Any time of the year is perfect to indulge in these pumpkin oatmeal cookies!
Each one brings out fun fall vibes, like sipping on warm pumpkin spice lattes, or the heavenly scent of classic oatmeal cookies fresh off the cookie tray.
What’s amazing about this pumpkin oatmeal cookies recipe is that it brings together the flavors of a regular oatmeal cookie and pumpkin spice seasoning in one fabulous treat!
I also like that pumpkin is a superfood. It’s high in fiber and helps to regulate blood sugar. Oats are also a superfood that lowers bad levels of cholesterol. These facts make these oatmeal cookies with pumpkin puree a sweet way to reward yourself after a good workout or as a mid-day pick-me-up.
Another reason why I love baking these oatmeal pumpkin cookies is that they come out soft and fluffy, perfect to enjoy while under a cozy blanket on cool fall evenings.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Ingredients Needed for Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup pumpkin puree
- 1 ½ cup old-fashioned oats
Step-by-Step Preparation with Pictures
1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Line with parchment paper or spray it with a non-stick spray.
2. In a large bowl, mix the flour, spices, baking soda, and salt. Set the dry ingredients aside.
3. In a separate bowl using a stand mixer, cream together the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar.
4. Add the pumpkin puree, egg yolk, and vanilla extract to the wet mixture.
5. Stir the flour mixture into the bowl with the wet ingredients. Scrape down the sides when needed and continue until it is completely blended.
6. Fold the oats into the dough until well combined.
7. Scoop out heaping tablespoons worth of dough and place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. You can use two spoons or a medium cookie scoop to do this, depending on the size of cookies you’re aiming for.
8. Bake in the oven for 12-14 minutes or until the edges are just slightly golden brown.
8. Place on the cooling rack for about 5-10 minutes and enjoy!
Variation Ideas
Switch Up the Flour: For fluffier and more nutritious pumpkin oatmeal cookies, use whole wheat flour or oat flour instead of all-purpose flour.
Sweet Swap: Try replacing granulated (or white) sugar in this recipe with coconut sugar. It’s healthier and less refined than white sugar.
An “Instant” Change: If you’re all out of old-fashioned oats, instant oats are an easy substitute to use.
A Saucy Shift: Applesauce is a healthy ingredient to use if butter is not on hand for these oatmeal pumpkin snacks. Make sure to use only half the recipe’s butter with applesauce to enjoy chewy and scrumptious cookies.
Nice Additions
- Dried fruits, like cranberries, raisins, or coconut, would make fabulous and tasty additions to these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.
- Adding walnuts or pecans would give these chewy pumpkin treats extra flavor and texture.
- Finding seeds such as sunflower, ground flax, and yes, pumpkin, and peptic (pumpkin seeds with the shell removed) in these healthy pumpkin oatmeal cookies would make a fun surprise with each bite.
- If you want to make these pumpkin treats more of an indulgent experience, chocolate chips, mini marshmallows or bits of toffee are all sweet ideas to try!
- Finally, you can sweeten these oatmeal cookies by either drizzling, spreading, or dipping them in a chocolate or vanilla glaze. You can also simply top them with a light sprinkle of salt or powdered sugar.
Serving and Presentation
Classic Cookie Combo: A plate of these fluffy cookies and a tall, frosty glass of milk on the side for dunking make a yummy snack any time of the day.
Fancy Dessert: For an added bit of sweetness, and to turn these into a fancy dessert, serve them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Mini Charcuterie Board: These pumpkin oatmeal cookies would also make a delectable addition to a dessert charcuterie board. You could put together a fall-themed dessert board with other cookies with fall flavors, pretzels, these chocolatey muffins, apple slices, a few festively colored soft candies, some pecans or walnuts, and a small bowl of dipping sauce to round out a fall flavorful charcuterie board you’ll love to snack on.
Tips for Success
- Use pumpkin puree for this recipe, not pumpkin pie filling.
- For a cakey cookie, make sure that all the ingredients are at room temperature before starting to prep and bake them.
- Creaming the butter and sugar is key to the success of your pumpkin oatmeal cookies. If the butter is not beaten into the sugar properly, the butter may not have had the time to be broken down well enough, leaving large, almost see-through blobs of butter in your cookies.
- When adding the egg yolk to this recipe for oatmeal pumpkin cookies, take the time to gradually beat it into the other ingredients. This is because the egg yolk adds volume to your cookies. It will also allow them to hold more goodies, should you like to add chocolate chips or nuts.
- To avoid the cookies from sticking together, leave about 2 inches between each cookie to spread.
Storage
Fresh: Once baked, these chewy pumpkin cookies can be stored on the countertop in an airtight container for about 3 to 4 days. Line your container with paper towels to wick away any moisture.
Fridge: After they have been cooled, place cookies in either an airtight container or a fully resealable plastic bag and put them in the fridge. They will stay fresh for up to two weeks.
Freezer: Put cookies in freezer bags or freezer-safe containers, release as much air as possible, and place in the freezer. They can be stored frozen for up to three months.
One Last Thing
These pumpkin oatmeal cookies are a fun way to make any day feel like pumpkin season.
Try adding your own personal touches to these oatmeal pumpkin treats to have your own special bite of fall.
My kids love being in the kitchen with me when I bake, and they each customize their cookies to their liking!
Your Turn
If you make these nutritious pumpkin oatmeal cookies, please take a moment to let me know how you liked them by leaving a rating and a comment below on the recipe card.
More Fall Recipes To Try Next
Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup pumpkin puree
- 1 ½ cups old fashioned oats
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Line with parchment paper or spray it with a non-stick spray.
- In a large bowl, mix the flour, spices, baking soda, and salt. Set the dry ingredients aside.1 cup flour, 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice, ½ tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp baking soda, ¼ tsp salt
- In a separate bowl using a stand mixer, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar.½ cup unsalted butter, softened, ½ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup granulated sugar
- Add the pumpkin puree, egg yolk, and vanilla extract to the wet mixture.1 egg yolk, ⅓ cup pumpkin puree, 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Stir the flour mixture into the bowl with the wet ingredients. Scrape down the sides when needed and continue until it is completely blended.
- Fold the oats into the dough until well it’s combined.1 ½ cups old fashioned oats
- Scoop out a heaping tablespoons worth of dough and place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. You can use two spoons or a medium cookie scoop to do this.
- Bake in the oven for 12-14 minutes or until edges are just slightly golden brown.
- Place on the cooling rack for about 5-10 minutes and enjoy!
Notes
Tips for Success
- Use pumpkin puree for this recipe, not pumpkin pie filling.
- For a cakey cookie, make sure that all the ingredients are at room temperature before starting to prep and bake them.
- Creaming the butter and sugar is key to the success of your pumpkin oatmeal cookies. If the butter is not beaten into the sugar properly, the butter may not have had the time to be broken down well enough, leaving large, almost see-through blobs of butter in your cookies.
- When adding the egg yolk to this recipe for oatmeal pumpkin cookies, take the time to gradually beat it into the other ingredients. This is because the egg yolk adds volume to your cookies. It will also allow them to hold more goodies, should you like to add chocolate chips or nuts.
- To avoid the cookies from sticking together, leave about 2 inches between each cookie to spread.
Nutrition
Tamara Tsaturyan is the owner and writer of Thriving In Parenting, a website focused on providing simple tips for busy parents — easy and healthy recipes, home decor and organization ideas and all things P A R E N T I N G.
Comments & Reviews
Lynette says
The cookie was delicious the instructions are so easy. My husband enjoyed them as well
Tamara Tsaturyan says
Oh, I’m so glad you and your husband liked the cookies, Lynette! Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know 🙂