Pumpkin Pie Cookies are soft, chewy graham cracker cookies filled with spiced pumpkin custard that taste exactly like your favorite Thanksgiving pie — but way easier to make and serve! These adorable thumbprint-style cookies have a buttery cookie base and a creamy pumpkin filling that bakes right inside.
Love More Pumpkin Cookies? Try My Pumpkin Sugar Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting or this Pumpkin S’mores Cookies next.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
These Pumpkin Pie Cookies are pure fall magic in every bite. The graham cracker cookie base tastes just like a pie crust, while the creamy pumpkin filling delivers all those warm spices we crave this time of year. They’re easier than making an actual pie, perfect for sharing, and they look absolutely stunning on a dessert table. Plus, they stay soft for days, which means you can make them ahead without any stress. Whether you’re hosting Thanksgiving or just craving something cozy, these cookies are about to become your new seasonal obsession.
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Pumpkin Pie Cookies
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 24 cookies
Description
These Pumpkin Pie Cookies feature a buttery graham cracker cookie base filled with creamy, spiced pumpkin custard. They taste exactly like mini pumpkin pies and are perfect for fall gatherings, Thanksgiving dessert tables, or anytime you’re craving pumpkin pie in cookie form!
Ingredients
Cookie Base
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups graham cracker crumbs
Pumpkin Filling
- ⅓ cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling!)
- 3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon evaporated milk (or heavy cream)
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Substitution Notes:
- Graham cracker crumbs: You can use crushed gingersnaps for extra spice, or even vanilla wafer crumbs for a sweeter base.
- Evaporated milk: Heavy cream or half-and-half work perfectly here.
- Pumpkin pie spice: Make your own with ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ginger, and a pinch each of nutmeg and cloves.
Instructions
Turn oven to 350°F and put parchment on a baking sheet. Forgot parchment one time and had to throw the whole pan of cookies in the trash because I couldn’t get them off without destroying them.
Beat butter and both sugars together for maybe two minutes until it looks fluffy and lighter colored. Add egg and vanilla and keep mixing until everything’s smooth and combined.
Throw in flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder, and salt. Mix on low just until the white flour disappears. Overmixing makes them tough and chewy in a bad way. Dough feels sandy from the crackers.
Scoop 2 tablespoons of dough and roll it into a ball. Space them out on the sheet because they spread some. Push your thumb or a spoon into the middle to make a big dent. Go really deep but leave cookie around the sides to hold filling.
Bake for 5 minutes and take them out. They look basically raw and that’s correct. You’re setting the structure so the holes don’t disappear when you add wet filling.
While cookies are pre-baking, whisk all the filling ingredients in a bowl until totally smooth. Lumps will show up in the final cookies and look nasty.
Spoon 2 teaspoons of filling into each cookie hole. Looks like not enough but trust me. Filling puffs while baking and too much makes a disaster. Back in the oven for 9-11 minutes. Edges should be brown, filling should look mostly set but maybe wobble slightly in the very center.
Leave them alone on the pan for 5 minutes. Move them too fast and filling runs everywhere and you’ll want to cry. Transfer to wire rack to finish cooling. Usually sneak one at the 15 minute mark even though they’re still warmish.
Notes
- Chill your dough for 30 minutes if it feels too soft to work with. This makes rolling and shaping so much easier.
- Use a ¼ measuring cup to make the divots — it creates a perfectly round, uniform well every time.
- Don’t overbake the filling. It should still have a slight jiggle in the center when you pull them out. It will continue to set as it cools, and you want that creamy custard texture, not a dry, cracked filling.
- Make your divots right after they come out of the pre-bake if they’ve puffed up at all. Just gently press them down again while they’re still warm.
- Add a pinch of extra cinnamon to the cookie dough itself if you want even more spice throughout.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 14–16 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredient List
Cookie Base
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups graham cracker crumbs
Pumpkin Filling
- ⅓ cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling!)
- 3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon evaporated milk (or heavy cream)
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Substitution Notes:
- Graham cracker crumbs: Ran out last month and crushed gingersnaps instead. Way spicier, husband liked them more than the original.
- Evaporated milk: Literally whatever cream you’ve got. Used half-and-half twice, heavy cream once, regular milk when I forgot to shop.
