Making a batch of these pumpkin spice cookies is one of the coziest ways to welcome fall. These soft, fluffy cookies are lightly spiced with pumpkin flavor and studded with white chocolate chips—sweet, tender, and irresistible.
They offer warm pumpkin notes, an airy texture, and the sweet contrast of white chocolate. If you love pumpkin treats, try other favorites like pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, pumpkin oatmeal cookies, or frosted pumpkin sugar cookies. Your family will thank you.
Let’s bake!
What I Love About This Recipe
- Soft, fluffy texture
- Instant pudding mix for extra tenderness
- Warm pumpkin spice flavor
- Ready in under 30 minutes
- Simple one-bowl method
How To Make Pumpkin Spice Cookies
This recipe is very straightforward: most ingredients go into one bowl. Start by creaming the butter and sugars, add the dry pudding mix, eggs, and vanilla, then fold in flour, baking soda, and white chocolate chips. Roll into balls and bake.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
- In a large bowl, cream 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter (room temperature) with 3/4 cup packed brown sugar and 1/4 cup white sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add one (3.5-ounce) package instant pumpkin spice pudding mix, 2 large eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla; mix until combined. Add 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour and 1 teaspoon baking soda; mix just until combined. Stir in 2 cups white chocolate chips until distributed evenly.
- Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place on a Silpat-lined or greased baking sheet.
- Bake 8–12 minutes in the preheated oven, then cool on a wire rack.
Notes & Tips
- Mixing: Combine the flour and baking soda thoroughly before adding them to the wet ingredients. This helps distribute the leavening evenly so you can avoid overmixing.
- Do not overmix: Overmixing develops gluten and can make cookies tough. Mix just until ingredients are incorporated to keep the cookies tender and slightly airy.
Ingredients
The instant pumpkin spice pudding mix is an important ingredient for texture and flavor; it’s sometimes found in grocery holiday sections.
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature (about 65–68°F)
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1 (3.5-ounce) package instant pumpkin spice pudding mix (dry, not prepared)
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cups white chocolate chips (or your preferred morsels)
Storing, Freezing & Make-Ahead
- Storing: Keep cookies in an airtight container. Adding a slice of bread can help maintain moisture and keep them fresh longer. They last longer refrigerated but are fine at room temperature for a few days.
- Refrigeration: Cookies stay good in the fridge for at least 5 days.
- Freezing: Freeze dough balls for baking later or freeze baked cookies. Texture is best from freshly baked, but frozen baked cookies are still tasty.
- Make-ahead: Prepare and freeze cookie dough balls so you can bake fresh cookies whenever you want.
- Food safety: Follow standard food-safety guidelines when handling and storing egg-containing dough.
Serving Suggestions
These pumpkin spice cookies pair beautifully with a tall glass of cold milk, coffee, or tea. They’re also great on dessert trays or packed for snacks.
Recipe (Serves 18)
Prep Time: 10 mins | Cook Time: 12 mins | Total Time: 22 mins
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1 (3.5-ounce) package instant pumpkin spice pudding mix (dry)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cups white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Cream butter with both sugars until light and fluffy. Add dry pudding mix, eggs, and vanilla; mix until combined.
- Add flour and baking soda and mix until just combined. Fold in white chocolate chips.
- Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place on a lined or greased baking sheet.
- Bake 8–12 minutes, then cool on a wire rack.
Nutrition (per cookie)
Calories: 331 kcal | Carbs: 41 g | Protein: 4 g | Fat: 17 g | Saturated Fat: 11 g | Cholesterol: 50 mg | Sodium: 168 mg | Sugar: 28 g
If you make this recipe, tag your photos on Instagram—I’d love to see how they turn out!