Soft Pumpkin Crinkle Cookies

Pro tips, variations, and serving ideas

Pro tips

• Chill the dough: Chilling improves flavor, reduces spread, and is especially helpful with moist pumpkin doughs.​
• Coat generously: Roll dough balls thoroughly in powdered sugar (coating well) to maintain the crinkle effect after baking.​
• Use pure pumpkin: Use plain pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling, just as other pumpkin crinkle recipes specify.​

Variations

• Add mini chocolate chips or white chocolate chips for extra sweetness and texture, as seen in some pumpkin cookie variations.​
• Use homemade pumpkin pie spice or adjust amounts of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves if you prefer your own blend.​
• Roll first in granulated sugar, then in powdered sugar for a more pronounced crinkle pattern, a trick used in some crinkle cookie recipes.​

How to serve

• Serve with coffee, tea, or hot cider as a cozy fall or holiday cookie.
• Add to autumn cookie trays with ginger molasses cookies, snickerdoodles, or chocolate crinkles.
• Dust lightly with extra powdered sugar just before serving if you want a fresher snowy look.

Storage and freezing

Pumpkin crinkle cookies store similarly to other soft crinkle cookies.​

• Room temperature:
  • Let cookies cool completely, then store in an airtight container.
  • Many pumpkin crinkle recipes suggest they last up to about 4–7 days at room temperature, depending on humidity.​
• Freezing unbaked dough:
  • Scoop and roll the dough into balls, coat lightly (or wait to coat), and freeze on a baking sheet (flash freeze).
  • Transfer to an airtight container or bag; they typically keep up to about 1–3 months frozen.​
  • Thaw just until soft enough to roll in powdered sugar, then bake as directed.
• Freezing baked cookies:
  • Cool completely, then freeze in an airtight container, separating layers with parchment.
  • Most sources suggest pumpkin or crinkle cookies freeze well up to about 1–3 months, though powdered sugar may look less vibrant after thawing.​

Frequently asked questions

Why is my powdered sugar disappearing?

If the powdered sugar coating is too light, it can melt into the cookie as it bakes, which is why some recipes suggest rolling dough balls in sugar very thoroughly or even coating in granulated sugar first.​

Do I really need to chill the dough?

With pumpkin’s moisture, chilling helps the dough firm up, allows flour to hydrate, and improves both flavor and texture; baking experts strongly recommend chilling, especially for pumpkin cookies.​

Can I use pumpkin pie filling instead of pumpkin puree?

Pumpkin crinkle cookie recipes almost always specify pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling, because pie filling contains added sugar and spices that can throw off flavor and texture.​

Soft Pumpkin Crinkle Cookies give you a pumpkin-spice, cake-like cookie with a pretty powdered sugar crinkle and a tender, cozy bite that’s ideal for fall and holiday baking. Add this recipe to your seasonal cookie lineup, save or print it for your autumn baking binder, and share it with anyone who loves pumpkin spice in soft, pretty cookie form.