Pumpkin Spice Cake Mix Cookies
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These 5-ingredient Pumpkin Spice Cake Mix Cookies are incredibly soft and cake-like and practically melt in your mouth. Full of pumpkin flavor and warm spices, they’re a cozy treat in the cold months. Whether made with boxed cake mix from the store or Homemade Yellow Cake Mix, they come together quickly.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- The flavor – These fluffy pumpkin cookies are incredibly soft and cake-like, and they practically melt in your mouth. Full of pumpkin flavor and warm spices, they’re perfect for fall.
- Simple ingredients – These cookies are only 5 ingredients.
- Versatile – You can use store-bought yellow cake mix or our homemade Yellow Cake Mix. Both have been test and work well.
- Rigorously tested – Our recipe contributor (also a pastry chef!), Rachel Riegel, tested many variations of this recipe until she nailed it.
Ingredients
The ingredients are so simple! Here is what you’ll need.
Ingredient Notes
- Pumpkin puree – Make sure to use solid-pack canned pumpkin puree. Pumpkin pie filling is not the same and contains sugar, spices and thickeners.
- Pumpkin pie spice – Can be substituted with any combination of spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, allspice, etc.).
- Yellow Cake Mix (or store-bought yellow cake mix) – If using a store-bought cake mix, the weight needs to be 15.25 ounces. Anything less than that may result in cookies that won’t fully set. If using spice cake mix, omit the pumpkin pie spice.
Cooking Notes from Our Pastry Chef
Our pastry chef, Rachel Riegel, made these notes during her many tests of these cookies:
- For this cookie recipe, the results are almost the exact same whether you use store-bought mix or our Homemade Yellow Cake Mix.
- The dough will be very thick and sticky – more like a batter. Cookies will not spread much as they bake. If flatter cookies are desired, flatten dough with the bottom of a glass or measuring cup (spray with cooking spray to avoid sticking to cookie dough). If using a store-bought cake mix, there may be tiny lumps of cake mix in the finished batter. These are normally and they will go away as the cookies bake.
- The icing will set quicker if the cookies are placed in the fridge.
- More mix-in ideas you can try: toasted pecans or walnuts, semisweet or dark chocolate chips, mini marshmallows, chopped apples.
- More topping ideas you can try: maple glaze, chocolate ganache, marshmallow fluff, cream cheese frosting, brown butter cinnamon glaze or frosting, coffee glaze or frosting.
How to Make Pumpkin Cake Mix Cookies
Prep
Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare a cookie sheet by lining with parchment or coating with cooking spray.
Mix Ingredients
In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, vanilla, pumpkin puree, and pumpkin pie spice until fully combined. Add cake mix to liquid ingredients and stir with a spatula or spoon until no cake mix is visible. Dough will be sticky.
Scoop & Bake
Scoop cookies with a greased cookie scoop and place 2-3 inches apart on the cookie sheet. It may be necessary to re-grease the scoop a few times.
Bake for 17-19 minutes, rotating halfway through. Cookies will be done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool and Add Icing
Let cookies cool for a couple of minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring to a wire rack to let cool completely.
In a small bowl, whisk together 1 cup powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. Once the cookies have cooled, spoon about a 1/2 to 1 tablespoon of icing per cookie and smooth it over the surface with the back of the spoon. The icing will harden some in the fridge.
Store the iced cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
How to Freeze Cookies
Freeze for Later: The cookies can be frozen before (here’s how to freeze cookie dough) or after they are baked and kept in the freezer for up to 3 months. Store in an airtight container or freezer-safe bag. If they have been baked, make sure they are fully cooled first.
Prepare from Frozen: Bake frozen cookie dough according to the recipe instructions – baking times will still be the same. For baked cookies, let thaw to room temperature and enjoy.
FAQs
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. However, if they have an icing on them that has milk or cream in it, the cookies will need to be stored in the refrigerator not at room temp.
