Pumpkin cookies with cream cheese frosting are soft, cakey, cinnamon-spiced cookies topped with a thick swirl of sweet, tangy frosting. They are a fall favorite for bake sales, Halloween parties and Thanksgiving dessert trays, and one batch makes enough to share.
How to make pumpkin cookies with cream cheese frosting: Cream butter with brown and white sugar, beat in an egg, vanilla and pumpkin puree, then mix in flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and baking powder. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls and bake at 350°F for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool completely, frost with cream cheese frosting and refrigerate.
Why You’ll Love It
- Soft every time. The pumpkin keeps the cookies tender and cake-like.
- A big batch. The recipe makes four dozen cookies.
- Quick to bake. Each tray needs only 8 to 10 minutes.
- Freezer friendly. The unfrosted cookies freeze well for later.
Ingredient Notes
Butter. One cup, softened, for the cookies, and another 1/4 cup, softened, for the frosting.
Brown sugar and granulated sugar. Two-thirds of a cup of packed brown sugar and 1/3 cup of white.
Egg. One large egg at room temperature.
Canned pumpkin puree. One cup. Buy plain pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. Pie filling has sugar and spices already added.
Flour, cinnamon and leavening. Two cups of all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder.
Walnuts. One cup, chopped. They are optional.
Cream cheese. Four ounces, softened, for the frosting.
Confectioners’ sugar. Two cups, for the frosting.
Ingredients
For the cookies
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg, large, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup walnuts, chopped, optional
For the cream cheese frosting
- 1/4 cup butter, softened
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
How to Make Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting
1. Heat the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Cream the butter and sugars. Beat the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add the wet ingredients. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract, then mix in the pumpkin puree.
4. Combine the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and baking powder. Gradually mix them into the creamed mixture. Stir in the chopped walnuts if using.
5. Portion and bake. Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of dough 2 inches apart onto greased baking sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned.
6. Cool the cookies. Move the cookies to a wire rack and let them cool completely before frosting.
7. Make the frosting. Beat the frosting butter, cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla extract until light and fluffy. Spread over the cooled cookies.
8. Refrigerate. Store the frosted cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Do Frosted Pumpkin Cookies Need to Be Refrigerated?
Yes. Once the cream cheese frosting is on, the cookies go in the refrigerator, in an airtight container. They do not belong in a cookie jar on the counter. Cream cheese is perishable, and that makes the frosted cookie perishable too.
| Cookies | Where to keep them | How long |
|---|---|---|
| Frosted | Refrigerator, in a sealed container | Up to 3 days |
| Frosted, set out to serve | On the table | No more than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F |
| Baked, not frosted | Freezer | Up to 1 month |
If you want to bake ahead, stop before the frosting. Freeze the plain baked cookies, thaw them in the refrigerator, and frost them the day you plan to serve them.
Timing the frosting matters as well. The cookies have to be completely cool first. Frosting spread on a warm cookie can melt and slide off.
Tips for Success
When should I frost the cookies?
After they have cooled completely on a wire rack. Warm cookies melt the frosting.
How do I know the cookies are done?
The edges are lightly browned after 8 to 10 minutes. The tops stay soft, so do not wait for them to turn hard.
How big should the cookies be?
A rounded tablespoonful of dough each, set 2 inches apart on a greased baking sheet.
Can I use pumpkin pie filling?
No. Use plain canned pumpkin puree. Pumpkin pie filling is a different ingredient with sugar and spices already in it.
Do I have to add walnuts?
No. The chopped walnuts are optional.
What Kind of Frosting Goes With Pumpkin Cookies?
Cream cheese frosting is the one this recipe uses. It is made from softened butter, cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla, beaten until light and fluffy. Its tang sits well against the sweet, cinnamon-spiced cookie.
How Long Does It Take?
About 40 minutes: 30 minutes of prep and 10 minutes of baking per tray. The cookies also have to cool completely before you frost them, and the recipe does not put a time on that.
Storage & Reheating
These cookies are not reheated. Keep frosted cookies cold, in a sealed container, for up to 3 days. USDA FSIS says perishable food should not sit at room temperature for more than 2 hours, or more than 1 hour if it is above 90°F. Freeze unfrosted cookies for up to 1 month and thaw them in the refrigerator.
What to Serve With It
For another pumpkin cookie, try the pumpkin oat cookies. For a cookie plate, add Baileys Irish cream chocolate chip cookies. If you like cream cheese desserts, there are cream cheese squares, raspberry cream cheese bites, the 4-ingredient lemon cream cheese dump cake and the strawberry cream cheese icebox cake.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you have to refrigerate frosted pumpkin cookies?
Yes. Keep them refrigerated in a sealed container for up to 3 days.
What kind of frosting goes with pumpkin cookies?
Cream cheese frosting, made with butter, cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla.
Can I freeze pumpkin cookies?
Yes, without the frosting, for up to 1 month. Thaw in the refrigerator, then frost.
How many cookies does this make?
Four dozen, which is 48 cookies.
Final Notes
I frost only the cookies I plan to serve in the next few days and freeze the rest plain, because the frosted ones have to live in the refrigerator. If you make them, leave a comment to tell me how they turned out or ask a question.
Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting
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Ingredients
- 1 cup butter softened; for the cookies
- 2/3 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg large, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract for the cookies
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup walnuts chopped; optional
- 1/4 cup butter softened; for the frosting
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened; for the frosting
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar for the frosting
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract for the frosting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Beat the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the egg and vanilla extract, then mix in the pumpkin puree.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and baking powder. Gradually mix them into the creamed mixture. Stir in the chopped walnuts if using.
- Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of dough 2 inches apart onto greased baking sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned.
- Move the cookies to a wire rack and let them cool completely before frosting.
- Beat the frosting butter, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and vanilla extract until light and fluffy. Spread over the cooled cookies.
- Store the frosted cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
