15 Fall Cookies Recipes That Feel Like a Hug in Every Bite

Fall baking is my love language. There’s just something about that first waft of cinnamon, nutmeg, and toasted pecans that makes me wanna throw on a chunky sweater and dance in a leaf pile.

If you’re anything like me, you’re craving cookies that are more than just sugar bombs — you want soft, chewy, spiced masterpieces that actually taste like fall.

So, I rolled up my sleeves, combed through the depths of Pinterest (yes, even the hidden boards!), and whipped up this collection of 15 outrageously good, healthy-ish, cozy fall cookies that will have your kitchen smelling like an autumn dream.

Whether you’re a maple lover, pumpkin addict, or just someone with a sweet tooth and a soft spot for crunchy leaves — I got you.

Let’s kick things off with these gems:

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1. Brown Butter Maple Pecan Cookies

Description: Nutty, buttery, and maple-kissed — these cookies scream sweater weather. Brown butter gives them a rich, caramelized flavor while pecans add that perfect crunch.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 egg + 1 yolk
• 2½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ¾ cup chopped pecans

Instructions:

1. Brown the butter in a saucepan until golden and nutty. Cool slightly.
2. Whisk browned butter, brown sugar, and maple syrup. Add egg and yolk.
3. Fold in flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Mix until combined.
4. Stir in pecans. Chill dough 30 mins.
5. Scoop onto parchment-lined sheet and bake at 350°F for 10–12 minutes.

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2. Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodles

Description: A fall twist on the classic! These snickerdoodles are pillowy soft, pumpkin-infused, and rolled in a cinnamon-sugar mix that crackles with every bite.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup butter, softened
• ¾ cup sugar
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup pumpkin purée
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1¾ cups flour
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp cream of tartar
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp nutmeg
• Cinnamon sugar (for rolling)

Instructions:

1. Cream butter, sugars, pumpkin, and vanilla.
2. Stir in dry ingredients. Chill for 1 hour.
3. Scoop dough into balls, roll in cinnamon sugar.
4. Place on baking sheet. Bake at 350°F for 10–11 minutes.

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3. Apple Cider Glazed Oatmeal Cookies

Description: Imagine oatmeal cookies and apple cider having a baby. These chewy cookies are topped with a sticky, tangy cider glaze that seals the deal.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup rolled oats
• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ cup butter
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla

For Glaze:

• ½ cup apple cider
• ¼ cup powdered sugar

Instructions:

1. Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla.
2. Mix in dry ingredients. Fold in oats.
3. Scoop dough and bake at 350°F for 10–12 minutes.
4. Boil cider down to 2 tbsp. Whisk with sugar for glaze.
5. Drizzle glaze over warm cookies.

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4. Chai-Spiced Shortbread

Description: Buttery, crumbly, and infused with cozy chai spices, this shortbread is the ultimate tea-time partner on a chilly afternoon.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsalted butter
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• 1½ cups flour
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp cardamom
• ¼ tsp ginger
• Pinch of cloves

Instructions:

1. Cream butter and sugar. Add flour and spices.
2. Mix into a soft dough. Roll into log or press into pan.
3. Chill for 30 minutes.
4. Slice and bake at 325°F for 12–15 minutes.

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5. Maple Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies

Description: Sweet meets nutty with this fusion of maple syrup, creamy tahini, and melty dark chocolate chunks. They’re chewy, gooey, and secretly wholesome.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup tahini
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ½ tsp baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• ½ cup oat flour
• ½ cup dark chocolate chunks

Instructions:

1. Mix tahini, maple, egg, and vanilla.
2. Stir in dry ingredients and chocolate.
3. Scoop onto lined tray.
4. Bake at 350°F for 8–9 minutes. Let cool before devouring!

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6. Cranberry Orange Almond Cookies

Description: These sparkly, citrusy gems are soft in the center with pops of tart cranberry and nutty almond crunch — like a fall fruitcake, but cookie-fied.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup butter
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 egg
• Zest of 1 orange
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1½ cups flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ cup dried cranberries
• ½ cup sliced almonds

Instructions:

1. Cream butter and sugar. Add egg, orange zest, vanilla.
2. Mix dry ingredients, then combine. Fold in cranberries and almonds.
3. Chill dough 30 minutes.
4. Scoop and bake at 350°F for 10–12 minutes.

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7. Sweet Potato Chocolate Chip Cookies

Description: Sweet potato in cookies? YES. It adds moisture, natural sweetness, and pairs shockingly well with dark chocolate and cinnamon.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup mashed sweet potato
• ½ cup butter
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1¾ cups flour
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips

Instructions:

1. Cream butter and sugars. Add sweet potato, egg, vanilla.
2. Mix in dry ingredients. Fold in chocolate chips.
3. Scoop dough and bake at 350°F for 11–13 minutes.
4. Cool slightly before eating (but they’re irresistible warm!).

8. Salted Caramel Apple Pie Cookies

Description:
Everything you love about caramel apple pie, baked into chewy, gooey cookies. These are a hit at every fall gathering and taste like a warm hug from Grandma — with a modern salty-sweet twist.

