These soft and fluffy Cake Mix Pumpkin Cookies are the best fall dessert made with only 2 ingredients! It’s a perfect shortcut to cozy pumpkin cookies that’s ready for the oven in minutes.
Looking for more easy desserts to make this season? Check out my Best Pumpkin Recipes for Fall.
Can we all take a moment to appreciate the versatility of a boxed cake mix? I’ll use cake mix in recipes like Cake Mix Brownies and my ultra-moist Ridiculous Vanilla Cake. And then, there’s classic Cake Mix Cookies, which I love.
Today’s recipe is a delicious fall spin on pumpkin cookies with cake mix, made with only two (yes, TWO) ingredients! These moist and pillowy pumpkin cookies are so easy, it’s hard to shake the feeling that you must be missing something.
I love enjoying these cake mix pumpkin cookies while they’re still a little warm from the oven. The crumb is moist and tender, and the flavors really shine. I’ll wait until the rest have cooled before frosting them with buttercream. YUM.
Don’t get me wrong. I love a made-from-scratch recipe as much as anyone. But the sheer number of desserts that you can make from a humble cake mix is impressive. Here’s why you’ll love these cake mix pumpkin cookies:
- Easy to make. These are the easiest pumpkin cookies that are ready for the oven in minutes. Simply combine boxed spice cake mix with pumpkin puree and BAM! It’s a perfect fall baking idea for beginners.
- Warm pumpkin flavor. These soft, cakey pumpkin cookies are filled with the cozy flavors of pumpkin spice. It’s seriously the best, right up there with my homemade Pumpkin Cookies!
- Perfect for fall. All that warming spice makes these the ultimate short-cut cookies for fall baking. Quick, tasty, and festive – it doesn’t get better!
What You’ll Need
Let’s have a quick look at the whopping two ingredients you’ll need to make these perfect pumpkin cookies! Be sure to scroll to the recipe card for the full recipe details.
- Pumpkin: You’ll need canned pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling. There is a difference! See below for details.
- Spice Cake Mix: You’ll find it with the other varieties of boxed cake mixes in the baking aisle. If you have trouble finding spice cake, a yellow cake mix plus a spoonful of pumpkin pie spice would also do the trick.
Is Canned Pumpkin and Pumpkin Pie Filling the Same Thing?
No, canned pumpkin and pumpkin pie filling are not the same. Pie filling won’t work in this recipe. Make sure you’re buying 100% canned pumpkin, or pumpkin puree when shopping for your cookie ingredients.
Thanks to their simple ingredients, making these pumpkin cookies is a quick 3-step process:
- Mix the dough. Mix together the pumpkin puree and cake mix until you have a smooth batter that’s free from any lumps.
- Portion the cookies. These are drop cookies, so you don’t need any fancy cookie scoops or cookie cutters. Go ahead and plop spoonfuls of dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving a bit of space in between each cookie.
- Bake. Pop your pumpkin cookies into a 350ºF oven to bake for 13-15 minutes. When the cookies are golden at the edges, take them out and leave them on the pan to cool a bit. After about 5 minutes, move the cookies to a wire rack.
Tips for Success
Starting with a ready-made cake mix takes a lot of the grunt work out of cookie baking! I’m forever a fan. Follow these tips for the best cake mix cookies:
- Skip the ingredients on the cake mix box. That’s right! All you need is the cake mix itself, and your pumpkin puree. No eggs, oil – nothin’! Fun fact: pumpkin is sometimes used as a substitute for eggs and oil in baking. So, it works perfectly in this recipe.
- If you’re decorating your pumpkin cookies, wait until they’ve cooled completely before you frost them. See below for easy decorating ideas!
- The dough will be stickier than other cookie doughs you might be used to, and that’s totally fine. Be careful to not overmix the dough, or the cookies will turn out too dense.
