Iced Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies — Soft and pillowy pumpkin cookies that are chock full of pumpkin spice and everything nice! The icing takes these cookies over the top. An EASY pumpkin oatmeal cookie recipe that does NOT require any dough chilling, making these a FAST treat to whip up!
Ultra Soft Iced Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
Soft and pillowy, these iced pumpkin oatmeal cookies have an almost cake-like texture. They also have a bit of chewiness to them thanks to the whole rolled oats.
I used plenty of pumpkin spice in these cookies, as well as additional cinnamon and warming spices, to really play up the fall-themed flavor profile.
I iced the cookies with a simple white icing, which sets up nicely atop the cookies and the icing really takes these oatmeal pumpkin cookies to the next level.
Ingredients in Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
For these fall favorite pumpkin spice soft cookies, you’ll need the following basic and common fridge and pantry ingredients:
- All-purpose flour
- Old-fashioned whole rolled oats
- Pumpkin pie spice
- Cinnamon, optional
- Ground ginger, optional
- Ground cloves, optional
- Cornstarch
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- Pumpkin puree
To make the easy cookie icing, you’ll need:
- Confectioners’ sugar
- Milk
- Vanilla extract
How to Make Iced Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
These pumpkin spice oatmeal cookies are so easy to make! Here’s an overview of the baking process:
Step 1: Begin by preheating your oven to 375F, line baking sheets with Silpat baking mats or parchment paper.
Step 2: To a medium bowl, add the dry ingredients including flour, oats, spices, baking soda and powder, cornstarch, salt, and whisk to combine.
Step 3: To the bowl of a stand mixer or large mixing bowl and handheld electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugars before adding the egg, pumpkin, and vanilla and beating them to incorporate.
Step 4: Add the dry ingredients to the wet, beat until just combined, and then using a 1 1/2 tablespoon cookie scoop, form dough mounds, place them on the baking sheet, and bake off your cookies.
Step 5: Allow the cookies to cool completely before icing them or it will melt!
Step 6: To make the icing, simply whisk together the three ingredients. Sift your confectioners’ sugar first if it’s particularly lumpy.
Step 7: Then dip the tops of the cookies in the icing, and set them aside to set up before digging in.
Can I Use Instant Oats?
For these pumpkin oatmeal spice cookies, you need to use old-fashioned whole rolled oats. Do not use instant oats or quick-cook oats. They are much finer and will behave like flour, thus drying out your dough excessively and the dough won’t come together.
Or if it does, the finished cookies will be noticeably dry and like little hockey pucks.
Can I Use Steel Cut Oats?
No, don’t use steel cut or Irish cut oats. They’re far too thick and chewy and would wind up making the cookies borderline crunchy.
Can I Use Gluten-Free Oats?
I am very sure certified gluten-free oats will be fine since oats are inherently gluten-free, but the conventional ones like Quaker are not labeled as such since they are cross-contaminated in the milling process with gluten.
However, I haven’t personally tested the recipe using certified gluten-free oats.
Can I Use Light Brown Sugar Instead of Dark?
Yes! I used dark brown sugar in the pumpkin cookies because it has more molasses than light brown sugar, and I love the flavor of molasses paired with pumpkin. I think it gives a deeper, richer flavor to the cookies.
However if you tend to keep light brown sugar on hand, it will be fine.
Can I Make Bigger Cookies?
You can yield 48 smaller-sized pumpkin spice oatmeal cookies from this recipe. Although if you like bigger cookies, make your dough balls a bit bigger or double the size of them, and you’ll yield 24-36 cookies.
Bake longer, as necessary, until they’re done. Probably just a few minutes more.
Can I Halve This Recipe?
I imagine you could easily halve the recipe for these pumpkin oatmeal cookies, but I’ve never done so myself so I can’t say for certain.
Do I Need to Chill the Cookie Dough?
Although I am normally a huge fan of chilling cookie dough so that the cookies don’t spread when baked, you don’t need to chill the cookie dough for this pumpkin oatmeal cookies. In general, baked goods with pumpkin puree in them bake up wonderfully full and puffy.
