These Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting are soft, moist, and full of warm spices. They have a perfect cake-like texture that melts in your mouth. Don’t forget the cream cheese frosting that pulls it all together for the perfect fall cookie.
For more favorite fall baking recipes, try this Sweet Potato Pie or this Caramel Apple Crisp.
Once there is even a hint of fall in the air, I cannot get enough pumpkin. Yes, I am one of those people.
And we are no strangers to pumpkin cookies. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, Pumpkin Sugar Cookies, Oatmeal Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies – even Pumpkin Snickerdoodles! I really have yet to meet a pumpkin cookie I didn’t love.
And add these Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting to your list of fall must-bakes. They are soft, almost like a hybrid cookie/cake. And they are one of those cookies that you have a hard time stopping at just one.
If you are a pumpkin lover, this cookie belongs on your fall baking list!
Ingredient Substitutions and Notes
- Flour: I use all-purpose flour in this recipe. I have not tested it with any other flours.
- Spices: These cookies have a good dose of pumpkin pie spice, along with an extra boost of cinnamon. If you are a fan of straight up cinnamon, you can use all cinnamon instead of the mix.
- Baking Soda & Baking Powder: You’ll want both for the correct texture, lightness, and lift.
- Salt: This balances flavors.
- Butter: You need butter for the cookies as well as the frosting. It needs to be room temperature for both, so make sure to give yourself enough time to let it soften up.
- Sugar: For the cookies, you’ll use a combination of granulated sugar and brown sugar. For the frosting, I have made an addition of brown sugar. Most cream cheese frostings use just powdered sugar, but I use a mix of brown sugar and powdered. It just gives the frosting a little bit of a different flavor.
- Egg: You just need one egg for the cookies.
- Pumpkin: I will typically use canned pumpkin puree. You could use fresh pumpkin puree, but you will want to make sure you drain it before, otherwise it will have too much moisture.
- Vanilla: Vanilla goes into the cookies and the frosting. It adds an extra hint of flavor.
- Cream Cheese: I would suggest using full fat cream cheese. Low fat would probably work, but these cookies call for the richness of the full fat.
How to Make Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting
STEP 1: Mix together all of your dry ingredients – the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. I like to whisk it all together to make sure everything is mixed up well.
STEP 2: Beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer. If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can use a hand mixer, but it will just take extra time for it all to come together.
STEP 3: Mix in the egg, followed by the pumpkin and the vanilla. Don’t worry if it looks a little curdled at this point – that’s normal!
STEP 4: Add the dry ingredients and mix everything together. It will not have the texture of traditional cookie dough – it is almost like a thick cake batter.
STEP 5: Use a scoop to drop the cookie dough onto baking sheets that are lined with parchment paper. I use a scoop that is about 2 tablespoons. Bake the cookies until the edges are set.
STEP 6: While the cookies are baking, make the frosting by beating together the cream cheese and butter. Mix in the brown sugar until it is dissolved. Add the vanilla, then start beating in the powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time. Frost the cooled cookies with the frosting.
Tips and Tricks
This recipe makes a generous amount of frosting, so depending on how thick you like the frosting, you may not use it all.
Store the cookies in the refrigerator. I like to let them come to room temperature before eating.
You can dust the tops of the cookies with cinnamon, or you can add some freshly grated nutmeg.
You don’t want to overbake the cookies, but they are easy to underbake, as well. I look at the edges to see if they have browned just slightly, and if the cookie has lost some of its sheen.
More Pumpkin Desserts
Pumpkin Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
Pumpkin Dump Cake
Quick and Easy Pumpkin Cupcakes
LOOKING FOR MORE FREE RECIPES?
Subscribe to my free recipe newsletter to get new family friendly recipes in your inbox each week! Find me sharing more family-friendly inspiration on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram.
Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Cookies:
- 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8 oz cream cheese at room temperature
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or a silpat liner.
- In a bowl, whisk together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a large bowl, beat the butter with the granulated sugar and brown sugar until creamy. Beat in the egg until combined. Add the pumpkin puree and the vanilla and mix.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix just until fully combined. Do not overmix. The dough is not like traditional cookie dough – it is almost closer to a thick cake batter.
- Using a 2 tablespoon scoop, scoop the cookie dough and drop onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies 2 inches apart.
- Baking one sheet at a time, bake the cookies until set, about 15-16 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
- While the cookies are cooling, make the frosting. Beat the cream cheese and butter together until light and creamy. Beat in the brown sugar until dissolved. Add the vanilla. Start adding the powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, until fully incorporated and thick.
- Frost the cooled cookies with the cream cheese frosting. Dust with cinnamon, if desired.
Leave a Comment...