These pumpkin molasses cookies are chewy and filled with warm pumpkin spice. Pure pumpkin puree and molasses give them a rich, deep flavor that tastes like fall in every bite. Best of all, the dough comes together in minutes, no chilling or stand mixer required!
These softย pumpkin molasses cookiesย might be my favoriteย Fall recipeย I've made this year.ย They're everything you want in aย pumpkin cookie- chewy, cozy, and full of warmย spices.
Like my molasses crinkle cookies, they are rolled in coarse sugar and bake with gooey cracks in the center. Add icing or a white chocolate drizzle for an extra delicious fallย treat.
For more Fall cookies, make these pumpkin spice cookies, salted caramel oatmeal cookies, and pumpkin biscotti!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
This pumpkinย molasses cookieย recipe is truly effortless. There's no chilling required, so you can go from mixing to eating in under 30 minutes. The dough comes together in one bowl, no mixer needed!ย
Pumpkin cookiesย can get cakey, but thanks to the meltedย butter,ย rich molasses, and drying the pumpkin, the cookiesย bakeย up soft, chewy, and full of cozy fallย flavor.
Key Ingredients
- Pumpkin puree- Make sure to use pure pumpkin puree, not pre-sweetened pumpkin pie filling. The only ingredient listed should be pumpkin.
- Unsalted butter- We're using melted butter to encourage the cookies to spread. Let it cool slightly before adding the other ingredients.
- Granulated sugar-ย Sweetens the cookies and creates crispy edges without overpowering the molasses and pumpkin flavors.
- Molasses- Adds a little more sweetness but a ton of rich flavor.
- Eggย yolk-ย Because of the moist pumpkin, we don't need a whole egg, just an egg yolk for extra richness.
- All purpose flour- Weigh the flour in grams with a food scale for the best results. Flour is easy to overmeasure with measuring cups, making the cookies dense. If you only have measuring cups, gently spoon the flour into them and level it off instead of scooping it with the cup directly.
- Bakingย soda-ย Make sure your baking soda is fresh or the cookies won't spread properly. Check the expiration date!
- Pumpkin pie spice- This is a blend of cozy Fall spices like ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice. You can buy it at the grocery store or make your own mixture!
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1:ย Preheat theย ovenย to 350ยฐF and line a large baking sheet withย parchment paper. Then drain the pumpkin.
Line a large plate with a triple layer of paper towels and spread the pumpkin on top. Lay 2 sheets of paper towel over the pumpkin and gently press with your hands to soak up the excess liquid.
You can also close the paper towels with your hands like a cheesecloth, squeezing the excess liquid on to the plate below. The pumpkin is ready when the volume has reduced by half and has a moldable texture.
Step 2: Whisk the melted butter, sugar, and molasses in a large bowl until combined.
Step 3:ย Vigorouslyย whiskย in the pumpkin,ย eggย yolk, andย vanilla extractย into the sugar. The mixture will be thick and paste-like.
Step 4:ย Fold the flour, bakingย soda,ย pumpkin spice, andย saltย into theย wet ingredients. Mix until theย dry ingredientsย just disappear, since overmixing can make the cookies tough.
Step 5:ย Use a mediumย cookie scoopย (about 1.25 ounces) to scoop theย cookie doughย and roll into balls. Eachย ball of doughย weighed 37 grams, golf ball sized. You can make them larger, but you'll have less cookies that need a longerย bakeย time.
I had extraย cinnamonย sugar leftover from this brownย butterย pumpkin bread, so I rolled each cookieย dough ballย in it before baking for extra crunch. The recipe for theย cinnamonย sugar is in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Place theย cookie doughย balls on yourย baking sheetย with 1-2 inches between each so they don't spread into each other.
Step 6:ย Bakeย the cookies until the edges are set but the middles look puffy and underdone. Let them cool on the hot tray for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wireย cooling rackย to cool completely.
Top Recipe Tips
- Dry the pumpkin.ย If yourย pumpkin cookiesย always turn out cakey instead of chewy, it's probably because you aren't drying your pumpkin!ย Pumpkin pureeย is incredibly moist, and that moisture creates a fluffy texture, which is great for pumpkin bread and cakes, but not cookies. Make sure to dry your pumpkin, squeezing the liquid through the cheesecloth or paper towels until it has a texture like Play-Doh. You still get all theย flavorย but aย chewy texture!
