Soft pumpkin cookies topped with tangy cream cheese frosting! Is your mouthwatering? These cream cheese frosted pumpkin cookies are a must have this time of year! The fall season wouldn't be the same without pumpkin desserts to bring on that pumpkin spice flavor!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This is an easy, one bowl drop cookie!
- Pumpkin spice lovers will find these utterly addicting!
- Tastes just as good as a pumpkin roll but soooo much easier to make!
- One of the best pumpkin cookie recipes ever!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Pumpkin Puree - This is canned pumpkin. Make sure the can is pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling. See this article for information on how to make your own pumpkin puree.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice - you can substitute 2 ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice for the cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves if that blend gives you your preferred pumpkin flavor.
- Butter - both salted and unsalted butter are fine.
- Flour - needs to be all purpose flour, never self rising.
How to Make Step by Step Recipe Instructions
- Preheat you oven to 350 degrees.
- Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper or lightly spray with non-stick cooking spray.
- Tip - I like to measure out all my dry ingredients, especially the spices and baking soda/powder and salt so I can just dump them in with the wet ingredients when it's time.
- In a large bowl, (these can be made with a hand mixer or a stand mixer) cream the softened butter and sugar.
- Add the egg and vanilla.
- Beat in the canned pumpkin.
- Add the baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.
- Mix in the flour at a medium speed to make a sticky dough.
- You might be tempted to add more flour, but don't or you will end up with dry cookies.
- Scoop the cookie dough onto the prepared cookie sheet using a #40 cookie scoop or by the tablespoonful.
- Bake for 12 minutes at 350 degrees.
- Cool on the baking sheet slightly before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting with cream cheese frosting.
- Store these cookies in the fridge between layers of wax paper.
- To make the frosting, cream butter and the softened cream cheese in a medium bowl.
- Beat in the vanilla and powdered sugar.
- Beat until completely smooth.
- Frost completely cooled cookies. If they're still warm the frosting will melt off the tops.
Recipe FAQs and Expert Tips
It's best to store these cookies in single layers between sheets of wax paper in an airtight container in the fridge because of the cream cheese frosting. They will last 3-4 days in the fridge.
Yes, you can! To freeze with the frosting on them, chill them in the fridge first before packing between layers of wax or parchment paper in an airtight freezer container.
If you find that you have leftover cream cheese frosting, you can use it as a fruit dip, or you could freeze it. Cream cheese frosting can be frozen in an airtight container. Thaw in the fridge before use.
More Pumpkin Recipes
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Cream Cheese Frosted Pumpkin Cookies Recipe
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes (per batch)
- Total Time: 27 minutes
- Yield: 3 dozen 1x
- Category: Cookie
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Soft pumpkin cookies topped with rich cream cheese frosting! Is your mouthwatering? These cream cheese frosted pumpkin cookies are a must have this time of the year! The fall season wouldn't be the same without pumpkin desserts to bring on that pumpkin spice flavor!
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cookies
- ½ cup Butter (room temperature)
- 1 ½ cups Sugar
- 1 large Egg
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- 1 cup Canned Pumpkin
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- ½ tsp Salt
- 2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- ¼ tsp Ground Nutmeg
- ⅛ tsp Ground Cloves
- 2 ¼ cups Flour
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 oz. Cream Cheese (room temperature)
- ¼ cup Butter (room temperature)
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- 4 cups Powdered Sugar
Instructions
- Preheat you oven to 350 degrees.
- Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper or lightly spray with non-stick cooking spray.
- Tip - I like to measure out all my dry ingredients, especially the spices and baking soda/powder and salt so I can just dump them in when it's time.
- In a large bowl, (these can be made with a hand mixer or a stand mixer) cream the softened butter and sugar.
- Add the egg and vanilla.
- Beat in the canned pumpkin.
- Add the baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.
- Mix in the flour at a medium speed to make a sticky dough.
- You might be tempted to add more flour, but don't or you will end up with dry cookies.
- Scoop the cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet using a #40 cookie scoop or by the tablespoonful.
- Bake for 12 minutes at 350 degrees.
- Cool on the baking sheet slightly before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting with cream cheese frosting.
- Store these cookies in the fridge between layers of wax paper.
- To make the cream cheese frosting, cream the softened cream cheese and softened butter in a medium bowl.
- Beat in the vanilla and powdered sugar.
- Beat until completely smooth.
- Frost completely cooled cookies. If they're still warm the frosting will melt off the tops.
Notes
- Pumpkin Puree - This is canned pumpkin. Make sure the can is pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling. See this article for information on how to make your own pumpkin puree.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice - you can substitute 2 ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice for the cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves if that blend gives you your preferred pumpkin flavor.
- Nutritional Disclaimer
Keywords: pumpkin cream cheese cookies, cream cheese frosted pumpkin cookies, soft pumpkin cookies
Mindee's Cooking Obsession is a positive place and I love to hear your success stories! Remember to keep comments or questions respectful and kind. I reserve the right to delete or reject any comments that are deemed not helpful to other readers or are offensive in nature.
Comments suggesting substitutions of multiple ingredients or rewrites of the above recipe to promote different dietary preferences will not be published as they are not tested for accuracy and may inhibit the success of other readers. Thanks!
Andrea
Oh Yum! Soft pumpkin cookies with a delicious cream cheese topping is just what I need this Fall Season.
★★★★★
Jennifer
I can't wait for fall weather to make these cookies! They're the perfect blend of sweet and savory and they're delish!
★★★★★
Marlynn
These cookies are SO yummy!! They were a hit with the whole family and didn't last long 🙂
★★★★★
Beth Sachs
The tangy cream cheese frosting complements the sweet cookies so well!
★★★★★
Soniya
These cookies looks so delicious and inviting! Can't wait to make them!
Toni
This is such an amazing additional on our favorite cookies! So good and delicious!
★★★★★
Gina
Love combining pumpkin things with cream cheese frosting, it's like the fall version of carrot cake!
Kristen
These cookies were so good! I don't know what was better - the cookies or the frosting - but man I loved both of them!
★★★★★
Tavo
Look delicious and easy to make! I know what I am making tomorrow! I am having such a pumpkin affair!
★★★★★
L.S
Fantastic cookies! A fall favorite. Love the frosting..........on everything!
★★★★★