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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!
5 Star Reviews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“These are so great when I’m craving autumn comfort food!” – Betsy
“I love how easy and delicious these are! The perfect fall treat!!” – Katerina
“They were a hit!!!” – Lori
The Easiest Pumpkin Cookies for Fall
I love a good from-scratch cookie, but sometimes I just want something I can mix together and get into the oven without measuring a dozen ingredients. These Pumpkin Drop Cookies are exactly that kind of recipe.
The spice cake mix does most of the work, giving you flour, sugar, leavening, and all those warm cinnamon, ginger, and clove flavors in one box. Pumpkin puree adds moisture and gives the cookies their soft, thick texture, so there is no need for eggs or oil. Then, of course, I add plenty of chocolate chips because pumpkin and chocolate are just so good together.
These are especially fun to make with kids because there really isn’t much to it. Mix, scoop, and bake. We make them often when fall cookie cravings hit and we want something warm from the oven without a lot of work.
One thing to know before you make them: these aren’t crisp or chewy like a traditional chocolate chip cookie. They are very soft, moist, and cakey. That is exactly how they are supposed to be!
🩷 Elise
Table of Contents
- 5 Star Reviews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- The Easiest Pumpkin Cookies for Fall
- What Are Pumpkin Drop Cookies?
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- Ingredient Additions and Substitutions
- How to Make Pumpkin Drop Cookies
- Tips for Making the Best Pumpkin Drop Cookies
- Frequently Asked Questions
- How to Store Homemade Pumpkin Drop Cookies
- More Pumpkin Favorites
- How To Make Pumpkin Drop Cookies
- Pumpkin Drop Cookies Recipe
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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
Easy pumpkin cookies with chocolate chips are simple to combine the ingredients and create a fall-flavored cookie in every bite. Follow these helpful tips to make them even better and turn out perfectly delicious every time. This fall season is ready for these delicious pumpkin chocolate chip cookies!
- Mixing dough – Try not to overmix the pumpkin dough. Once the ingredients are combined stop mixing the ingredients together in the large mixing bowl.
- Cookie scoop – Using a cookie scoop will ensure that each cookie is relatively close in size and will help bake them evenly in the oven.
- Parchment paper – Use a silicone mat or cover the baking sheet with parchment paper before dropping the pumpkin batter on the baking sheet. This will help the baked cookies removed from the pan more easily.
- Measure ingredients – There are only three ingredients to this pumpkin drop cookies recipe but it is best to make sure you are balancing out all the ingredients. If you are not using the correct amounts of each ingredient they may not cook properly.
- Cook all the way – When baking these cookies, be sure they are cooked through. Oven temperatures vary and can have slightly different times due to the location you are in. Make sure the cookies are done by seeing a little browning on the top of the cookies.
- Cooling – Let the cookies cool on a cooling rack before serving.
- Serving – These pumpkin drop cookies are perfect for pairing with hot chocolate or a cold glass of milk.
- A batch – One batch makes 24 cookies. Double your batch to make even more of this sweet treat! If you do double or triple the batch use an electric mixer or stand mixer to combine the ingredients better.
“I made these for Thanksgiving… They were a hit!!! I love how quick and easy they are to make with just 3 ingredients. I definitely plan to make them again… Maybe try a different cake mix.”
-Lori
Frequently Asked Questions
Because you’re omitting sugar, eggs, and oil, this is one easy cookie recipe you can feel pretty good about eating. Larger cookies (you can get about two dozen in this recipe) are approximately 95 calories a cookie! Smaller cookies, using a small cookie scoop or spoon are only about 60 calories each.
Plus, pumpkin is good for you! It’s chock full of vitamins and fiber. So you don’t have to feel guilty about enjoying a cookie or two…or three.
Pumpkin drop cookies are a fall favorite treat! They are soft with a cakey texture and a spiced cookie flavor. A drop cookie means that the cookie dough is literally dropped on the cookie sheet. How it lands, is how it is cooked. Each pumpkin drop cookie is shaped differently because of the drop.
Sure! You can use fresh pumpkin instead of canned pumpkin puree. You will need to cook the pumpkin and puree it and drain the excess moisture. Try to make the puree similar to the consistency of a can of pumpkin.
This is a fun idea and an extra step that sets these pumpkin drop cookies above the rest! Add the extra sweetness by mixing together powder sugar and a small amount of milk. Once the consistency is what you like, drizzle the glaze over top the cooled pumpkin cookies.
Yes! I haven’t tried it this way but if you find a spice mix or a cake mix that is gluten free, you can substitute it for the spice mix that we used in this recipe.
