Go Back

Pumpkin Cookies With Cream Cheese Frosting

Pumpkin cookies with cream cheese frosting made with a soft, cake-like dough and baked until just set. Each cookie is generously frosted, then finished with cinnamon and a pressed pecan for a bakery-style look.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 37 minutes
Servings: 30 cookies
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 170
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the cookies
  • 2.5 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 1 lb unsalted butter softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 0.5 cup brown sugar packed, softened
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
For cream cheese frosting
  • 8 oz cream cheese softened
  • 0.25 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 2.5 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 pecan pressed on top

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Bake the pumpkin cookies
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment to prevent sticking and spread.
  2. Whisk all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and salt until evenly combined.
  3. Beat unsalted butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until fluffy, then add pumpkin puree, egg, and vanilla extract and mix until smooth.
  4. Fold the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture until a soft, cake-like dough forms.
  5. Drop dough by 2-tablespoon portions onto the lined baking sheets, leaving space between cookies.
  6. Bake 10–12 minutes, until the cookies look set around the edges but still tender in the center.
  7. Cool cookies completely on a rack before frosting so the frosting doesn’t melt.
Make and apply cream cheese frosting
  1. Beat cream cheese and softened unsalted butter until smooth and creamy.
  2. Beat in powdered sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon until the frosting is thick enough to spread and holds its swirl.
  3. Frost each cookie generously, then dust the tops with cinnamon.
  4. Press a pecan onto each cookie so it adheres to the frosting.

Notes

For the cleanest swirls, frost once the cookies are fully cool and the frosting is at room temperature (soft enough to spread without running). Store cookies covered in the refrigerator up to 4 days; freeze unfrosted cookies up to 2 months (thaw and frost after). For a lighter option, use reduced-fat cream cheese while keeping the butter and powdered sugar amounts the same for a similar texture.