Soft Pumpkin Crinkle Cookies

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup salted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup pure pumpkin (pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar (for coating)

These amounts closely match other pumpkin crinkle cookie recipes that use a similar flour-to-pumpkin ratio and a mix of white and brown sugar with pumpkin spice.​

Step-by-step instructions

Mix the dry ingredients

1. Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line one or more rimmed cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Pumpkin crinkle recipes commonly combine flour, leaveners, salt, and spice in one bowl before adding to the wet ingredients.​

Make the dough

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar with an electric mixer for 1–2 minutes until pale and fluffy.
2. Add the egg and mix on low just until combined.
3. Add the pumpkin and vanilla and mix again on low until blended; the mixture will look creamy and slightly looser than standard cookie dough because pumpkin adds moisture.​

Using both brown and white sugar is typical in soft pumpkin cookie recipes to add moisture and flavor depth.​

Combine and chill

1. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.
2. Mix on low just until no streaks of flour remain; the dough will be soft and slightly sticky.
3. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Chilling pumpkin cookie dough is widely recommended because pumpkin adds a lot of moisture; chilling firms the dough, helps flavors develop, and prevents excessive spreading.​

Shape, coat, and bake

Shape and coat

1. Place the powdered sugar in a shallow dish.
2. Scoop out 1.5 to 2 tablespoon portions of dough and drop each scoop into the powdered sugar.
3. Roll gently to coat completely, then shape into smooth balls.
4. Arrange about 12 dough balls per cookie sheet, spacing them so they have room to spread.

Some pumpkin crinkle recipes recommend rolling the dough well in powdered sugar (sometimes after a light roll in granulated sugar) so the coating stays visible and doesn’t fully dissolve into the cookie.​

Bake and cool

1. Bake for 14–18 minutes, until the cookies are puffed, cracked on top, and the edges are set.
2. Let them cool on the warm baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.

Visual cues—puffed centers, cracked tops, and just-set edges—are standard doneness signs for pumpkin crinkle cookies.​