Pumpkin seemingly acts like an egg or baking soda or baking powder in that it helps your baked goods to really rise beautifully in the oven, which is why I have lots of naturally vegan pumpkin desserts.
For that reason, you can get away without needing to chill this dough which is a nice time saver!
Can Add-Ins Be Incorporated?
Absolutely! Chocolate chips would be amazing in these pumpkin spice soft cookies, as would chopped pecans or walnuts.
I would actually use mini chocolate chips if you can so they disperse in the dough and therefore finished cookies a bit more evenly, but regular size chocolate chips are fine.
I am also a fan of butterscotch and white chocolate chips, which would be great. So would cute fall-colored mini M&Ms. Feel free to get creative!
Start with about 1/2 cup of mix-ins total and see how the dough looks, and work your way up from there as desired. Add any add-ins in last, and stir them in by hand.
How to Store Iced Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
I don’t mind storing iced, glazed, or frosted baked goods at room temp for a few days, if said icing contains milk or butter. Generally speaking, the sugar content acts as a preservative.
However, of course, store soft cookies with icing however you are most comfortable.
Take note, storing baked goods in the fridge tends to dry them out prematurely and cold cookies, for me, are just not tasty.
Tips for the Best Pumpkin Cookies
Spice levels: Because I love boldly flavored and aggressively spiced pumpkin baked goods, I added 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice, plus additional cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. I realize pumpkin pie spice has those individual spices in it, but the three I added separately are my three favorites.
If you don’t want to be bothered, just add extra pumpkin pie spice and call it a day. I would go with a total of 3 teaspoons but it’s up to you.
For those who don’t enjoy the boldness as much as me and my family, go with 2 teaspoons as the recipe is written.
Baking the cookies: If you can, baking the cookies one baking sheet at a time, in the middle rack of the oven, and rotating the baking sheet once midway through baking will yield the most optimal results.
For the icing: I recommend whole milk, but either 2% or half-and-half will work. Don’t use skim or 1% if you can avoid it because the icing will be runnier and not set up quite as nicely.
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Iced Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ cups old-fashioned whole-rolled oats, do not use instant, quick-cook, steel cut, or Irish
- 2 to 3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, to taste* (See Notes)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon, optional*
- ½ to 1 teaspoon ground ginger, optional*
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon ground cloves, optional*
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed** (See Notes)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup pure pumpkin puree
Icing
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk***, See Notes
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Cookies:
- Preheat oven to 375F. Line baking sheets with Silpats or parchment paper; set aside.
- To a medium bowl, add the the flour, oats, pumpkin spice, optional cinnamon, optional ginger, baking soda, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, optional cloves, and stir to combine; set aside.
- To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a large mixing bowl with handheld electric mixer, cream (verb meaning to beat, not the noun cream) together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar for about 2 minutes and until combined; stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the egg, vanilla, and beat momentarily until combined.
- Add the pumpkin and beat momentarily until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and mix until just combined, without dry patches; don't overmix or the cookies will be tougher.
- Using a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop dough mounds and place them about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for about 9 to 11 minutes, until no longer glossy on top and they are puffed and set. Tip - If possible, bake cookies one sheet at a time, on the middle oven rack, rotating your pans one time midway through baking.
- Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- After the cookies have cooled completely, make the icing. Do not ice the cookies before they are fully cooled (about 30 minutes, depending on the temp of your kitchen) because the icing will melt and you'll have a mess.
Icing:
- To a medium bowl, add the confectioners' sugar (sift it if it's particularly lumpy), milk, vanilla, and whisk to combine and until smooth.
- Dip the tops of the cookies in the icing and place them back on the wire rack. Allow cookies to set for about 15 minutes so the icing can set.
- I don’t mind storing iced, glazed, or frosted baked goods airtight at room temp for a few days if said icing contains milk or butter as the sugar acts as a preservative. However, store them how you are most comfortable including the fridge for up to 1 week. Note that cookies stored in the fridge will tend to dry out quicker. Unglazed cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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If you’re a pumpkin fan, check out ALL MY PUMPKIN RECIPES!
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