These Pumpkin Cookies With a Cake Mix are a revelation in simplicity, allowing you to whip up a batch of delicious, moist cookies in mere minutes. You only need four core ingredients: a readily available cake mix, canned pumpkin puree, an egg, and a generous helping of chocolate chips.

While we appreciate the art of baking from scratch, sometimes life calls for a delightful shortcut. If you’re eager to try your hand at homemade pumpkin cookies that boast a bakery-quality taste and texture, explore our Bakery Style Pumpkin Cookies or these wonderfully non-cakey Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Cookies. However, for those moments when time is precious, or little hands are eager to help, these cake mix pumpkin cookies are your perfect solution.

Contents

The Ultimate Easy Pumpkin Cookies with a Cake Mix

Welcome to the simplest, most rewarding pumpkin cookie recipe you’ll ever encounter! While I cherish the process of creating cookies entirely from scratch, I’m also a huge proponent of smart shortcuts, especially when time is tight or when I need to keep my energy levels high while baking with enthusiastic children. Parents, you know exactly what I mean – sometimes, adding just three or four ingredients to a bowl is the extent of your patience for the day!

These Pumpkin Cookies With a Cake Mix offer the ideal balance: they’re incredibly easy, minimizing mess and effort, yet they deliver a rich, comforting pumpkin flavor that tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen. They are the perfect activity to get your kids involved in the kitchen without overwhelming yourself, ensuring a fun and delicious outcome for everyone. These semi-homemade delights are particularly wonderful during the fall season, bringing all the cozy vibes with minimal fuss. Let’s dive into the magic of these four essential ingredients!

Essential Ingredients for Your Cake Mix Pumpkin Cookies

Crafting these delectable pumpkin cookies is surprisingly straightforward, thanks to a carefully selected list of ingredients. Each component plays a crucial role in achieving the perfect texture and flavor profile. Here’s a closer look at what you’ll need and why:

Spice Cake Mix (15.25 ounces): This is the foundation of our easy cookies, infusing them with a delightful blend of autumnal spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. For an exceptionally moist and flavorful cookie, I highly recommend Betty Crocker’s Super Moist Spice Cake Mix®. Its consistent quality ensures a tender crumb every time. The 15.25-ounce size is critical for the correct dough consistency, so double-check your box! While spice cake mix is ideal for that classic fall flavor, you could experiment with a yellow cake mix for a milder pumpkin taste, or even a chocolate cake mix for a rich chocolate-pumpkin fusion.
Pure Canned Pumpkin Purée (15 ounces): This ingredient brings the signature pumpkin flavor and moisture to our cookies. It’s crucial to use pure canned pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin pie filling contains added spices and sweeteners, which would throw off the balance of your cookies. Libby’s® is my go-to brand because it consistently offers a vibrant orange color and a thick, non-watery consistency, ensuring your cookies aren’t greasy or overly wet.
Large Egg: A single large egg acts as a binder, holding all the ingredients together and contributing to the chewy, tender texture of the cookies. Using a large egg is essential for achieving the perfect dough consistency, ensuring your cookies bake up beautifully.
Vanilla Extract (Optional): While not strictly necessary for a delicious cookie, a teaspoon of vanilla extract can elevate the flavor profile, adding a subtle warmth and depth that complements the pumpkin and spices. If you have it on hand, it’s a wonderful addition that enhances virtually any sweet baked good.
Chocolate Chips (12-ounce bag): What’s better than pumpkin cookies? Pumpkin cookies with chocolate! Milk chocolate chips are a fantastic choice for a sweet, melt-in-your-mouth contrast to the spiced pumpkin. If you’re not a fan of chocolate-pumpkin combination, feel free to omit them, or replace them with other delightful mix-ins like chopped toasted pecans or walnuts, white chocolate chips, or even dried cranberries for a festive twist. Flaky sea salt (optional) sprinkled on top after baking can also add a gourmet sweet and salty finish.

