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.
My son in the Army asked for cookies like this. So I tried this one and he is HOOKED . I get requests for them twice a month. And what my boy wants…this mama bakes!! Thank you so much !!
I’ve been making this recipe for years, but this time I jazzed it up by also adding in dark chocolate pieces, walnuts & pecans. It was amazing!! Plus I didn’t have a spice cake mix only a yellow cake mix, I added 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice to make my own version of a spice cake mix. It turned out great, it’s my families new favorite holiday cookie.
Your additions sound delicious! (I am SUCH a pecan person, I would add them to anything!) Thanks also for the tip about the yellow cake mix and pumpkin pie spice, I’m sure other readers will find that helpful. Thanks Lisa Marie!
I must admit that I did not make the truffles from scratch (I used Costco truffles) and I actually found this recipe because I was looking for a recipe that I could use the truffles for since I had no chocolate chips. The cookie dough was phenomenal and held together well! Sorry for not following your recipe to a tee but I will come back to it to do it properly!! So delicious and a perfect balance of sweet.
Swapping chocolate chips for truffles sounds so delicious! Thanks for sharing your idea, and glad you loved the cookies!
Delicious and very easy!
Thanks Crystal!
Was wondering if you could roll these in ball and roll in cinnamon and sugar
I haven’t tried that but it sounds delicious! Come back and let us know how they turned out!
So So chocolatey!! I should have used a smaller scoop so I could eat more of them at one time. They turned out a little chewy I think because I needed to use a gluten free cake mix. I also think I used too much spice. If I could have followed the recipe exactly as written, I think they would have been perfect. I saw someone else recommend reducing the chocolate but I think biting in and getting a mouthful of chocolate is definitely the way to go!!
Hi Becky, I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the chocolate as much as I do! Thank you for your comment!
I just made these and went right by the recipe. The consistency is rubbery and weird.
Hi Sheila, I am sorry to hear the pumpkin chocolate chip cookies didn’t turn out. I’d be happy to help troubleshoot what may have happened, you can email me at elizabeth@sugarhero.com with more details.
Can these be frozen? My students are planning a Thanksgiving meal and I’d like to have them prep these ahead of time, but we only cook on Tuesdays.
Hi Adriana, yes the pumpkin chocolate chip cookies can be frozen! I hope your students enjoy them!
I made the muffins and cookies at Halloween everyone is still raving !!! Just made 2 batches of this recipe and there gone already !!! I’m going to have to make mountains for thanksgiving THANK YOU SO MUCH !! Please send ideas for Christmas that are just as simple and perfect !!!
Hi Julie! I am pleased to hear you all loved the cookies! You can find recipes for Christmas on the blog now 🙂
These are great and super easy to make. Any suggestions of how to store them? They are moist and I just don’t want them to mold super quick. Thanks in advance!
Hi Sarah, these cookies store best in an airtight container. If you want to make them in advance, they can also be frozen!