These iced Pumpkin Cookies are delightfully soft and chewy, perfectly spiced, and finished with a cream cheese frosting. They’re so quick and easy to make too, so you can have a fresh batch of pumpkin spice cookies ready for Halloween, Thanksgiving, or any fall occasion!
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What’s in this Pumpkin Spice Cookies Recipe?
Sweet, earthy, and warmly spiced cookies are topped with a creamy, rich, and tangy cream cheese frosting.
- Unsalted Butter: Adds moisture to the cookies, making them tender, and forms the base of the frosting.
- Sugar: A mixture of granulated sugar and brown sugar sweetens the cookies, while powdered sugar sweetens the frosting without making it gritty.
- Pumpkin Puree: Gives these cookies their rich pumpkin flavor and bright orange color. Make sure to use 100% pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling!
- Egg: Helps bind the cookies together.
- Vanilla Extract: Enhances the sweetness of the cookies and the frosting.
- All-Purpose Flour: Gives the cookies structure.
- Leavening: A combination of baking powder and baking soda
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: Adds classic pumpkin pie flavor to the cookies.
- Kosher Salt: Enhances the overall flavor of the cookies and the frosting.
- Cream Cheese: Makes the frosting tangy, which perfectly balances the sweet and earthy pumpkin!
Pro Tip: Sprinkle the frosted cookies with some ground cinnamon or more pumpkin pie spice for an extra burst of flavor!
Variations on Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting
These soft pumpkin cookies are so delicious as is, but you can also mix in some chocolate chips, cream cheese chips, pecans, or walnuts for a bit of crunch. Try subbing some of the powdered sugar for maple syrup for a different flavor!
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Pumpkin puree adds a delicious earthy flavor and intense moisture, making these cookies soft and cake-like.
Occasionally, baking soda can react with plant-based ingredients such as pumpkin producing a green color. This is nothing to worry about!
Because of how moist these cookies are, they can turn a bit sticky at room temperature. This is why we chose to frost ours and store them in the refrigerator!
Yes! Because these cookies are frosted with cream cheese, they need to be stored in the refrigerator.
There are 170 calories in each frosted cookie.
How to Store
Store leftover pumpkin spice cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Let them come to room temperature for about 30 minutes before enjoying.
How to Freeze
Freeze iced pumpkin cookies in a single layer on a lined baking sheet until solid, about 1-2 hours. Transfer to an airtight container or Ziplock bag with wax paper between the layers to protect the frosting for up to 1 month. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before enjoying.
Serving Suggestions
Serve these soft and fluffy cookies with a scoop of pumpkin ice cream and a pumpkin-flavored beverage, such as a pumpkin spice latte, pumpkin cream cold brew, or a pumpkin spice white Russian.
Pumpkin Cookies Recipe
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Ingredients
For the Cookies
- ¾ cup unsalted butter 170 grams, room temperature (1½ sticks)
- 1 cup granulated sugar 200 grams
- ½ cup brown sugar 107 grams
- 1 cup pumpkin puree 227 grams (about ½ can) – not pumpkin pie filling!
- 1 large egg 50 grams, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 4 grams
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour 300 grams
- 1 teaspoon baking powder 4 grams
- 1 teaspoon baking soda 6 grams
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice 9 grams
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese 227 grams, room temperature (1 brick)
- ¼ cup butter 57 grams, room temperature (½ stick)
- 2½ cups powdered sugar 283 grams
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 4 grams
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- Ground cinnamon optional, for sprinkling
Recommended Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Using a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugars together in a large bowl.¾ cup unsalted butter, 1 cup granulated sugar, ½ cup brown sugar
- Beat in the pumpkin puree, egg, and vanilla extract. Set aside.1 cup pumpkin puree, 1 large egg, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.2½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and stir until just combined.
- Drop heaping tablespoonfuls of cookie dough onto the baking sheet at least 1 inch apart.
- Bake the cookies for 11-13 minutes. Let the cookies cool.
- While the cookies cool, prepare the frosting: Use a hand mixer to beat the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt together until smooth.8 ounces cream cheese, ¼ cup butter, 2½ cups powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- Once the cookies have cooled, frost the cookies.
- Sift a sprinkling of cinnamon on top of the cookies if desired.Ground cinnamon
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Becky’s tips
- Make sure to use 100% pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling! Pumpkin pie filling already has sugar and spices added to it and will make your cookies too sweet!
Nutrition Information
Can you freeze the dough?
Absolutely!
Delicious cookies and icing, as well as I added pumpkin spice to the icing. Totally recommend these recipes!!
Sounds delish! Thanks so much for sharing, Marleina!