How To Make The Easiest Pumpkin Cookies With A Cake Mix

Get ready for a remarkably simple baking experience! These pumpkin cookies come together quickly, making them perfect for last-minute treats or a fun baking session with family. Follow these straightforward steps for perfect results:

Prepare Your Baking Station: Begin by preheating your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a large baking sheet (a 15″ x 10″ sheet pan works well) with either parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. This step is non-negotiable, as the dough for these cookies is quite sticky, and a liner will prevent them from sticking to the pan.
Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, empty the entire 15.25-ounce box of spice cake mix. Add the full 15-ounce can of pure pumpkin purée and one large egg. If you choose to add vanilla extract, now is the time to include one teaspoon. Important: Do not add any additional ingredients that might be listed on the back of the cake mix box (like oil, water, or extra eggs). These instructions are for a cake, not cookies.
Mix the Dough: Using a hand mixer on low speed, or a sturdy wooden spoon, mix the ingredients until they are just combined and a thick, uniform dough forms. Be careful not to overmix, as this can lead to tougher cookies. Once the base dough is ready, gently fold in about 1 cup of your chosen chocolate chips until they are evenly distributed throughout the mixture.
Scoop and Space: This dough will be sticky, so traditional cookie scoops might be challenging to use. I find it easiest to use a 4-teaspoon measuring spoon (or a generous tablespoon) to scoop the dough. Use a smaller dessert spoon to help coax the sticky dough off the measuring spoon and onto your prepared baking sheet. Aim for dough balls that are about 4 teaspoons each, and make sure to space them at least 2 inches apart to allow for spreading. You can gently flatten the tops of the cookies with the back of the dessert spoon if desired.
Bake to Perfection: Place your baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake for 9 to 13 minutes. The cookies are done when they spring back slightly when gently touched and no longer look gooey or overly glossy on top. The edges should be lightly golden. Baking times can vary by oven, so keep a close eye on them. Once baked, repeat the process for any remaining dough. This recipe typically yields about 36 delicious cookies.
Cool and Finish: After removing the cookies from the oven, let them stand on the baking sheet for 5-7 minutes. This crucial resting period allows them to firm up slightly, making them easier to transfer without breaking. If you wish, immediately after taking them out of the oven, sprinkle the tops with any remaining chocolate chips for extra melted goodness, and a tiny pinch of flaky sea salt for that irresistible sweet-and-salty combination. Finally, use a sharp metal spatula to carefully transfer the cooled, firmed-up cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.

Expert Tips for Perfect Cake Mix Pumpkin Cookies Every Time

Even the simplest recipes benefit from a few expert insights. Follow these tips to ensure your cake mix pumpkin cookies turn out perfectly moist, flavorful, and easy to handle:

Always Use a Non-Stick Baking Liner: These cookies are notoriously sticky! Due to the high moisture content from the pumpkin, the dough can easily adhere to a bare baking sheet. Using a non-stick silicone baking mat or parchment paper is absolutely essential. Even with a liner, you’ll want a sturdy, sharp metal spatula to gently lift them once they’ve had a chance to set.
Allow for Proper Cooling on the Pan: Once your cookies are baked and out of the oven, resist the urge to move them immediately. Let them rest on the hot baking sheet for 5-7 minutes. This brief cooling period allows the cookies to firm up and set, making them much less likely to break when you transfer them to a cooling rack. Patience here is key for perfectly intact cookies.
Elevate with Extra Chocolate Chips: For the ultimate chocolate-pumpkin experience, sprinkle a few extra chocolate chips on top of each cookie immediately after they come out of the oven. The residual heat will melt them slightly, creating a beautiful glossy finish and ensuring there’s a burst of chocolate in every single bite. It also gives them a more professional, “bakery-style” appearance.
Master the Sticky Dough with a Spoon: Cookie scoops, while convenient for many doughs, can struggle with this sticky pumpkin cake mix dough. I’ve found the best technique is to use a 4-teaspoon measuring spoon to scoop the dough from the bowl. Then, employ a smaller dessert spoon to gently coax the dough off the measuring spoon and onto your lined baking sheet. You can use the back of the dessert spoon to subtly flatten and smooth the top of each cookie, giving them a more uniform shape. Remember, a standard tablespoon is 3 teaspoons, so a 4-teaspoon measure is just a bit larger than a regular tablespoon.
Ensure You’re Using Pure, Non-Watery Pumpkin: The consistency of your canned pumpkin puree directly impacts the final texture of your cookies. Avoid pumpkin puree that appears watery, as this will result in a greasy or overly soft cookie. Unfortunately, it’s hard to tell until you open the can, which is why a trusted brand like Libby’s is often recommended for its consistent quality.
Quick Fix for Watery Pumpkin: Don’t despair if you accidentally open a can of watery pumpkin! You can easily remedy this by blotting the excess moisture with a few layers of paper towel before adding it to your mix. This simple step can salvage your batch and help you achieve the desired cookie consistency.

