Looking for a quick and easy fall dessert? Look no further! 3-Ingredient Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies require just 3 common pantry ingredients. You can whip these up in no time!
🍪 3-Ingredient Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies With Cake Mix
Get your pumpkin spice fix in minutes with these ridiculously easy 3-ingredient cookies!
I love any and all kinds of pumpkin desserts, but these cookies hold a special place in my heart. They’re perfect because whenever a craving strikes, I can go from no cookies (sad face) to warm cookies fresh from the oven (ecstatic drooling face) using just 3 things:
- spice cake mix
- pumpkin puree
- miniature chocolate chips
They Pumpkin Cake Mix Cookies have a strong pumpkin flavor, cozy fall spices, and the most perfect puffy cake-like texture. If you’re a fan of soft and tender cake cookies that are ready in less than 30 minutes, then this is the recipe for you!
More Pumpkin + Chocolate Treats
If you need more pumpkin chocolate chip inspiration, check out my Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars, traditional Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake!
Table of Contents
🧾What You’ll Need
Ingredients
It should come as no surprise that the ingredient list is verrrry short. Here’s what you need to know! And remember, full ingredient amounts can be found below in the recipe card.
(Links are affiliate links and I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.)
- Spice cake mix: I most often use Duncan Hines Spice Cake Mix for these cookies because that’s what’s easily available to me, but you can use another brand or even another flavor. Check the FAQ section for Variations.
- Pumpkin puree: Make sure to check the label! You need pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. I’ve used Libby’s, various store brands, and organic options from Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods, and all have worked out fine.
- Mini semi-sweet chocolate chips: For these cookies, mini chocolate chips work best. You’ll have lots of tiny bits of chocolate in each bite, and they help break up the cakey parts of the cookie. You can definitely substitute regular chocolate chips, if that’s what you’ve got.
Equipment
The equipment needed for these cookies is almost as easy as the ingredients. You’ll likely have these items in your kitchen, but here’s a few tips to consider. (Links are affiliate links and I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.)
- Baking sheets and parchment paper: Use good-quality aluminium baking sheets to help your cookies bake evenly, and line them with parchment paper for zero clean-up.
- Cookie scoop: I like to use a medium cookie scoop (size #40, to make sure all my cookies turn out the same size.
🧡 More Pumpkin Desserts
Leave a Review!
If you make this recipe, let us know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on the recipe below, and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram @elabau, or use #sugarhero on IG!
3-Ingredient Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 box spice cake mix, or other flavor, see Note
- 15 oz canned pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling
- 12 oz miniature chocolate chips, or regular semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Prepare to bake: Preheat the oven to 350° F, and line your baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Add cake mix: Sift the cake mix into a large bowl.
- Mix in pumpkin puree: Add the can of pumpkin puree, and stir well with a spatula until the cake mix is moistened and there are no small flour lumps left in the dough.
- Stir in mini chips: Set aside a few tablespoons of chips. Add the remaining mini chocolate chips to the pumpkin dough and stir them in well.
- Make cookie dough balls: Use a medium cookie scoop or spoon to scoop the dough out onto the baking sheets.
- Finish the cookie dough balls: Press a few of the reserved mini chocolate chips on top of each cookie dough ball. Then wet your fingers slightly, and smooth out the top and sides of the cookies. (This step is completely optional, but does make the cookies look prettier once they are baked.)
- Bake: Bake the cookies at 350° F for 15-17 minutes, until they’ve puffed, lost the raw shine in the center, and when you press them gently, you get a little soft resistance.
- Cool: Cool completely on a wire rack, then serve!
- Storage: Store at room temperature in an airtight container for 3-4 days, or in the refrigerator for up to a week. Separate stacks of cookies between parchment paper. Or, wrap well and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw cookies in the fridge before bringing them to room temperature.
Recipe Notes
Whoopie Pies: Omit the chocolate chips and use the dough to make whoopie pies. Fill them with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting from our Zucchini Whoopie Pies. Mix-In Ideas: Add 1/2 cup – 1 cup of different mix-ins such as: nuts, butterscotch chips, toffee pieces, chopped candy bars, white chocolate chips, etc.
Measuring Tips
Our recipes are developed using weight measurements, and we highly recommend using a kitchen scale for baking whenever possible. However, if you prefer to use cups, volume measurements are provided as well. PLEASE NOTE: the adage “8 oz = 1 cup” is NOT true when speaking about weight, so don’t be concerned if the measurements don’t fit this formula.
Want to learn more about baking measurements and conversion?
Nutrition
📸Photo Tutorial: How to Make Cakey Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
This EASY photo tutorial will help you make perfect pumpkin cookies! Full instructions are included in the recipe card above.
