Nothing welcomes fall like baking a batch of soft Pumpkin Spice Cookies! These easy pumpkin cookies are topped with an incredible homemade cream cheese frosting.
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These super soft pumpkin cookies are the pumpkin cookie recipe that you need in your life.
They’re packed with flavor, topped with a cream cheese frosting that will rock your world, and they actually get better a few days after baking.
What Kind of Pumpkin Do You Use For Cookies?
I recommend the classic pure solid-packed canned pumpkin from the grocery store. It’s super affordable, easy to use, and has a consistent texture that lets you duplicate the same results each time.
If you’re feeling adventurous, check out my post on Canning Pumpkin like a cool kid. You can also find instructions on how to freeze pumpkin here.
If you’re not up for canning, Katie over at Hey Nutrition Lady has an awesome post on homemade pumpkin puree.
Here’s How to Make Pumpkin Spice Cookies
*Printable detailed instructions and ingredient measurements are available in the printable recipe card below.
In a stand mixer,(or a deep bowl with a handheld mixer) cream together the butter, sugar, eggs, and pumpkin.
Add in the vanilla (try homemade) and then the dry ingredients. Mix until combined.
Drop dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake and cool completely.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- The dough for these soft pumpkin cookies will be fairly sticky. Resist the urge to keep adding more flour. Use either a cookie scoop or a large spoon to drop the dough onto the baking sheet.
- The cookies will be very very soft until completely cooled. Be patient and wait until they are fully cooled before frosting.
- If you run out of powdered sugar, check out my tutorial on how to make powdered sugar at home.
- Make sure the butter, cream cheese, and eggs are at room temperature before mixing. Don’t have time for that? Microwave the butter and cream cheese in 10 seconds increments until softened. Place eggs (in the shell) in a small bowl of warm water for 5 minutes.
- Throw 1/2 cup of chocolate chips into the batter and go live your best life!
- Store finished cookies in an air-tight container in the fridge. If you need to stack the cookies in the container, place a piece of parchment between the layers. Check out my tips on how to soften cookies should yours get left out for too long.
- Here is the most awesome part about these pumpkin cookies…they are even better the next day.
Pumpkin Spice Cookies
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cookies
- 1 cup butter {room temperature (2 sticks)}
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs {room temperature}
- 2 cups pumpkin puree {1, 15 oz can}
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Orange Cream Cheese Frosting
- 3 oz cream cheese {room temperature}
- 2 tbsp butter {room temperature}
- 1 tbsp orange zest
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
Making the Cookies
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter, sugar, eggs, and pumpkin on medium speed.1 cup butter, 1 cup sugar, 2 eggs, 2 cups pumpkin puree
- Combine the dry ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and stir to combine.4 cups all-purpose flour, 2 tsp cinnamon, 2 tsp baking powder, 2 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp salt
- Slow the mixer down to the lowest level and add in the vanilla and then the dry ingredients. Mix until combined.1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- Using a cookie scoop, drop dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 12 minutes. Allow to fully cool before frosting.
Orange Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a stand mixer cream together room temperature butter and cream cheese using medium speed until light and fluffy (~3 minutes).3 oz cream cheese, 2 tbsp butter
- Slowly add in the powdered sugar, orange zest, and vanilla and mix until combined.1 tbsp orange zest, 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- Frost your cooled and amazing cookies!
Notes
- The dough for these soft pumpkin cookies will be fairly sticky. Resist the urge to keep adding more flour.
- The cookies will be very soft until completely cooled. Be patient and do wait until they are fully cooled before frosting.
- A previous version of this recipe called for 4 cups of whole-wheat pastry flour and 1 tbsp of vital wheat gluten. It has been converted to using all-purpose flour, but the whole wheat version is still delicious!
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I made these gluten free with King Arthur Measure for Measure and added 5 tsp Xanthum Gum. Might have been too much XG as they were very puffy. I had to smash the dough to get them to stay cookies and not pumpkin spice balls. All of them stayed moist, soft, and delicious. My 6 year old liked them without frosting and ate five warm from the oven, split in half and buttered.
I will definitely be making these again because our garden always produces way too many pumpkins and I end up drowning in puree!
This is very similar to my grandma’s pumpkin cookie
recipe. I’ll have to make some soon!
Did she use a frosting too?
Hi Sarah, these look fantastic! I do have a question though…what is the weight of “a stick” of butter? It’s not a unit that’s used where I’m from – it’s easier to cut the correct weight from the cold block if you know the amount you need?
Hi Pip, it’s 8 tbsp, so I believe that should be 4 oz or a quarter of a pound.
Delish!
So glad you enjoyed them!
These yummy pumpkin cookies were easy to make! I made them with regular flour as that’s whats in my pantry. My kids (3 &7) loved them! My family likes them with and with out the frosting. win/win!
So glad you and the whole gang enjoyed them Catherin!
I am also not a “pumpkin spice” everything fan (I don’t even drink coffee), but I love this time of year because pumpkin pie for breakfast! Also popular, crustless pumpkin pie for breakfast. We may be trying these this weekend! Whatever gets more veggies into the kids.
I like how your brain works Sarah. I’m always down for pie any time, and the idea of breakfast pie sounds amazing.
These look soooooooo good, and I just happen to have six cups of pumpkin purée stashed in the freezer, so I think we know what needs to be done. Swedish cream cheese does this weird thing where it never firms up in a frosting, but I’m gonna give it one more chance here.
I supposed their messed up cream cheese is balanced out by their amazing butter.
These sound great Sarah. Thanks for sharing!
My mom’s pumpkin cookie recipe is very similar (higher sugar content) and also get better after sitting for a day or two. When I was a kid I would help her make all the Christmas cookies, and these were usually the first ones we made because they keep well. We would also freeze the cookies. I would bet these freeze well too, as long as you don’t let them get too moist while defrosting.
Oh, I definitely cut the sugar in half from the original recipe. Does yours call for 2 cups of sugar in the cookies and 2 cups of powdered sugar in the frosting? I mean, I love sugar but damn!
I think they would totally be freezer friendly.
I have fond memories of these cookies. My brother and I couldn’t wait until they cooled. We would steal a few off of the cooling “dish towel”. We would sneak some frosting, and run away leaving a trail of melting, dripping icing. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Awww I love you and your momma’s cookies! Thanks for sharing her with us.
Curse my gluten intolerance, these sound amazing
These are so moist (gah I hate that word) that I bet they would work fine with a 1:1 GF baking mix! If you try it let me know.