Storage and Freshness of Your Pumpkin Cookies

These cake mix pumpkin cookies are truly at their peak when enjoyed fresh, ideally on the same day they are baked. Their soft, cake-like texture makes them incredibly tender, but also means they can become a bit mushy or excessively soft if stored for an extended period. For the absolute best flavor and texture experience, aim to bake and savor them within a few hours of coming out of the oven – a warm, fresh-from-the-oven cookie is simply unbeatable!

If you have leftovers, store the cookies at room temperature. Interestingly, these cookies fare better when stored uncovered rather than in an airtight container. An airtight environment can trap moisture, causing them to soften even more rapidly. While they will still be enjoyable the next day, expect a slightly softer consistency regardless of storage method. They are simply one of those delightful treats best savored immediately!

More Amazing Pumpkin Treats To Try:

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars – a reader favorite recipe for a reason!
Pecan Streusel Pumpkin Pie with a delectable maple whipped cream topping.
Pumpkin Cupcakes adorned with a luscious cinnamon cream cheese frosting.
Pumpkin Coffee Cake featuring a delightful streusel topping, perfect for breakfast or brunch.
Healthy Pumpkin Bread made with Greek yogurt for a wholesome twist.

A stack of freshly baked pumpkin cookies, made from a cake mix, with a golden hue and visible chocolate chips, presented for serving.

★★★★☆
4.50 from 12 votes

Cake Mix Pumpkin Cookies

By
Chelsea Lords

These Cake Mix Pumpkin Cookies are incredibly simple, coming together in just minutes! You only need four ingredients: a box of cake mix, canned pumpkin puree, one egg, and your favorite chocolate chips.

Prep Time:
10 minutes

Cook Time:
10 minutes

Total Time:
20 minutes

Servings:
36 cookies

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Equipment

Sheet pan (15″ x 10″), lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

Ingredients

1 (15.25-ounce) box Spice Cake mix (see note 1)
1 (15-ounce) can pure pumpkin purée
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
1 (12-ounce) bag chocolate chips
Flaky sea salt (optional, for sprinkling)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. A liner is essential for these sticky cookies!
In a large bowl, combine the entire box of spice cake mix, the full can of pure pumpkin purée, and 1 large egg. If desired, stir in 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Do not add any other ingredients listed on the cake mix box. Mix with a hand mixer or a wooden spoon until just combined; avoid overmixing. Stir in 1 cup of the chocolate chips.
Scoop out dough balls, each approximately 4 teaspoons (1 heaping tablespoon), and place them on the lined cookie sheet. Due to the dough’s stickiness, use spoons to help transfer the mixture. Spread cookies at least 2 inches apart (see note 2).
Bake for 9–13 minutes. Cookies should spring back slightly when touched and appear set, not gooey or glossy, on top. Repeat for remaining dough. This recipe should yield about 36 cookies.
Let cookies stand on the pan for 5-7 minutes to firm up. If desired, sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on top of the warm cookies immediately after baking. Use a sharp metal spatula to remove the cookies from the pan to a cooling rack to finish cooling. For a salty-sweet contrast, add a small sprinkle of Maldon sea salt flakes to the tops of these cookies.

Recipe Notes

Note 1: For best results, I recommend Betty Crocker’s Super Moist Spice Cake Mix. Regardless of brand, ensure your cake mix is a 15.25-ounce box.

Note 2: This dough is quite sticky, so traditional cookie scoops might not work well. I suggest using a 4-teaspoon measuring spoon to scoop the dough from the bowl, and a small dessert spoon to transfer it to the tray. The back of the dessert spoon can also be used to gently smooth the top of each cookie.

Storage: These cookies are best enjoyed fresh, on the same day they are made. Store cookies at room temperature, uncovered if possible, to minimize further softening. While they will still be delicious, they tend to get a little mushy/soft regardless of storage method if kept for longer periods. Avoid airtight containers, as this can exacerbate the softening.

Nutrition

Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should only be used as an approximation.

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