- Pumpkin pie spice: Cinnamon, ginger, and a little nutmeg works if you don’t have the jar.
Why These Ingredients Work
Graham crackers are why these don’t taste like regular cookies. Tried skipping them once because I was feeling lazy and just used all flour. They were boring and nobody ate them. The graham crackers give you that sandy pie crust thing that makes people think you worked way harder than you did.
Butter needs to be soft or it won’t mix right. I used to toss cold butter in because I’m impatient and wondered why my cookies came out like hockey pucks. Now I take it out when I pour my first coffee and it’s perfect by the time I’m ready.
The filling is literally what goes in pumpkin pie. Egg makes it solid, flour keeps it from leaking everywhere, evaporated milk makes it creamy. Nothing fancy.
That pre-bake step sounds annoying but don’t skip it. Did once because I was late for a thing. Cookies puffed up, thumb prints vanished, ended up with flat cookies covered in orange goo. Kids ate them anyway but they looked like garbage.
Essential Tools and Equipment
- Electric mixer – stand or hand doesn’t matter
- Baking sheet – needs parchment paper on it
- Parchment paper – spent thirty minutes scraping burned cookies off a pan once, never again
- Cookie scoop – 2 tablespoon size makes them even
- Small bowl and whisk – mixing the filling
- Teaspoon – getting filling into cookies
- Wire rack – cooling them properly
How To Make Pumpkin Pie Cookies
Step 1: Preheat Your Oven
Turn oven to 350°F and put parchment on a baking sheet. Forgot parchment one time and had to throw the whole pan of cookies in the trash because I couldn’t get them off without destroying them.
Step 2: Make the Cookie Dough
Beat butter and both sugars together for maybe two minutes until it looks fluffy and lighter colored. Add egg and vanilla and keep mixing until everything’s smooth and combined.
Step 3: Add the Dry Ingredients
Throw in flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder, and salt. Mix on low just until the white flour disappears. Overmixing makes them tough and chewy in a bad way. Dough feels sandy from the crackers.
Step 4: Shape the Cookies
Scoop 2 tablespoons of dough and roll it into a ball. Space them out on the sheet because they spread some. Push your thumb or a spoon into the middle to make a big dent. Go really deep but leave cookie around the sides to hold filling.
Step 5: Pre-Bake the Cookie Bases
Bake for 5 minutes and take them out. They look basically raw and that’s correct. You’re setting the structure so the holes don’t disappear when you add wet filling.
Step 6: Prepare the Pumpkin Filling
While cookies are pre-baking, whisk all the filling ingredients in a bowl until totally smooth. Lumps will show up in the final cookies and look nasty.
Step 7: Fill and Finish Baking
Spoon 2 teaspoons of filling into each cookie hole. Looks like not enough but trust me. Filling puffs while baking and too much makes a disaster. Back in the oven for 9-11 minutes. Edges should be brown, filling should look mostly set but maybe wobble slightly in the very center.
Step 8: Cool Completely
Leave them alone on the pan for 5 minutes. Move them too fast and filling runs everywhere and you’ll want to cry. Transfer to wire rack to finish cooling. Usually sneak one at the 15 minute mark even though they’re still warmish.
You Must Know
Take butter and eggs out early. Like thirty minutes minimum. I forget constantly and end up with butter chunks that won’t cream properly. Cookies come out dense and weird when I mess this up. Put a reminder on your phone.
Do that 5 minute pre-bake no matter what. First batch I ever made I skipped it because I was rushing. Complete disaster. Thumb prints filled in completely, had flat cookies with pumpkin smeared on top. Tasted okay but looked terrible and I was embarrassed to serve them.
Buy pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling. Pie filling already has sugar and spices mixed in and it’s too thick and too sweet. Look for cans that say 100% pumpkin or pure pumpkin.
Personal Secret: Make thumb prints way deeper than seems right. Like I’m basically pushing to the bottom of the cookie. They puff up during that first bake so shallow prints disappear. Go aggressive, you need that space for filling.
Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks
- Stick dough in fridge for thirty minutes if it’s too sticky and annoying. Makes everything easier.
- Use a measuring cup for thumb prints instead of your actual thumb. Bottom of a ¼ cup makes perfect circles every single time.