How to Store Homemade Pumpkin Drop Cookies
Stroing these pumpkin drop cookies properly will ensure they last a little longer and are still delicious every time you open the lid. Either store your pumpkin drop cookies at room temperature or freeze them to last longer. Enjoy these pumpkin drop cookies stored in the freezer or pantry!
- Room temperature – Place the pumpkin cookies in an airtight container for three to four days. No need to warm them up unless you want a warm inside and re-melt the chocolate slightly. Warm in the microwave for 10 to 12 seconds.
- Freeze – Take the cookies and freeze-dry them in the freezer. Place the cookie dough or baked cookies on a baking sheet in the freezer. Once the cookie dough or baked cookies are frozen, place them in an airtight container or ziplock bag for three months.
More Pumpkin Favorites
Our favorite season is pumpkin season! All the fall colors, leaves falling, and everything pumpkin is just what we love. Try these delicious recipes that are our favorite and so simple to make! Impress your friends and family this season with the best pumpkin recipes at your next get-together!
How To Make Pumpkin Drop Cookies
Pumpkin Drop Cookies
Video
Ingredients
- 1 box spice cake mix, unprepared
- 1 (15 ounce can) 100% pure pumpkin
- 1 (12 ounce bag) semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix together dry spice cake mix and pumpkin until completely blended.
- Fold in chocolate chips.
- Drop onto sprayed cookie sheet
- Bake for 8 to 9 minutes
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This are so good. Sometimes I use only half the amount of chocolate chips and substitute cinnamon chips for the other half. These are so great when I’m craving autumn comfort food!
I love how easy and delicious these are! The perfect fall treat!!
These look so good and super easy to make!! I love pumpkin desserts.
Tried these baked for 15 minutes turned out so soft and yummy!
Can you freeze the dough balls before baking for future use. I am 1 person and recipe makes too many at a time for one.
We haven’t frozen them before but I don’t see why not! Most doughs freeze great! Hope this helps!
Just made first time last week and las5 night, unbelievably flavor and dense rich Cookie. I baked 8 Minutes
I also froze MOST last Night and the pumpkin prevent full hard freezing, their stull soft CD and chocolate is still very soft, I’ll use this as my number one cookie recipe
Thanks!
Hi Donna! Thanks so much for your comment and for sharing how you had success freezing these cookies! We haven’t frozen them before but it’s good to know they freeze well! Thanks for the 5-stars!
Pretty easy recipe, although the amount of chocolate chips is wayyyy too much. Would recommend only half a bag.
My dad who is a diabetic loves these cookies. They don’t kill his sugar and one after dinner is perfect. I have done both semi-sweet chocolate chips and milk chocolate chips. Both were delicious, my dad prefers the milk I prefer the semi. Depends on what’s in the pantry drawer! These are delicious, easy and my 12 year old who doesn’t seem to like anything he used to like, loves these in his lunches! They are a dense cookie, but ohh so good! Thanks!
Thank you so much for your comment 🙂 Definitely a WIN if a 12-year-old approves! 😀
The bake time was way off on this recipe. 9 minutes the cookies were raw at 16 minutes they still were not cooked.
Different altitudes can alter the baking time GREATLY. What altitude are you at?
This recipe sounds Amazing! Love the chocolate chips, but I was thinking about using raisins. What do think?
I think that would be delicious!
I had some cooked mashed pumpkin in the fridge and a yellow cake mix that had been in my cupboard for a while so I decided to try this recipe. this is how I tweaked this recipe. 1yellow cake mix, 1Tbl. Pumpkin pie spice, 1lb2oz mashed cook pumpkin (the recipe calls for 15oz but I didn’t want to put any back in fridge or throw it away so I just used it all), 6oz raisins was plenty and 1/4 cup skim milk as the dough seemed too dry for muffins. Preheat oven at 350. spray muffin tin. Fill 12 muffin tins to the top. Bake for about 20 mins or until toothpick comes out clean. TADA!! They turned out great!
206 calories per muffin.
I calculated and in case anyone wants to know, this recipe yields about 2 dozen cookies at ~155 calories a piece.* That’s pretty darn good for how thick and hearty they are!
*using Betty Crocker spice cake mix and Nestlé Toll House chocolate chips
Does anyone know about how many cookies this makes? (Assuming a small/medium sized cookie.)
One recipe makes approximately 2 dozen cookies. They are delicious! Thanks for asking!
Very good!!! Are they supposed to be super soft?
Yes, they are way soft and chewy!
These are terrific and so easy to make! I made these in the muffin style and I think they are wonderful and somehow I just dont feel as guilty knowing all that pumpkin is in there. >=) Thanks for sharing this great idea ladies!
On a side note if I were to make the cookies i might dress them up with some cream cheese icing that would be great!
Thank you! And great idea with the icing! YUM!