Chewy Pumpkin Spice Molasses Cookies – Soft & Spiced Fall Cookies

These chewy pumpkin spice molasses cookies are packed with cozy autumn flavor from brown butter, brown sugar, pumpkin puree, molasses, cinnamon, and warm spices. The cookies bake up with slightly dry tops and moist cracks, giving them the chewy texture that makes them so satisfying. A simple cinnamon sugar coating adds another layer of sweetness and spice to every bite. With a little chilling time and just 10–12 minutes in the oven, this pumpkin spice cookie recipe is a delicious choice for fall baking, holiday cookie trays, or an easy homemade treat.

Quick Recipe Snapshot

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Chill Time: 2 hours
• Cook Time: 11 minutes
• Total Time: 2 hours 31 minutes
• Yield: 34 cookies
• Category: Cookies
• Method: Creaming
• Cuisine: American

Why You’ll Love These Pumpkin Spice Cookies

• Chewy texture: The cookies stay somewhat moist in the cracks after baking.
• Deep autumn flavor: Brown butter and molasses add richness alongside the pumpkin spice.
• Warmly spiced: Cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and ginger create a cozy flavor combination.
• Easy to prepare: The dough comes together with straightforward mixing.
• Cinnamon sugar finish: Rolling the chilled dough in cinnamon sugar adds a lightly crisp, sweet coating.

Ingredients

For the Pumpkin Spice Cookies

• 226 g unsalted butter (1 cup)
• 200 g light brown sugar
• 150 g granulated sugar
• 1 large egg (50 g without shell), room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 35 g molasses (2 tbsp)
• 56 g canned pumpkin puree
• 1½ tsp cinnamon
• ¾ tsp salt
• ¾ tsp allspice
• ¼ tsp cloves
• ¼ tsp ginger
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 295 g all-purpose flour

For the Cinnamon Sugar Coating

• 50 g sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon

How to Make Chewy Pumpkin Spice Molasses Cookies

1. Brown the butter

Melt the butter in a small pot and gently whisk occasionally.

Watch for the butter to begin browning on the bottom of the pot. Once it starts to brown, whisk continuously as it cooks.

Remove the pot from the heat once the butter smells nutty and brown bits have formed on the bottom.

2. Cool the brown butter

Pour the brown butter into a heat-safe bowl.

Let it cool for 30 minutes at room temperature. The butter should be slightly warm or at room temperature before continuing.

3. Mix the sugars and butter

In a large bowl, stir the brown butter, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until smooth.

4. Add the wet ingredients

Stir in the egg, vanilla, and molasses.

Then stir in the pumpkin puree until incorporated.

5. Add the dry ingredients

Add the dry ingredients to the bowl.

Stir until the dough comes together.

6. Portion the dough

Scoop the cookie dough using a heaping 1½ tbsp cookie scoop, or use a level 2 tbsp scoop.

For consistently sized cookies, weigh the dough if desired. Each dough ball should weigh approximately 28–29 grams.

Roll each portion between your hands to smooth the surface.

Place the dough balls onto a lined cookie sheet.

7. Chill the dough

Cover the dough and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

8. Preheat the oven

Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C.

Remove the cookies from the refrigerator.

9. Coat the cookies

Combine the 50 grams of sugar and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon in a bowl.

Roll each chilled dough ball in the cinnamon sugar immediately before baking.

10. Bake

Place the coated cookie dough balls on parchment-lined half sheet pans.

Bake for 10–12 minutes.

The cookies are done when they look slightly dry on top while remaining somewhat moist in the cracks.

11. Cool and serve

Transfer the baked cookies to a cooling rack.

Enjoy them warm or allow them to cool completely.

Important Baking Tips

• Watch the butter carefully: Once browning begins, whisk continuously so the butter develops those flavorful brown bits without burning.
• Cool the butter before mixing: Let it sit for 30 minutes so it is slightly warm or at room temperature.
• Chill the dough: Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight as directed.
• Keep the cookies consistent: Weighing each dough ball to 28–29 grams can help produce evenly sized cookies.
• Coat just before baking: Roll the chilled dough in cinnamon sugar immediately before it goes into the oven.
• Look at the cracks: The cookies should appear slightly dry on top but remain somewhat moist in the cracks when they are ready.

Storage

Once cooled, store the cookies in a container for up to 1 week.

They can be enjoyed warm or completely cooled.

Simple Variations

• Overnight dough: Refrigerate the covered dough overnight instead of baking it after the minimum 2-hour chill.
• More consistent cookies: Weigh each dough ball to approximately 28–29 grams for uniform portions.
• Cinnamon-forward finish: The cinnamon sugar coating can be applied immediately before baking for an extra layer of warm spice.

Serving Ideas

These pumpkin spice molasses cookies are ideal for:

• Fall dessert tables.
• Holiday cookie trays.
• Afternoon baking.
• Homemade treats for family and friends.
• A cozy autumn snack served warm from the cooling rack.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should I chill pumpkin spice cookie dough?

The dough should be refrigerated for at least 2 hours or overnight.

How many cookies does this recipe make?

The recipe yields approximately 34 cookies.

What temperature do I bake pumpkin spice cookies at?

Bake the cookies at 350°F / 175°C.

How long do these cookies bake?

They bake for 10–12 minutes. They should look slightly dry on top while remaining somewhat moist in the cracks.

How should I store the cookies?

After cooling, store them in a container for up to a week.

Nutrition

Nutrition information was not supplied for these cookies, so nutritional values are not estimated here.

Final Thoughts

Chewy pumpkin spice molasses cookies bring together brown butter, pumpkin, molasses, brown sugar, and classic autumn spices in a soft, chewy cookie. The cinnamon sugar coating gives the outside an extra touch of sweetness and spice, while the moist cracks keep the texture satisfying. With a make-ahead dough and a short baking time, these cookies are a wonderful addition to fall and holiday baking.

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