Variations and Decorating Ideas
These cake mix cookies are delicious just as they are, in all their soft, cakey, pumpkin goodness. Of course, I couldn’t resist adding a dollop of Buttercream Frosting to each cookie after they’d cooled. More yum! These spiced pumpkin cookies are so easy to customize. Try these other ideas:
- Frosting: I spruced up my buttercream with a teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice for more flavor. These cookies would taste amazing topped with Cream Cheese Frosting, too. Or, borrow the browned butter frosting from my Pumpkin Spice Pressed Sugar Cookies.
- Toppings: Festive sprinkles are always a hit, and you can choose the colors depending on the holiday. These pumpkin cookies would be wonderful for Halloween or Thanksgiving.
- Add-ins: Mix white chocolate chips, caramel, or toffee bits into the batter.
- Different Cake Mix: Spice cake mix works beautifully with these pumpkin cookies, but another variety like yellow or vanilla cake will also work. You could even try chocolate cake mix, though the pumpkin flavor will be more subtle. Add in a teaspoon or two of pumpkin pie spice to taste.
Your frosted or unfrosted cake mix pumpkin cookies can be stored airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Yes! Freezing these cake mix pumpkin cookies is a breeze. I prefer to freeze them unfrosted, but it’s also fine to freeze them after frosting, too. Store the cookies in an airtight container or resealable freezer bag, and keep them frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost your pumpkin cookies at room temperature before serving.
More Pumpkin Treats to Try
- Salted Honey Chewy Pumpkin Cookies
- Pumpkin Molasses Cookies
- Pumpkin Cobbler
- Pumpkin Crumb Cake Cookies
- Homemade Pumpkin Pie
- Cream Cheese Pumpkin Praline Bars
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 10 cookies 1x
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
Soft and fluffy Cake Mix Pumpkin Cookies are an easy fall dessert, made with only 2 ingredients and ready for the oven in minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 (15 oz) can of pumpkin
- 1 box spice cake mix
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°
- Line baking sheet with parchment paper
- Mix your pumpkin and cake mix together in a medium bowl until there are no more lumps.
- Drop by rounded tablespoon onto prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 13-15 minutes, until edges start to golden.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool 5 minutes on your baking sheet. Transfer to wire rack to finish cooling.
- Frost if desired.
Notes
Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days
If you would like to frost these cookies here is my buttercream recipe and I added 1 tsp of Pumpkin Pie Spice to that!
We didn’t care for the flavor. They also looked bad – nothing like the pretty round ones in the picture.
We did not like the consistency of this cookie. People rave about these cookies online but it’s not a cookie I will make again. Too soft, too chewy, feel like I’m eating raw pumpkin even after cooking longer than 15 minutes. Not a cookie taste at all.
This was really pretty darn good!
These do not look or taste good. They are pretty terrible all around. I followed the recipe exactly. I thought it seemed too easy. Will stick to making real cookies next time.
I made mine using Pillsbury Snickerdoodle Cookie Mix because my store was out of Spice Cake. They came out perfectly! I am going to top them with some Cream Cheese Frosting.
I added cream cheese chips (Hershey) instead of frosting. Excellent fall cookie!
I made this recipe with yellow cake mix, Libby’s canned pumpkin purée and two generous tsp pumpkin pie spice. Tasted the batter and added more cinnamon and cloves because it was so bland.
Baked as directed and they had such a unpleasant consistency that even my husband wouldn’t eat them. He loves pumpkin and he loves cookies but neither of us liked this recipe. Sorry, not trying to be unkind just thought I’d share my experience.
If you use spice cake like the recipe calls for these are delicious! It can also be baked into a cake. Using a 8″ or 9″ round cake pan! I top mine with cool whip or whip cream
I made the cookies and made cream cheese frosting. Oh My Gosh they are so good, thank you
Making this now my last batch is still in the oven ! We had to try them while they were still warm and it was soo worth it! I didnt have spice cake so I sub’d with yellow cake mix and used the ready pie mix instead of plain puree. Sprinkled some powdered sugar on top and called it a day. So great. Cake like and soft. My entire family Loved it!
So glad you enjoyed!!
I couldn’t find spice cake, can I substitute it with carrot cake mix
Sure!