Soft Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

Soft pumpkin cookies with cream cheese frosting are the perfect dessert you need this fall! These cookies are soft and cakey, topped with tangy cream cheese frosting for a dessert you won’t want to miss.

Welp, fall has finally arrived. The weather in the northeast went from 86 degrees, sunny and straight up HOT last week to cool, shacket weather. It escalated quickly, but I don’t mind. When summer is done, it’s done and I have no desire to try and hang onto it through September. Let’s move on to apples and pumpkins and all the Halloween things.

Speaking of pumpkin, can we talk about these soft pumpkin cookies with cream cheese frosting? They are like soft little pillows of autumnal goodness and I am so here for it. Topped with cream cheese frosting - the only way to top a pumpkin dessert is with cream cheese frosting, unless we’re talking about pumpkin pie - these are so delicious. I made a few batches of these cookies during recipe testing, and my family could not keep their hands off of them. Be prepared for dinners to be ruined and for these soft pumpkin cookies to disappear very, very quickly.

There is just so much pumpkin spice everything this time of year, and really…can we just stop? It’s too much. Let’s take it back to basics. I’m here for highlighting the pumpkin and not over-spicing it. These cookies do just that.

Soft Pumpkin Cookies Ingredients:

• Pure pumpkin. It all starts here. This recipe uses 1 cup of pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling), so have another recipe at the ready to use up the rest. Might I suggest pumpkin muffins?

• Browned butter. Yes, this should be the base for every cookie and every dessert. The browned butter adds an unparalleled depth of flavor to these soft pumpkin cookies. Don’t skip this step. I know you’ll want to. But don’t.

• Sugar. Two kinds! Regular granulated sugar AND brown sugar. Because the best cookies also always use brown sugar. Didn’t you know?

• Egg. Just 1 egg to help hold it all together.

• Vanilla extract. Because you can never have enough vanilla extract, it is a must in just about all baked goods.

• All-purpose flour. I always have all-purpose flour on hand for all the things and when the urge to bake something hits.

• Baking powder and baking soda. Baking powder helps the dough spread up and out. Baking soda helps make these soft and fluffy.

• Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. All ground spices that give these cookies lots of fall flavor. You could use pumpkin pie spice…but I prefer the taste of the individual spices.

• Kosher salt. I made these and forgot to add the salt…big mistake. Huge. Salt balances out the flavors and keeps these from getting too sweet. Do not forget the salt. Ever.

Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients:

• Cream cheese. 1 block, softened.

• Butter. Regular, unsalted butter this time. 1 stick will do it.

• Confectioners’ sugar. A small amount to sweeten these babies up.

• Vanilla extract. Again, this adds some flavor to the sweetness.

How to Make Soft Pumpkin Cookies:

• First, you’ll want to brown the butter and set it aside to cool for 30-60 minutes

• Next, place the browned butter into a stand mixer. Add the sugars and cream together for 30 seconds. Add the pumpkin and beat until combined.

• Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat together.

• In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and salt.

• Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in the mixer. I added the dry ingredients in 2-3 batches. Mix until just combined.

• Chill the dough for 30 minutes and while it’s chilling, preheat the oven.

• Then, you scoop the pumpkin cookies by the tablespoon onto parchment-lined baking sheets.

• Bake for 8-10 minutes, rotating the baking sheets after the first 5 minutes.

• Let cool completely and make the frosting.

How to Make Cream Cheese Frosting:

• Place the softened cream cheese and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer.

• Beat together until completely combined and fluffy.

• Add the confectioners’ sugar. Stir slowly to combine, then turn up the mixer speed to medium to really beat it together until fluffy.

• Drop in the vanilla extract and beat to combine.

• Frost the cookies!

Tips for Making Soft Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting:

• Parchment paper makes this a very easy clean up. The pumpkin cookies baked well on parchment cut to size on a baking sheet.

• Cookies will spread only slightly when baking. I put 12 on a cookie sheet at a time.

• Let the cookies cool completely on a wire rack before frosting them.

• These cookies will keep in an airtight container for 3 days. You may also freeze the cookies and frost them at a later date.

Author: Rachel Humiston

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Soft Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

Soft pumpkin cookies with cream cheese frosting are the perfect dessert you need this fall! These cookies are soft and cakey, topped with tangy cream cheese frosting for a dessert you won’t want to miss.

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 10 MinInactive time: 30 MinTotal time: 55 Min

Ingredients

Soft Pumpkin Cookies

• 1/2 C butter, melted, browned and cooled
• 3/4 C sugar
• 3/4 C brown sugar
• 1 C pure pumpkin
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 ½ C all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp tsp cloves
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• Optional: mix-ins like chopped pecans, dried cranberries or chocolate chips

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 8 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 C confectioners' sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Optional: chopped pecans for topping and extra ground cinnamon for dusting

Instructions

Soft Pumpkin Cookies

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, brown the butter and then set it aside to cool for 30-60 minutes.
2. Place the cooled browned butter into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the sugars and cream together for 30 seconds.
3. Add the pumpkin and beat until combined.
4. Next, add the egg and vanilla extract to the mixture and beat together.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and salt.
6. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in the mixer. I added the dry ingredients in 2-3 batches. Mix until just combined.
7. If adding any mix-ins, like nuts, dried fruit or chocolate chips, gently stir them in by hand with a rubber spatula.
8. Chill the dough for 30 minutes and while it’s chilling, preheat the oven.
9. Scoop the pumpkin dough by the tablespoon onto 2 parchment-lined baking sheets.
10. Bake for 8-10 minutes, rotating the baking sheets after the first 5 minutes.
11. Let cool completely and make the frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1. Place the softened cream cheese and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer.
2. Beat together until completely combined and fluffy.
3. Add the confectioners’ sugar. Stir slowly to combine, then turn up the mixer speed to medium to really beat it together until fluffy.
4. Drop in the vanilla extract and beat to combine.
5. Frost the cookies!
6. Add optional toppings like chopped pecans and ground cinnamon.

What do you think? Would you try these soft pumpkin cookies with cream cheese frosting?