Pumpkin Cake Mix Cookies

Pumpkin cake mix cookies are soft, chewy, and topped with a homemade cream cheese frosting and a sprinkle of cinnamon. ‘Tis the season for pumpkin spice baking!

Why this recipe works

These pumpkin cake mix cookies only need 6 ingredients, plus a sweet homemade cream cheese frosting to top them off. They’re truly irresistible and quite the staple for fall and Thanksgiving baking.

Cake mix cookies are some of the easiest cookies to make, especially if you love a soft, cakey consistency to your homemade treats. Once you see how simple they are to make you’ll be trying all sorts of different flavor combinations like our strawberry cake mix cookies or confetti cake mix cookies. The possibilities are through the roof!

Pumpkin Cake Mix Cookie with a bite out of it

Ingredients you will need

Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.

ingredients for Pumpkin Cake Mix Cookies

Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions

CAKE – For the cake, you will need 1 box of spice cake mix, pumpkin puree, oil, vanilla extract, pumpkin pie spice, and an egg. You want to make sure you grab a can of pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. You can really use any flavor of cake mix you want, yellow or white will be tasty as well, but the spice mix adds lots of fall flavor to these cookies. If you only have a yellow or white cake mix on hand, add a few teaspoons of pumpkin spice to mimic the spice mix.

FROSTING – Who can resist a smooth homemade cream cheese frosting? It’s basically a buttercream frosting with the addition of cream cheese to add a slight hint of tang. You’ll want to keep this frosting recipe on hand for many recipes ahead! Of course, if you don’t want to make your own, you can substitute with a canned frosting from the grocery store.

How to Make Pumpkin Cake Mix Cookies

These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.

In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, pumpkin puree, egg, oil, vanilla extract, and pumpkin pie spice. Mix until well incorporated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour or longer.
Remove the bowl from the refrigerator after the dough has chilled and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Drop the dough by the spoonful onto the sheet.

EXPERT TIP – The dough will be a little sticky when spooning it onto the baking tray. If the dough is too sticky to handle, add 2 tablespoons of all purpose flour to the mix.
Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven and let the cookies cool on a cooling rack.
To make the frosting, add the confectioners sugar, cream cheese, butter, vanilla extract, and salt to a medium sized bowl. Beat with a hand mixer for several minutes until the mixture is well incorporated and is a smooth consistency but forms soft peaks.
Once the cookies have cooled, use a butter knife to spread the frosting on the cookies. Add sprinkled cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice on top as desired.

Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips

Can I add chocolate chips?

Absolutely! I’d suggest white chocolate chips or pumpkin spice chocolate chips to complement these cookies. Semi-sweet chips will work as well. Just mix it into the batter before scooping and baking.

My dough is really sticky, how can I fix that?

The dough will be a little sticky when spooning it onto the baking tray. If the dough is too sticky to handle, add 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour to the mix.

How do I store pumpkin cake mix cookies and how long do they last?

You can store your pumpkin cake mix cookies in an air-tight container kept at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Can I freeze pumpkin cake mix cookies?

Yes, you can freeze the cookie dough. To do so, flash freeze your dough balls on a baking sheet for about 20 minutes. Once chilled and not sticky to the touch, remove from the freeze and place in a large Ziploc bag or air-tight container. Return to the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to enjoy, remove from the freezer and allow to thaw on the counter for 5-10 minutes before baking.

Can I freeze homemade cream cheese frosting?

Yes, cream cheese frosting can be made ahead of time and frozen. Place it in an air-tight container kept in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then allow it to come to room temperature before using. Give it a nice stir and it’ll be ready to use.

Serving Suggestions

Pumpkin cake mix cookies are a fun treat to bake on a chilly fall day. Grab the kids or some friends for a day full of cookie baking! Don’t forget to sprinkle some cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice on top for the ultimate experience.

More Pumpkin Recipes

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Amanda Davis

President at Amanda's Creative Studio, Inc.

Amanda Davis is the entrepreneurial mom of four grown children and four step children. She and her husband, Chef Antoine, love to cook together creating recipes for this blog. Amanda also make kid's crafts and creates decorative items for her home. She is a crafting expert and guru in the kitchen and has appeared online and in print publications many times over the years. She is also a craft book author five times over and product developer as well as the owner of FunFamilyCrafts.com. You can find her on social media by using the buttons to the left!