Pumpkin Cookies with Cake Mix
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Pumpkin cookies with cake mix take two ingredients and about five minutes of prep. A box of spice cake mix and a can of pumpkin puree, stirred together in one bowl, and that is the whole recipe. No eggs, no oil, nothing softening on the counter.
These bake up soft and cakey, closer to the top of a pumpkin muffin than a crisp cookie. They hold their shape instead of spreading, so every one comes out a puffy little mound.
If you love an easy cake mix shortcut as much as I do, add these to your list too. My 3-Ingredient Cake Mix Cookies use the same trick with oil and eggs, the 2-Ingredient Pumpkin Cake bakes the same box and can in an 8×8 pan, and the 2-Ingredient Pumpkin Rolls are worth a look if you want something to serve alongside dinner.
Perfect for busy fall nights when you want something warm on the counter but you only have a couple of minutes.
Why You’ll Love These Easy Pumpkin Cookies
- Two ingredients — a box of spice cake mix and a can of pure pumpkin, and that is it.
- 5 minutes of prep — stir, scoop, bake.
- Soft and cakey — the texture is closer to a muffin top than a crisp cookie.
- Great for potlucks — the batch makes 24 and they travel well.
Ingredients for Cake Mix Pumpkin Cookies
This section includes ingredient notes and substitution options. Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable recipe card at the end of this post.
- Pumpkin puree — One 15 ounce can. Check that the label says 100% pure pumpkin. Pumpkin pie filling sits right next to it on the shelf and is already sweetened and spiced, which throws the whole thing off.
- Spice cake mix — One 15.25 ounce box. I use Duncan Hines. The cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice are already in the mix, so it does all the flavor work here.
How to Make Pumpkin Cookies with Cake Mix
This section shows you how to make the recipe with step-by-step photos and instructions. For the full printable recipe, see the recipe card below.
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Step 2: Stir the pumpkin puree and the dry cake mix together in a large bowl until there are no streaks of dry mix left. It looks stiff and crumbly at first, then pulls together into a thick, sticky mixture that is more similar to cake batter than it is to cookie dough.
Step 3: Drop mounds of batter onto the lined sheets with a spoon or cookie scoop. Do not try to roll these. The batter is too sticky to handle.
Jaclyn’s Kitchen Faves
Using a cookie scoop makes baking so much easier and ensures perfectly uniform cookies every time! I love my set of 3 scoops—they’re perfect for making cookies of all sizes.
Step 4: Bake for 16-20 minutes, until the centers are set and the tops are no longer glossy.
Step 5: Let them cool on the pan for 10 minutes, then move them to a wire rack to cool fully.
Serving Suggestions
Pumpkin cake mix cookies are soft enough to eat straight off the rack, and they are still good the next morning with coffee.
If you are putting out a fall dessert table, Pumpkin Fluff and a Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Cake Mix round it out, and a Slow Cooker Pumpkin Spice Latte gives everyone something warm to hold.
Storage
Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 4-5 days.
There is a full can of pumpkin in the batter, so they stay soft the whole time. If anything they are softer on day two than they are straight out of the oven.
Tips for the Best Pumpkin Cookies
- Check the can twice. Pure pumpkin and pumpkin pie filling look almost identical on the shelf. Pie filling has sugar and spices already added and will not work here.
- Use a scoop. I use a #50 cookie scoop. Anything close to that size works, even a little bigger. A spoon does the job too.
- Watch the tops, not the edges. These hold their shape and never spread, so there is no browned edge to go by. When the tops lose their shine and the centers feel set, pull them.
- Leave them on the pan. Ten minutes on the hot baking sheet firms up the bottoms. Move them too early and they can fall apart.
Additions and Variations
- Chocolate chips — Fold in up to a cup of chocolate chips or mini chocolate chips (our favorite).
- Nuts — Chopped pecans or walnuts add crunch to an otherwise soft cookie.
- Powdered sugar — Dust the cooled cookies with confectioners sugar.
- Glaze or frosting — A simple powdered sugar glaze or a swipe of cream cheese frosting turns them into more of a decadent dessert.
- A different cake mix — Swap the spice cake mix for white or yellow cake mix and stir in 1 to 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice. You get the same pumpkin spice cookies, you are adding the spice yourself instead of letting the box do it.
Pumpkin Cookie Recipe FAQ
No. Pie filling is already sweetened and spiced and has a looser consistency, so the batter and the flavor both come out wrong. Look for a can labeled 100% pure pumpkin.
They are not supposed to. There is no butter or oil in the batter, so they hold whatever shape you scoop them into and puff up instead of flattening out.
No. The pumpkin does the job eggs and oil normally would, which is also why the batter is so thick and sticky.
More Cake Mix Cookies
- Snickerdoodle Cake Mix Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Cake Mix Cookies
- Lemon Cake Mix Cookies
- Cake Mix Peanut Butter Cookies
- Candy Corn Cake Mix Cookies
Pumpkin Cookies with Cake Mix
Ingredients
- 1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree
- 1 (15.25 ox) box spice cake mix
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Stir the pumpkin puree and spice cake mix together in a large bowl until no streaks of dry cake mix remain. The dough will be thick and very sticky.
- Using a spoon or medium cookie scoop, drop mounds of dough onto the lined sheets.
- Bake for 16 to 20 minutes, or until the centers are set and tops no longer glossy. The cookies hold their shape and will not spread like typical cookies.
- Let cool on the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool fully.
Notes
Nutrition
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