Ingredients:

• 1 sheet refrigerated pie crust
• ½ cup apple pie filling (chopped finely)
• ¼ cup caramel sauce
• 1 egg (beaten, for egg wash)
• Coarse sea salt
• 1 tbsp sugar + ½ tsp cinnamon (for topping)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment.
2. Roll out the pie crust and use a round cutter to cut 12 circles.
3. Spoon 1 tsp of chopped apple filling and a drizzle of caramel on 6 circles.
4. Top with remaining 6 circles. Press edges with a fork to seal.
5. Brush tops with egg wash, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and a pinch of sea salt.
6. Bake for 15–18 minutes until golden and bubbling. Cool slightly before devouring.

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9. Pumpkin Cheesecake Swirl Cookies

Description:
Pumpkin meets cheesecake in this visually stunning cookie. Each bite is soft, creamy, and melt-in-your-mouth — like a pumpkin spice dream crossed with your favorite dessert.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup pumpkin purée (blotted dry)
• 1 egg yolk
• 1½ cups flour
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp nutmeg

Cheesecake swirl:

• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• 2 tbsp sugar
• ¼ tsp vanilla

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line trays with parchment.
2. Cream butter and sugar. Add pumpkin and egg yolk. Mix in dry ingredients.
3. In a separate bowl, mix swirl ingredients until smooth.
4. Scoop cookie dough, make a small indent, and swirl in ½ tsp cheesecake mix.
5. Bake for 12–14 minutes until edges are set and centers puffed. Cool fully.

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10. Maple Glazed Oatmeal Pecan Cookies

Description:
Rustic, chewy oatmeal cookies packed with toasted pecans and drizzled in a buttery maple glaze. These are comfort food in cookie form — and they’re dangerously easy to love.

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup unsalted butter
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1½ cups old-fashioned oats
• 1 cup flour
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ½ cup chopped toasted pecans

Glaze:

• ½ cup powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp maple syrup

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line sheet with parchment.
2. Cream butter and sugar, then add egg, maple syrup, and vanilla.
3. Mix dry ingredients and stir in with pecans.
4. Drop spoonfuls onto tray and flatten slightly. Bake 10–12 mins.
5. Mix glaze ingredients and drizzle over cooled cookies.

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11. Chai Snickerdoodle Cookies

Description:
Your favorite snickerdoodle, upgraded with warm chai spices. These are soft, pillowy, and coated in a cinnamon-cardamom sugar crust that makes every bite feel like fall in a cup.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup butter, softened
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1½ cups flour
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp cream of tartar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp chai spice (or mix: cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves)

Topping:

• 2 tbsp sugar + ½ tsp cinnamon + ¼ tsp cardamom

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Cream butter and sugar, add egg and vanilla.
3. Mix in dry ingredients until soft dough forms.
4. Roll dough into balls, then coat in topping mix.
5. Bake for 10–12 mins until crackled and puffy.

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12. Sweet Potato Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Description:
Yes, sweet potato in cookies — and you’ll never go back. These are ultra-moist, earthy-sweet, and studded with dark chocolate chunks. They taste like a brownie and a muffin had a baby.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup mashed roasted sweet potato
• ½ cup butter, melted
• ⅓ cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1½ cups flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ¾ cup dark chocolate chunks

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Mix sweet potato, butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla.
3. Fold in flour, baking powder, cinnamon. Then add chocolate chunks.
4. Scoop dough onto tray, flatten gently.
5. Bake 11–13 mins. Cool on rack.

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13. Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies

Description:
Bright, buttery, and bursting with tangy cranberry and citrus zest, these shortbread cookies are an elegant twist for your fall cookie plate. And yes — they slice and bake like a dream.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, cold & cubed
• ¾ cup powdered sugar
• 2 cups flour
• Zest of 1 orange
• ½ cup dried cranberries, finely chopped
• Pinch of salt

Instructions:

1. In a processor or bowl, mix butter and sugar.
2. Add flour, zest, cranberries, and salt. Mix until dough forms.
3. Shape into a log, wrap in plastic, and chill 1 hour.
4. Slice ¼” thick and bake at 325°F for 13–15 mins until edges golden.

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14. Spiced Pumpkin Biscotti

Description:
Crispy, dunkable, and filled with fall flavor. These pumpkin biscotti are perfect with coffee, tea, or hot cider — and they make amazing edible gifts (if you don’t eat them all first).

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ cup pumpkin purée
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla

Optional glaze:

• White chocolate or cinnamon glaze

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line tray with parchment.
2. Mix dry ingredients. In another bowl, whisk pumpkin, eggs, and vanilla.
3. Combine wet and dry. Form dough into a log on tray.
4. Bake 25 mins. Cool 10 mins. Slice into ½” pieces.
5. Bake slices 12 mins per side. Drizzle glaze if desired.

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15. Molasses Maple Leaf Cookies

Description:
Deeply flavored with molasses and fall spices, these maple leaf-shaped cookies are as beautiful as they are delicious. They taste like fall forests and crisp October mornings.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup butter
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup molasses
• 1 egg
• 1½ cups flour
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ginger
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp nutmeg
• Pinch of cloves

Instructions:

1. Cream butter and sugar. Add molasses and egg.
2. Mix dry ingredients and fold into wet. Chill dough 30 mins.
3. Roll out, cut with leaf-shaped cookie cutters.
4. Bake at 350°F for 9–11 mins. Cool, then decorate or dust with sugar.