Soft Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting
Soft Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting are a perfect holiday dessert. The cookies have the perfect balance of pumpkin and spice, and the cream cheese frosting adds just the right amount of sweetness.
Servings 24 cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- ½ cup butter softened
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 cup pumpkin puree NOT pumpkin pie filling
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 2 cups confectioner's sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line a large baking sheet with a silpat mat or parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar together until well mixed. If using a stand mixer, make sure to use the paddle attachment.
- With the mixer on low speed, add in the egg, pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract.
- Still working at a low speed, slowly add in the flour, pumpkin pie spice and baking soda. Mix just until combined-- you don’t want to overmix!
- Scoop out 1” balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheet, making sure to place them at least 2” apart. Press each of the cookies down gently to flatten it.
- Bake until the edges are golden brown and the center is set-- about 10-12 minutes.
- Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool while you make the icing.
Frosting
- Beat the softened cream cheese on medium speed until smooth-- about 30 seconds.
- With the mixer on low, slowly add the confectioner's sugar (about ¼ cup at a time).
- When the sugar has been fully incorporated, add the vanilla and mix to combine. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Frost each of the cookies with 1 tablespoon of icing and top with a pinch of pumpkin pie spice if desired.
- Store leftover cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days.
Notes
- Make sure your butter is fully softened so you don’t end up with lumps in your cookie.
- The mix of granulated and brown sugar creates the best rich and chewy cookie.
- Egg binds the cookies together.
- Pumpkin puree keeps the cookies moist and provides the signature pumpkin flavor and color.
- Vanilla enhances the sweetness of the cookies.
- Flour is the structure for the cookies-- make sure to measure using the spoon and level technique so you don’t end up with dense cookies.
- Pumpkin pie spice enhances the pumpkin flavor.
- Baking soda helps the cookies rise slightly while staying chewy and crisp.
- Cream cheese is the base of our icing-- again, make sure it’s fully softened or you’ll end up with lumps.
- Confectioner's sugar sweetens the icing and creates a thick, spreadable frosting.