Soft, cake like cookies are full of pumpkin flavor and practically screaming all things pumpkin spice!

Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting
How do I describe these baked pumpkin bunches of goodness? They're in a cookie form, they have a dense cake like consistency and have all the flavor of your Thanksgiving pumpkin pie!
When everyone starts dashing for their pumpkin spice lattes at Starbucks, I stay warm and cozy at home, baking up batches of these cookies.
Even better, these soft pumpkin cookies make the house smell divine!
I started making all sorts of pumpkin treats and desserts for the local farmer's market. These cookies are always the first to sell out!
Tip: Pumpkin lush is a tasty, no bake dessert you'll love too!
Why I love Soft Pumpkin Cookies
- They are soft, chewy and delicious and they stay that way for days
- They're sweet and delicious without being over the top
- They're a cross between all the favorite baked goods - handheld like a cookie, the perfect crumb of a cake and the shape of a muffin top!
Tips for making pumpkin spiced cookies
- Be sure to use pumpkin puree - not pumpkin pie filling. We'll add just the right amount of pumpkin spice to our cookies
- Set out the butter and cream cheese to soften before starting the cookies.
- To keep your cookies soft and chewy, don't over bake. These cookies will be slightly puffy but look closely around the edges and you'll see that they're cooked through.
- Pumpkin cookie batter can be made 2-3 days before baking. Simply refrigerate and pull out the batter when you're ready to bake!
- This cookie recipe requires a 30 minute chill time. Don't skip this step! It helps keep the cookies from spreading thin.
Let the cookies rest for 5-10 minutes on the baking pan before removing. Also, be sure to let the cookies cool completely before frosting. We don't want to lose any of that spiced cream cheese frosting!
I like adding a bit of instant coffee to the mix for a little extra flavor. You can't taste it but it doesn't something magical. You can also use espresso powder. I go with the instant coffee because it's readily available, even when I shop at Aldi!
How to Make the Cream Cheese Frosting
I grew up eating tons of cream cheese frosting, so I can probably make this one in my sleep! It's so delicious when it's spread over the top of pumpkin cookies.
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You can incorporate the pumpkin spice blended into the frosting or you can sprinkle it over the top.
Heck, you can do both!
The biggest hint here is to make sure your cream cheese frosting is softened so it blends right into the other ingredients. You can pull it from the fridge an hour or two before you need it. And taking it out of the box helps, too!
How to Store Pumpkin Cookies
I like to store these cookies in the refrigerator if they'll be out for more than a day. I do this because of the cream cheese frosting, but also because they're such a moist cookies.
Keeping the cookies slightly chilled keeps the integrity of the cookie and the chill is a nice touch, too! It makes me think of pumpkin roll cake!
Other Pumpkin Recipes You'll Love
- Pumpkin Cake Mix Cookies
- Easy Pumpkin Pie Bars
- White Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies
- Pumpkin Spiced Pancakes
- Mini Pumpkin Pies
- Pumpkin Oatmeal (great for leftover pumpkin!)
If you make these soft and chewy pumpkin cookies, leave a review below!
Soft Pumpkin Cookies with Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
To Make the Pumpkin Cookies:
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 cup canola oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 ½ cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
- 1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
To Make the Spice Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- ½ cup butter (one stick), softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
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Instructions
To Make the Pumpkin Cookies
- In a mixer, beat together eggs, pumpkin, oil until well mixed. Add remaining dry ingredients and beat until completely combined, about 90 seconds.
- Chill dough for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350° F. This is also a good time to set out your cream cheese and butter for the frosting. Keep reading for more info about that!
- Using a medium sized cookie scoop or tablespoon, spoon batter onto cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. Batter will be thick but there's no need to spread it out.
- Bake cookies for 12-14 minutes or until the outsides look set. Do not wait for the cookies to brown, these will remain soft. Allow the cookies to rest for 10 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
To Make the Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting
- Set out cream cheese and butter to bring to room temperature. I like to set it out when I begin making the cookie dough.
- Beat together the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and then powdered sugar, a few tablespoons at a time. Add pumpkin pie spice and beat until smooth.
- Spread cream cheese frosting on cooled cookies. Sprinkle with additional pumpkin pie spice, if desired.
Notes
- Be sure to use pumpkin puree - not pumpkin pie filling. We'll add just the right amount of pumpkin spice to our cookies
- Set out the butter and cream cheese to soften before starting the cookies.
- To keep your cookies soft and chewy, don't over bake. These cookies will be slightly puffy but look closely around the edges and you'll see that they're cooked through.
- Pumpkin cookie batter can be made 2-3 days before baking. Simply refrigerate and pull out the batter when you're ready to bake!
- This cookie recipe requires a 30 minute chill time. Don't skip this step! It helps keep the cookies from spreading thin.
- Let the cookies rest for 5-10 minutes on the baking pan before removing. Also, be sure to let the cookies cool completely before frosting. We don't want to lose any of that spiced cream cheese frosting!
- I like adding a bit of instant coffee to the mix for a little extra flavor. You can't taste it but it doesn't something magical. You can also use espresso powder. I go with the instant coffee because it's readily available, even when I shop at Aldi!
Nutrition
This Farm Girl Cooks is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.