- Underbake the cookies.ย I baked my first testย batchย of cookies for 12 minutes, and once they were cool, they were dry. The 10 minuteย batchย was perfect! This is because cookies keep baking on the hot tray after you pull them out, so you want them to look slightly raw and gooey in the center. They set as they cool! The exactย bakeย time depends on yourย oven, so start checking around the 8 minute mark.
- Use a scale! If you bake a lot of recipes and they never seen to turn out, it's probably because you're not using a scale. I my recipes in grams and then convert into US cup measurements, so measuring in grams will yield the best results. It's more accurate, plus you'll have less dishes to wash! Once you start baking in grams, you'll never go back.
Frequently Asked Questions
Regular unsulphured molasses works best for baking. Avoid blackstrap molasses because it is too thick and bitter for thisย recipe.
Yes! Before rolling in sugar, place the dough balls in an airtight container. You can store them in the fridge for up to 48 hours, but let them come to room temperature for 30 minutes and roll in sugar before baking.
Yes! Freeze them in an airtight container or freezer bag with parchment paper between the layers to keep them from sticking for up to 3 months. Bake directly from frozen; they'll need a couple extra minutes in the oven.
Storage Tips
I stored my cookies in anย airtight containerย on the counter. They stay fresh for up to 5 days.
I brought them to a party 3 days after baking them- they were still soft and chewy!
You can also freeze the baked cookies for up to 3 months. Let them thaw on the counter for 1 hour before eating.
More Pumpkin Recipes to Try
๐ Recipe
Chewy Pumpkin Molasses Cookies
Equipment
- 1 medium cookie scoop 1.25 ounces (38 grams per cookie)
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 whisk
- 1 small bowl
Need Metric or US Customary Measurements?
Use the buttons below to toggle between grams and cups!
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cookies
- 120 grams pumpkin puree labelled 100% pure pumpkin
- 170 grams melted unsalted butter cooled slightly
- 200 grams granulated sugar
- 84 grams molasses do not use blackstrap molasses
- 1 egg yolk room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 280 grams all purpose flour
- 1 ยฝ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- ยฝ teaspoon salt
Cinnamon Sugar
- 50 grams granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ยฐF (180ยฐC) and line a half baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- To remove excess moisture from the pumpkin, line a plate with three layers of paper towels and spread the pumpkin puree on top. Place two more sheets over it and gently press with your hands to absorb the liquid. You can also lift the paper towels and squeeze the pumpkin like you would a cheesecloth. It's ready when the volume is reduced by about half and it feels thick like Play-Doh.120 grams pumpkin puree
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter, sugar, and molasses until smooth and combined.170 grams melted unsalted butter, 200 grams granulated sugar, 84 grams molasses
- Add the drained pumpkin puree, egg yolk, and vanilla extract, then whisk vigorously until the mixture becomes thick and glossy.1 egg yolk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add the all purpose flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt to the wet ingredients. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the dry ingredients into the mixture until no streaks of flour remain. Avoid overmixing so the cookies stay soft and chewy.280 grams all purpose flour, 1 ยฝ teaspoon baking soda, 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice, ยฝ teaspoon salt
- In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and ground cinnamon. Then use a medium cookie scoop (about 1.25 ounces or 38 grams) to portion the dough and roll each scoop into a smooth ball. Roll each dough ball in the cinnamon sugar, then arrange the cookies on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart to allow for spreading.50 grams granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Bake the cookies for 8-12 minutes, or until the edges are set and the centers look slightly puffy and underbaked.
- Let the cookies cool on the hot baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Andrea
I was sent this recipe from my daughter after she tried one and said it was delicious. She was right! I made them for a party this weekend and everyone love them. They were easy to make and full of fall/winter flavors.
I live in the UK, so I had to use black treacle instead of molasses, but it was a great substitute.
Also, thank you SO MUCH for having metric and 2x conversions. That made my life so much easier!