These are the BEST soft pumpkin cookies frosted with tangy-sweet cream cheese frosting. Soft pumpkin spiced cookies are the perfect fall dessert recipe! These are so easy to make - no mixer needed.
Pumpkin spice cookies are a new favorite in our house! I made two different kinds this year. This version is a soft pumpkin cookie frosted with a healthy smear of sweet cream cheese frosting.
The second version is a Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie made with extra-0dark chocolate chips. My family loved both of them. It was honestly hard to decide which one was the clear favorite.
What You’ll Love About This Recipe
- Easy. First of all, this recipe is so easy! Every think for this pumpkin cookie recipe gets mixed up in one bowl. Stir with a wooden spoon.
- Delicious and soft. This pumpkin cookie is a soft cookie with an ever so slight amount of crunch on the outside. I tested several recipes before settling on this one.
- Freezer friendly. This pumpkin cookie dough is freezer friendly so it's the perfect cookie to make a huge batch of and then freeze. I freeze them in preportioned cookie balls. Then we can bake a few anytime
Recipe Notes
Whenever you have leftover pumpkin, these cookies are the perfect thing to bake up. This recipe makes the perfect Thanksgiving or Christmas dessert. I love giving cookies as gifts to my neighbors around the holidays and these easy pumpkin cookies are always appreciated by family and friends.
Ingredients you'll need
- Butter: For this recipe, you'll melt the butter and then let it cool.
- Sugar: Both granulated white sugar and brown sugar.
- Flour: I used all-purpose flour. You can also use a gluten-free flour blend in these cookies. King Arthurs is a brand that I have had success with.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: I use a homemade blend. If you'd like the recipe — grab it HERE!
- Baking Soda and salt: for leavening.
- Corn starch: Cornstarch helps to create a dense chewy texture in these cookies.
- Vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste: Either one will work in this recipe.
Ingredients for the Cream Cheese Frosting
- Butter: Softened to room temp.
- Cream Cheese: Softened to room temp.
- Powdered Sugar:
- Vanilla:
- A sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice: (optional)
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1 Melt the butter and set it aside to cool.
Step 2 Strain the pumpkin by lining a small mesh strainer with a paper towel. Add the pumpkin and then let in drain until you are ready to use it.
Step 3 Mix together the granulated sugar and the brown sugar in a medium sized bowl.
Step 4 Mix together the dry ingredients, the flour, salt, baking soda, and pumpkin pie spice. Whisk together to mix and set aside.
Step 5 Add the melted butter to the sugars. Whisk to combine.
Step 6 Add the pumpkin and the vanilla to the sugar. Whisk to combine.
Step 7 Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture. Mix with a wooden spoon until the flour is just combined.
Step 8 Use a cookie scoop to make 36 cookie dough balls. Chill for 30 minutes to and hour before baking.
Step 9 To bake. Preheat the oven to 325℉. Bake for 14 minutes. The cookies will be puffy and slightly brown on the edges.
Step 10 While the cookies are baking, mix up your delicious cream cheese frosting.
FAQs and Expert Tips
The best way to store pumpkin cookies is in an air tight container. Once the icing has set up you can stack them with waxed paper in between. However, they still may get a little bit smooshed.
Yes, you can freeze these pumpkin cookies as long as you wait to frost them.
Once frosted, it's best to store them at room temperature until they are eaten.
I use pumpkin and peanut butter to make pumpkin dog cookies. You can grab the recipe HERE!
Canned pumpkin is essentially canned pumpkin puree. Be careful to not use pumpkin pie filling which is already sweetened and spices are added.
In our house the cookies never last that long. But, these cookies will keep at room temperature for at least a week.
Adding baking soda to cookies adds to the fluffy texture. Baking soda releases CO
Other Holiday Cookie Recipes That You’ll Love
- Chocolate Dipped Shortbread
- Double Dark Chocolate Chip Shortbread
- The BEST Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Fleur de Sel Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Milk Street's Compost Cookies
- Persimmon Cookies
- Pecan Shortbread Cookies
- Pumpkin Dog Cookies
Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cookie Batter
- 1 cup butter melted and cooled
- ⅔ cup sugar
- ⅔ cup brown sugar packed
- ¾ cup canned pumpkin strained in a mesh colander and paper towel (see note 1)
- ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
- 2 ¾ cup all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon¼ baking soda
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice see note
Cream Cheese Frosting
- ¼ cup butter softened
- 4 ounces cream cheese one half of a block, softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar more or less
Instructions
How to make pumpkin cookies dough
- Melt the butter. Melt the butter in a saucepan or in the microwave. Then let it cool.
- Combine the dry ingredient. Combine the dry ingredients including the all-purpose flour, spices, salt, and baking soda. whisk together and then set aside.
- Strain the pumpkin. Line a small fine-mesh sieve with a paper towel. and add the ¾ cup of pumpkin and let it drain while you are mixing together the rest of the ingredients.
- Combine the sugar and butter. In a medium bowl combine the sugars and the cooled butter. Whisk together.
- Add in pumpkin. Add in the pumpkin and the vanilla extract.
- Dry ingredients. Add in the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
- Scoop cookies. Use a cookie scoop to form balls of cookie dough.
- Chill. Chill for 1 hour.
- Bake. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Bake for 10-14 minutes.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Combine the butter and cream cheese. Use a hand mixer to mix until smooth.
- Add the powdered sugar a little bit at a time.
- The more sure you add in the more stiff the icing will be. You will want a spreadable consistency but not to soft.
Notes
- Drain the pumpkin. Remove as much water from the pumpkin as you can. Do this by lining a small mesh strainer with a paper towel. Then add the ¾ cup of pumpkin and let it strain until you are ready to use it. This step helps to keep the cookies chewier and less cakey.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: If you don't have any pumpkin pie spice you can grab the download of my DIY Pumpkin Pie Spice HERE.
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
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