpkin Drop Cookies

1. Mix the pumpkin and cake mix. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Add the dry spice cake mix and pumpkin puree to a large mixing bowl. Mix until completely combined and no dry pockets of cake mix remain.

2. Add the chocolate chips. Fold the chocolate chips into the pumpkin mixture just until evenly distributed. The dough will be thick, sticky, and much softer than traditional cookie dough.

3. Scoop the cookies. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, or lightly coat it with cooking spray. Use a cookie scoop or spoon to drop evenly sized portions of dough onto the baking sheet.

4. Bake and cool. Bake for 8 to 9 minutes, or until the tops and edges look set and the cookies no longer look wet in the center. Larger cookies or some ovens may need additional time. Let the cookies sit on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Tips for Making the Best Pumpkin Drop Cookies

• Don’t prepare the cake mix. You only want the dry cake mix from the box. Don’t add the eggs, oil, or water listed on the cake mix package.
• Use pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. Pure pumpkin gives you better control over the sweetness and spices.
• Expect a thick, sticky dough. This will not feel like regular chocolate chip cookie dough. That is completely normal.
• Don’t overmix. Once the cake mix is incorporated, stop mixing. Overworking the dough isn’t necessary.
• Sift out stubborn cake-mix lumps. If your cake mix is especially lumpy, you can sift it before combining it with the pumpkin.
• Use a cookie scoop. Evenly sized cookies bake more evenly, which is especially important with such a moist dough.
• Know that they won’t spread much. If you want flatter cookies, gently press the dough before putting the pan in the oven.
• Watch the cookies, not just the clock. Oven temperatures, elevation, baking sheets, and cookie size can all affect baking time.
• Look for set tops and edges. The surface shouldn’t look wet or raw. You may also see very light browning around the edges or bottoms.
• Don’t expect a crisp cookie. Pumpkin keeps these cookies soft, moist, and cakey even after they cool.
• Let them set on the pan. Give the baked cookies about 5 minutes on the baking sheet before moving them to a wire rack.
• Use parchment for easy cleanup. It also makes these very soft cookies easier to remove from the pan.
• Adjust the chocolate to your taste. A full 12-ounce bag makes them very chocolatey. If you want more pumpkin flavor to come through, use less.

Frequently Asked Questions

Make Ahead and Storage

These cookies stay especially soft because of the pumpkin, so a little care when storing them makes a difference.

Room temperature: Let the cookies cool completely, then store them in an airtight container for about 3 to 4 days. Because they are so moist, I like to keep them in a single layer when possible. If you need to stack them, put parchment or wax paper between the layers.

Refrigerator: For longer storage, keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Bring them to room temperature before eating, or warm one for a few seconds in the microwave if you like the chocolate melty.

Freezer: Freeze completely cooled cookies in a freezer-safe container or bag for up to 3 months. Place parchment between layers to keep them from sticking together.

To thaw: Set frozen cookies on the counter until they reach room temperature. They thaw pretty quickly because they are so soft.

Make ahead: You can bake these a day or two before a fall party or Thanksgiving. Just make sure they are completely cool before putting them into a container so condensation doesn’t make the tops sticky.

Pairing Ideas

A warm Pumpkin Drop Cookie and a mug of cocoa are pretty hard to beat. If you’re serving these at a fall party, set them out alongside our Hot Chocolate Bar so everyone can build their own drink. For something extra special, spread the cooled cookies with our Cream Cheese Frosting. The tangy frosting and warm pumpkin spice are such a good combination.

More Pumpkin Favorites

Our favorite season is pumpkin season! All the fall colors, leaves falling, and everything pumpkin is just what we love. If you’re ready for even more pumpkin, try some of our other fall favorites:

Pumpkin

How To Roast Pumpkin Seeds

Desserts

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Harry Potter Recipes

Pumpkin Pasties

Desserts

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread – Moist pumpkin bread loaded with chocolate chips and perfect for fall.
• 15+ Easy Pumpkin Desserts – All kinds of pumpkin treats when one recipe just isn’t enough.