They are so soft and cakelike – they practically melt right in your mouth. These cookies stay soft throughout and don’t form much of a crust on the bottom – you can either use a spatula to transfer them to the wire rack or just pull them right off the parchment (none of them stuck or ripped).
Because these cookies do not spread much as they bake, you can flatten dough with the bottom of a glass or measuring cup (spray with cooking spray to avoid sticking to cookie dough).
Yes, feel free to play with the recipe. Here are some ideas: toasted pecans or walnuts, semisweet or dark chocolate chips or mini marshmallows.
Want More Cake Mix Cookies?
See All Cake Mix Cookie RecipesDid you make this? Snap a photo and tag us on Instagram at @thrivinghome so we can see your creations and cheer you on!
Pumpkin Spice Cake Mix Cookies
Pumpkin spice cake mix cookies are an easy fall treat bursting with warm spices and sweet pumpkin flavor.
Ingredients
Pumpkin Spice Cookies:
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 15–ounce can pumpkin puree
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 batch of Yellow Cake Mix or 1 (15.25-ounce) box of yellow cake mix
Simple Vanilla Icing:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
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Instructions
Make It Now:
- Prep: Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare a cookie sheet by lining with parchment or coating with cooking spray.
- Wet Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, vanilla, pumpkin puree, and pumpkin pie spice until fully combined.
- Combine: Add cake mix to liquid ingredients and stir with a spatula or spoon until no cake mix is visible. Dough will be sticky.
- Portion: Scoop cookies with a greased cookie scoop and place 2-3 inches apart on the cookie sheet. It may be necessary to re-grease the scoop a few times.
- Bake: Bake for 17-19 minutes, rotating halfway through. Cookies will be done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Make Icing: In a small bowl, whisk together 1 cup powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt until smooth.
- Cool and Ice: Let cool for a couple of minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring to a wire rack to let cool completely. Once the cookies have cooled, spoon about a 1/2 to 1 tablespoon of icing per cookie and smooth it over the surface with the back of the spoon. The icing will harden some as it sits. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Freeze for Later: The cookies can be frozen before (here’s how to freeze cookie dough) or after they are baked and kept in the freezer for up to 3 months. Store in an airtight container or freezer-safe bag. If they have been baked, make sure they are fully cooled first. You can ice them first or after they thaw later. Be sure to let the icing harden before stacking them in a freezer container.
Prepare from Frozen: Bake frozen cookie dough according to the recipe instructions; baking times will still be the same. For baked cookies, let thaw to room temperature and enjoy.
Notes/Tips
- The dough will be very thick and sticky–more like a batter.
- Cookies will not spread much as they bake. If flatter cookies are desired, flatten dough with the bottom of a glass or measuring cup (spray with cooking spray to avoid sticking to cookie dough).
- For this cookie recipe, the results are almost the exact same whether you use store-bought mix or our Homemade Yellow Cake Mix.
- The icing will set quicker if the cookies are placed in the fridge.
- More mix-in ideas you can try: toasted pecans or walnuts, semisweet or dark chocolate chips, mini marshmallows, chopped apples.
- More topping ideas you can try: maple glaze, chocolate ganache, marshmallow fluff, cream cheese frosting, brown butter cinnamon glaze or frosting, coffee glaze or frosting.
Recipe Contributor: Rachel Riegel
Pastry Chef Rachel Riegel developed and rigorously tested this recipe for Thriving Home.
Rachel grew up in northern Michigan with a family that loved to cook and bake. She attended a career center for culinary and baking and pastry arts in high school and went to college at The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. She graduated in August 2023 with a Bachelor’s in Food Business Managment and Baking and Pastry Arts.
In her free time, she loves to read, listen to true crime podcasts, go on walks, travel, and spend time with her fiancé.
Hi, these look delicious. Do I just use the dry ingredients of the yellow cake mix or add the oil, buttermilk, etc?
Hi Cheryl. Use the dry cake mix and then follow our instructions. We’d love to hear your thoughts after you’ve made them!