These melt-in-your-mouth Pumpkin Cookies are made with canned pumpkin and warm spices and topped with a dreamy cream cheese frosting! They take 30 minutes to make and taste like fall in cookie form.
Easy Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting
The weather might still feel like summer here in the South, but the minute September hits, I start pulling out the pumpkin recipes. These cookies are a good place to start, soft, fluffy, spiced just right, and topped with a tangy cream cheese frosting that makes them taste like a bakery treat.
Since I don’t like coffee, I don’t get my pumpkin spice latte fix so I have to revert to pumpkin desserts instead!
I grew up with moist pumpkin bread and creamy pies, but cookies were trickier. My initial attempts were too runny or bland. So I tested batch after batch until I figured out what actually works for pumpkin cookies.
The Secret to Cakey, Soft Pumpkin Cookies
Pumpkin brings a lot of moisture. That’s great for breads and cakes, but when you try to make cookies, all that liquid can weigh them down. That’s why I use just one egg and plenty of pumpkin pie spice. The egg gives structure without making them rubbery, and the spice blend balances pumpkin’s natural sweetness without needing tons of sugar.
Another trick? Creaming the butter and sugar really well. Don’t rush this step. The air pockets you create here are what give the cookies their “lift,” so they don’t end up dense.
Choosing the Right Pumpkin
I can’t say this enough: use 100% pure canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling. Pie filling is already loaded with sugar and spices, and it’ll throw everything off. If you’ve got leftover pumpkin after making these, try it in a super moist pumpkin sheet cake or swirl it into cream cheese muffins.
Ingredients For Cakey Pumpkin Cookies
For full recipe ingredients and instructions, scroll down to the recipe card below!
Step-By-Step
Step One: Make The Cookie Dough
Step Two: Bake
Step Three: Make The Cream Cheese Frosting
Combine all the ingredients for the cream cheese frosting, beat until fluffy. If you want even more pumpkin spice flavor, try a spiced up frosting.
Want to really lean into fall baking? Make an unbelievable pumpkin layer cake while the cookies cool. It’s light, fluffy, and uses the same spices you already have out.
Don’t Forget!
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Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter room temp
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 ¼ cups pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 egg
FROSTING
- 4 ounces cream cheese room temp
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- pumpkin pie spice for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º, line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together, flour, baking powder, soda, spices and salt.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine butter and sugars and beat for 1 -2 minutes until light and fluffy. Add pumpkin, egg and vanilla and beat until well mixed. Add flour mixture and beat until just combined.
- Using a 11/2 tablespoon cookie scoop, drop dough onto prepared cookie sheets. Use your fingers dipped in flour to slightly flatten the tops.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the tops bounce back when lightly touched. Cool on wire rack.
- For the frosting, combine butter and cream cheese in a medium bowl and mix with electric mixer until smooth. Add vanilla and powdered sugar and beat until well combined. It should be slightly thick. Spread on cooled cookies and sprinkle with pumpkin pie spice.
Notes
- You can sprinkle the tops with cinnamon or nutmeg instead of pumpkin spice.
- Place the cream cheese frosting in a piping bag and pipe it onto the top of the cookies for a cleaner look.
- Use a cookie scoop to scoop out the dough for even cookies.
