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Home » Recipe » Course » Dessert

Pumpkin Molasses Cookies

Created On: December 30, 2023 | By Debbie | 5 Comments

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Pumpkin Molasses Cookies

Fall in love with these delicious soft pumpkin molasses cookies made with simple ingredients liked canned pumpkin and oats. They are the perfect accompaniment to a piping hot cup of coffee.

Pumpkin Molasses Cookies stacked on a blue plate.

These cookies are exactly what I think of when daydreaming about fall comfort food… pumpkin, molasses, and warm spices. Brew yourself a pot of coffee and make yourself a batch of these cookies ASAP. Seriously! I mean it is national homemade cookie day after all. 😉

As a kid, I never really appreciated the flavor of molasses but now I am so excited to start adding it to more recipes this fall. I used the molasses as a replacement for some of the sugar in these cookies so they are a little less sweet than normal. Which only makes them better in my opinion! Of course, you can’t make any fall recipe without incorporating a little bit of pumpkin in there as well. 

Table of Contents

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  • Ingredients You’ll Need
  • How to Make Soft Pumpkin Molasses Cookies
  • What Kind of Molasses is Best for Cookies?
  • Do I Have to Chill the Dough?
  • Can I Make These Gluten Free?
  • More Delicious Recipes You’ll Love
  • Pumpkin Molasses Cookies

Ingredients You’ll Need

  • Old-Fashioned Oats: I like the texture of old fashioned oats best for cookies, but you could also use quick oats/instant oats in these cookies.
  • All Purpose Flour & Baking Soda: Adds to the fluffy texture of this soft molasses cookie recipe.
  • Pumpkin Pie Spice: I always keep a jar of pumpkin pie spice in my pantry for fall baking recipes like this one but you can also make your own or substitute with ground cinnamon.
  • Butter: Unsalted butter is best, but if you only have salted butter on hand – just add a little less salt to your dough.
  • Sugar & Molasses: Granulated sugar adds most of the sweetness, while molasses adds a little sweetness but a ton of rich flavor.
  • Canned Pumpkin Puree: make sure to buy the plain canned pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling which is already pre-sweetened.
  • Egg: adds structure to these molasses oatmeal cookies. You can substitute with 1 flax egg (mix 1 tablespoon flaxseed with 2 1/2 tablespoons water and let sit until gel forms) if you want to make these cookies egg free.
  • Vanilla Extract: adds a hint of lovely vanilla flavor to these pumpkin cookies.
glazed pumpkin molasses cookies on a baking sheet.

How to Make Soft Pumpkin Molasses Cookies

Combine the Dry Ingredients: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and oats.

Mix the Wet Ingredients: In a separate bowl, mix together the butter, sugar, molasses, and pumpkin with a stand mixer or hand-held electric mixer. Add the egg and vanilla and mix again.

Combine: Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredient mixture and beat until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Bake: Place rounded, tablespoon-size scoops of dough onto a baking sheet. Bake for 8-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Place cookie sheet on a rack to cool and then transfer cookies to the rack. Allow to cool completely.

Make Glaze (Optional): To make the glaze, sift the powdered sugar into a bowl and stir in the milk and maple syrup until smooth. Use a fork to drizzle the glaze over these soft molasses cookies. Let sit for a couple of minutes to allow the glaze to set and then enjoy!

Pumpkin Molasses Cookies on a plate next to a jar of milk.

What Kind of Molasses is Best for Cookies?

When shopping for molasses in the store, you’ll come across a few different varieties. Light molasses has a less intense flavor, while dark molasses has a strong/rich flavor. Choose based on your preference for how molasses-forward you want your cookies to taste.

Do I Have to Chill the Dough?

Pumpkin adds a lot of moisture to the cookie dough so it can be sticky and difficult (but not impossible) to scoop. You could skip it if you’re in a hurry, but we recommend chilling the dough for at least 30 minutes before baking so that it is easier to handle.

Can I Make These Gluten Free?

I haven’t tested any gluten free flours on this recipe specifically, but it should work well with any cup-for-cup gluten free flours on the market. Be sure to use gluten-free certified oats as well.

More Delicious Recipes You’ll Love

  • Vegan Pumpkin Gingerbread
  • Pumpkin Spice Baked Oatmeal
  • Pumpkin Spice Smoothie
  • Vegan Pumpkin Donuts with Maple Frosting
  • Strawberry Dark Chocolate Cookies
  • White chocolate cranberry oatmeal cookies

Did you love this recipe? Make sure to leave a ⭐️ rating and tag #dietitiandebbie on instagram!

Did you love this recipe? Make sure to leave a ⭐️ rating and tag #dietitiandebbie on instagram!

Pumpkin Molasses Cookies

Pumpkin Molasses Cookies

Created by: Deborah Murphy

Course Cookie, Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 40 minutes minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes minutes
Total Time 55 minutes minutes
20 cookies
Fall in love with these delicious pumpkin molasses cookies made with simple ingredients liked canned pumpkin and oats. They are the perfect accompaniment to a piping hot cup of coffee.
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Ingredients
  

Cookies:

  • 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup molasses
  • 1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Glaze:

  • 3/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Sift together the flour, baking soda, and pumpkin pie spice into the same bowl, then stir in the oats.
  • In a small bowl, mix together the butter, sugar, molasses, and pumpkin with a mixer until well combined. Add the egg and vanilla and mix again.
  • Pour in the flour/oat mixture and beat until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and set in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to chill.
  • After chilling, place dough onto a baking sheet using a tablespoon. Bake for 8-12 minutes or until lightly browned.
  • Place cookie sheet on a rack to cool and then transfer cookies to the rack. Allow to cool completely.
  • To make the glaze, sift the powdered sugar into a bowl and stir in the milk and maple syrup until smooth. Use a fork to drizzle over the cookies. Let sit for a couple of minutes to allow the glaze to set and then enjoy!

Notes

Storage: store in an airtight container on the counter for up to 4 days. Freeze in a bag or airtight container for up to 6 months.
Make it Vegan: use vegan butter and replace the egg with a flax egg made from 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed mixed with 2 1/2 tablespoons water – let sit until if forms a gel and then use in the recipe in place of the egg.
Recipe inspired by these spiced pumpkin oatmeal cookies

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 109kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 34mg | Potassium: 110mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 261IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 1mg

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posted in: Cookies, Dessert, Fall, Holiday Recipes, Vegetarian, Winter

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    Comments & Reviews

  1. Shay says

    March 29, 2023

    5 stars
    I ate 4 …
    My brother ate 3
    My husband ate 3 within the hour they were out
    The only thing I tweaked was the icing part alittle and left them in the oven for 14 minutes only because I wanted the bottom to crisp up alittle. Thank you thank you.

    Reply
    • Deborah Murphy MS, RDN says

      March 29, 2023

      So happy to hear you liked them!

      Reply
  2. Madalyn says

    November 10, 2020

    5 stars
    Easy, delicious, and a great way to use up some pumpkin!

    Reply
  3. Patty Bechstein says

    January 28, 2020

    I wish you’d publish the nutritional info, like how many cookies this makes, and how many calories for each, etc. Thanks.

    Reply
  4. Alex Caspero MA,RD (@delishknowledge) says

    October 8, 2015

    Oh my goodness- this is incredible! I love the idea of these cookies, yum, yum, yum! I am totally looking forward to a weekend of baking and these are on my must make list. Molasses with pumpkin!? Amazing!

    Reply

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