Soft Pumpkin Cookies with Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting

Stack of soft pumpkin cookies with cream cheese icing.

Soft Pumpkin Cookies with Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting

A cross between cake and cookie, soft Pumpkin Cookies are topped with pumpkin spice cream cheese frosting. They're the perfect autumn treat!

Prep Time17

Cook Time12

Chill Time30

Total Time59

Makes cookies

Recipe from: Deanne Frieders | This Farm Girl Cooks

Ingredients

To Make the Pumpkin Cookies:

2 large eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 ½ cups all-purpose 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 softened
½ cup butter (one stick), softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Instructions

To Make the Pumpkin Cookies

To Make the Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting

In a mixer, beat together 2 large eggs, 1 cup pumpkin puree, and 1 cup canola oil until well mixed. Add 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules.
Mix in dry ingredients (3 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt and 1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice) until just combined. Chill dough for at least 30 minutes.
This is a great time to set your cream cheese and butter out to soften for the cream cheese frosting.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Scoop dough onto baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart.
Bake for 12–14 minutes, until edges are set. Cool on baking sheet 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. I repeat in an every loving way - let them cool completely.
For the frosting: Beat 8 ounces cream cheese and ½ cup butter until smooth. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 cups powdered sugar, and 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice. Blend until creamy.
Frost cooled cookies and dust with a little extra pumpkin spice if desired.

Farm Girl Tips

My home economics teacher taught us to read an entire recipe all the way through before starting so....I hope that's what you're doing!

Tips

Don’t skip chilling the dough – it helps the cookies puff up and keeps them soft.
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.

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!

Make Ahead: Pumpkin cookie batter can be made 2-3 days before baking. Simply refrigerate and pull out the batter when you're ready to bake!

Storage: Keep cookies in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Freezing: Freeze unfrosted cookies in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature, then frost before serving. If freezing frosted cookies, freeze on a baking sheet until firm, then layer with parchment in a container.

Nutrition