Pumpkin Pudding Cookies with White Chocolate Chips

If you’re looking for a soft, chewy pumpkin cookie that is packed with fall flavor, these Pumpkin Pudding Cookies need to be on your fall baking list. Pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, and instant pudding mix come together to create incredibly soft cookies, while white chocolate chips add the perfect amount of sweetness.

One of the best things about pudding cookies is their texture. Adding dry pudding mix to cookie dough helps create a wonderfully soft, tender cookie that stays delicious even after it has cooled.

These are perfect for fall bake sales, Halloween parties, Thanksgiving dessert tables, lunchbox treats, or simply enjoying at home with a warm cup of coffee.

Why You’ll Love These Pumpkin Pudding Cookies

These cookies have everything you want in an easy fall dessert. They’re soft, packed with pumpkin spice flavor, and loaded with creamy white chocolate chips.

They’re also quick. With just 15 minutes of prep and 8–10 minutes in the oven, you can have a batch of homemade pumpkin cookies ready without spending your entire afternoon baking.

And the recipe makes about three dozen cookies, making it a great choice when you need a fall dessert for a crowd.

Pumpkin Pudding Cookies

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Bake Time: 8–10 minutes
Total Time: About 25 minutes
Yield: Approximately 3 dozen cookies
Oven Temperature: 350°F

Ingredients

• ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
• ¾ cup packed brown sugar
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 (3.4-ounce) box instant pumpkin spice pudding mix, dry
• ½ cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1½–2 cups white chocolate chips

If you can’t find pumpkin spice pudding: Substitute one 3.4-ounce box of instant vanilla pudding mix and add an additional ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice.

Equipment

• Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
• Mixing bowls
• Whisk
• Measuring spoon or cookie scoop
• Cookie sheets
• Parchment paper
• Wire cooling rack

How to Make Pumpkin Pudding Cookies

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper and set them aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice until evenly combined.

In a separate large mixing bowl, add the softened butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and dry pudding mix.

Using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer, cream the ingredients together until well combined.

Add the pumpkin puree and vanilla extract. Continue mixing until incorporated.

Gradually add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture, mixing just until a cookie dough forms.

Fold the white chocolate chips into the dough until evenly distributed.

Using a tablespoon or cookie scoop, drop portions of cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving space between each cookie.

Bake for 8–10 minutes.

Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for several minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire cooling rack.

Allow the cookies to cool completely before storing.

Why Put Pudding Mix in Cookies?

Instant pudding mix is a great little baking trick for making exceptionally soft cookies.

For this recipe, the pudding mix contributes sweetness and flavor while also helping give the cookies their tender texture.

There’s one important detail: don’t prepare the pudding first. The dry pudding mix goes directly from the package into the cookie dough.

Pumpkin Puree vs. Pumpkin Pie Filling

Make sure you’re using 100% pumpkin puree rather than canned pumpkin pie filling.

Pumpkin puree is simply cooked, pureed pumpkin and lets you control the sweetness and spices in your cookies.

Pumpkin pie filling contains additional sugar and spices, which can throw off the balance of the recipe.

What If I Can’t Find Pumpkin Spice Pudding?

Pumpkin spice pudding is a seasonal product and can be difficult to find.

Fortunately, you don’t have to skip the recipe if it’s unavailable.

Use a 3.4-ounce package of instant vanilla pudding mix instead and add an additional ½ teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice to the recipe.

You’ll still get delicious, soft pumpkin cookies with plenty of fall flavor.

White Chocolate and Pumpkin Are Perfect Together

White chocolate works particularly well in these cookies because its creamy sweetness balances the warm pumpkin pie spices.

The recipe calls for 1½ to 2 cups of white chocolate chips, so you can adjust the amount depending on how chocolate-packed you want your cookies.

You could also reserve a handful of chips and gently press them into the tops of the cookies before baking for a bakery-style appearance.

Easy Variations

You can easily change up these pumpkin cookies depending on what you have in your pantry.

Try adding chopped pecans or walnuts for a little crunch. Butterscotch chips would also pair beautifully with the pumpkin spices.

You could even use a combination of white chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate chips.

For an extra fall touch, sprinkle a tiny amount of pumpkin pie spice over the cookies before serving.

Tips for Soft Pumpkin Cookies

Don’t overbake them. Pumpkin cookies are especially good when they remain soft, so start checking them at the 8-minute mark.

Allow them to sit on the hot baking sheet for a few minutes after removing them from the oven. They’ll continue setting as they cool.

Also, measure your flour carefully. Adding too much flour can turn a wonderfully soft cookie into a dense one.

How to Store Pumpkin Pudding Cookies

Allow the cookies to cool completely before transferring them to an airtight container.

Store them at room temperature for several days. Place parchment or wax paper between layers if you’re stacking the cookies.

For longer storage, you can also freeze the baked cookies in a freezer-safe container and thaw them at room temperature when you’re ready for another pumpkin treat.

An Easy Cookie for Fall Baking

Between the pumpkin puree, warm pumpkin pie spice, creamy white chocolate, and incredibly soft pudding-cookie texture, these Pumpkin Pudding Cookies have fall written all over them.

They’re easy enough to make for an afternoon treat but festive enough for Halloween parties, fall gatherings, bake sales, and Thanksgiving.

And with three dozen in a batch, there should be plenty to share—assuming they last that long.

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Pumpkin Pudding Cookies with White Chocolate Chips

These soft Pumpkin Pudding Cookies are packed with pumpkin spice flavor and white chocolate chips for an easy, delicious fall cookie recipe.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Cookies

Ingredients

• ¾ cup unsalted butter softened
• ¾ cup packed brown sugar
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 3.4 ounce box instant pumpkin spice pudding mix, dry
• ½ cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1½-2 cups white chocolate chips

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper and set them aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice until evenly combined.
• In a separate large mixing bowl, add the softened butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and dry pudding mix.
• Using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer, cream the ingredients together until well combined.
• Add the pumpkin puree and vanilla extract. Continue mixing until incorporated.
• Gradually add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture, mixing just until a cookie dough forms.
• Fold the white chocolate chips into the dough until evenly distributed.
• Using a tablespoon or cookie scoop, drop portions of cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving space between each cookie.
• Bake for 8–10 minutes.
• Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for several minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire cooling rack.
• Allow the cookies to cool completely before storing.