- Pull them out early. Filling should still jiggle a little bit. Keeps cooking on the pan and you want creamy custard not dried out cement.
- Re-press the thumb prints after pre-bake if they puffed up. They’re still hot so they’ll reshape easy.
- Extra cinnamon in the dough if you want more spice throughout.
Flavor Variations & Suggestions
Spiced Cookie Base: Throw cinnamon in the actual dough when I’m feeling extra fall.
Maple Pumpkin: Real maple syrup instead of some brown sugar in the filling is insane good. Fake syrup doesn’t work though.
Chocolate Drizzle: Melt chocolate chips and drizzle on top after cooling. Looks expensive and fancy.
Gingersnap Version: Crushed gingersnaps instead of graham crackers for way more kick.
Mini Pie Cookies: Smaller scoop for bite-sized ones. Bake time drops so watch carefully.
Pecan Topping: Push a pecan into the filling last minute or two of baking.
Make-Ahead Options
Dough sits wrapped in plastic in the fridge for two days easy. Let it sit out fifteen minutes before rolling or it’s rock hard and impossible to work with.
Freeze dough balls constantly. Roll them, make thumb prints, freeze solid on a pan, dump in a freezer bag. Keep for months. Bake frozen and add a minute or two. Make filling fresh when you’re ready though.
Baked cookies last three days in a container in the fridge. Honestly taste better on day two after flavors hang out together.
Recipe Notes & Baker’s Tips
- Filling looks crazy liquidy when you spoon it in. Totally normal. Gets thick while baking.
- If graham crackers got pulverized really fine you might need a touch more for right texture.
- Bring them to room temp before eating. Taste way better not refrigerator cold.
- Edges get golden, middle where filling is stays pale.
- Don’t stack or filling sticks to the cookie on top. Parchment between layers if you have to stack.
Serving Suggestions
Whipped cream on top makes them taste exactly like Thanksgiving. Sometimes I dust cinnamon on them right before guests arrive so they look pretty and smell amazing.
Really good with apple cider or strong coffee. Brought them to book club last month and everyone lost their minds. Great for Halloween parties because festive but not pure sugar.
Microwave one for ten seconds and add vanilla ice cream next to it. Warm cookie with cold ice cream is absolutely ridiculous.
My neighbor knocks on my door every September asking when I’m making these again. They’ve become my signature thing whether I wanted that or not. Hope yours turn out amazing!
How to Store Your Pumpkin Pie Cookies
Room Temperature: Can sit out at a party maybe two hours tops. Filling has raw egg baked in it so don’t leave them out forever.
Refrigerator: Container in fridge, good for 5 days. Take them out early so they’re room temp when you eat them.
Freezer: Freeze fine for 2 months. Freeze on a pan first so they don’t stick, then container with parchment between layers. Thaw in fridge overnight.
Reheating: Ten seconds microwave if you want warm. More than that and filling gets weird and volcanic.
Allergy Information
Contains: Wheat, eggs, dairy
Gluten-Free Option: Gluten-free flour and gluten-free graham crackers. Check baking powder too because some brands sneak gluten in.
Dairy-Free Option: Vegan butter works great. Coconut milk instead of evaporated milk.
Egg Substitute: Super hard because eggs are in both parts of this recipe. Could try flax eggs but I’ve never tested it so no idea if it works.
Nut-Free: Zero nuts in here.
Questions I Get Asked A Lot
My filling spilled over the edges while baking. What did I do wrong?
Too much filling. I know it looks like it needs more but 2 teaspoons is the magic number. Puffs up while baking so less is better. Also make sure thumb prints are deep enough with real edges.
Why did my cookies spread too much?
Butter was too warm or melted. Should be soft enough to press a finger in but still hold shape. If your kitchen is hot refrigerate dough twenty minutes before baking.
Can I use store-bought pumpkin pie spice, or do I need to make my own?
Just buy the jar. Already mixed perfectly with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, whatever else. Making your own is fine but seems like extra work for no reason.
The filling looks wet even after baking. Is that normal?
Can look kind of moist on top and that’s fine. As long as it’s not totally liquid and sloshing around you’re good. Gets firmer cooling down. If still super liquidy after completely cool needed another minute in oven.
💬 Tried this recipe? Leave a comment and rating below! Tell me how they came out! Did you change anything up?