- Prepare to bake: Set your oven to 350° F, and prep your baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Add cake mix: Sift the cake mix into a large bowl to break up larger clumps of flour.
- Add pumpkin: Scoop the pumpkin puree into the bowl.
- Stir: Combine the cake mix and pumpkin until all the flour has been incorporated, forming a thick, sticky dough.
- Add mini chips: Set aside a few tablespoons of mini chocolate chips, and add the remaining chips to the pumpkin cookie dough.
- Stir: Mix the dough until the chips are stirred in well.
- Make cookie dough balls: Scoop generous spoonfuls of dough onto the baking sheets, leaving a few inches in between.
- Finish the cookie dough balls: Press a pinch of mini chocolate chips on top of each cookie ball, pressing down a bit to flatten out the dough. Smooth out the top of each cookie ball with moistened fingers. (This is optional, but it helps the cookies bake up rounder and prettier.)
- Bake: Bake the cookies at 350° F for 15-17 minutes, until they’ve puffed, lost the raw shine in the center, and when you press them gently, you get a little soft resistance.
- Cool: Cool completely on a wire rack, then serve!
💡Tips and FAQs for Success
Cake mixes often develop clumps as they sit in the box, and if you don’t sift the mix before getting started, it’s going to take a lot of stirring to get the little lumps of floury mix to integrate into the dough. Save yourself some time and just sift it first!
There are so many ways you can play with this recipe!
Cookie Bars: Instead of cookies, scrape the dough into a 9×13 pan and make pumpkin chocolate chip cookie bars. Bake at 350° F and watch for signs of doneness (firm around the edges, starting to crack a little and no longer shiney in the center of the pan.
Whoopie Pies: Or omit the chocolate chips and use the dough to make whoopie pies! The Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting in our Zucchini Whoopie Pies would taste divine!
Mix-In Ideas: You can also experiment with adding 1/2 cup – 1 cup of different mix-ins, like nuts, butterscotch chips, toffee pieces, chopped candy bars, white chocolate chips, and much more!
These cookies are best stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to one week. If you plan to stack the cookies, use parchment paper to separate them. Or, make the cookies in advance and freeze for up to 3 months. Allow the cookies to thaw in the fridge before bringing them to room temperature.
Yum! So with you that sometimes you need cookies stat! Love that this starts with a cake mix. P.S. Isn’t it crazytown that that guy from Love Actually is the guy from The Walking Dead? I can’t get my head around that still. Great cookies, thanks Elizabeth!
I KNOW! Kiera Knightly is out here looking exactly the same and he’s aged 5 decades from battling zombies, haha. Thank you, Carissa, my family loves these!
Is Duncan Hines simply pumpkin ok to use
Hi Carol, I haven’t tried it myself, but it looks to be pure pumpkin so I think it would work well!
These are a new family favorite! Thanks for the tip about sifting the cake mix. I used to get lumps in my cookies but sifting makes them better. I’m going to try adding cinnamon chips next!
Hey Janine, that’s a great idea! I’m happy it worked and you guys like it! Thanks so much for following along!
Do you think it would work to bake these as mini muffins?
Hi Gina! I haven’t tried them as mini muffins but since they have a fluffy, cakey texture my guess is that they would work! If you do it and they seem a little dense you could also try adding an additional egg for some more leavening. I hope you’ll let me know how it goes if you give it a try!
Your tip about sifting the mix first was brilliant! Thank you!
You’re welcome, Mamie, I’m glad you enjoyed the cookies!
I recommend reducing the chocolate chips by 25-50%.
Hey Linda, Thanks so much for your feedback!
I have made these twice, and they are great! This time I added an egg and a half cup of oats to give them some whole grain texture. They came out great again. I think I could have added a little bit more oats and they would have been fine.
Has anybody else here had a problem with gritty pumpkin?
Hey Martha, that sounds delicious! I love that you were able to make some additions you like. Thank you so much for your feedback!
Great recipe and so darned easy! You could almost make these up in your sleep! Thank you!
Hey Kelly, I am thrilled to hear you enjoyed it so much! haha That is the perfect way to put it! Thanks for your feedback!
Just made these with Enjoy Life Dark Chocolate Chips. Delicious! I made without alterations the first time. I will get creative with the next batch!
Just made these and it wasn’t specified that you don’t need to use the ingredients in the cake mix IE: water, oil and eggs. So I mixed these in and the cookies came out awful. Raw in the middle and were not edible. Just thought I’d share this for other people who use this recipe.
Hi Kellie,
Thanks for the feedback, and I’m sorry your cookies didn’t turn out. I will add a note specifying that no additional ingredients are required for the cake mix.