Pumpkin Cookies With Cream Cheese Frosting

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
The ultimate BEST EVER soft-baked BAKERY-STYLE Pumpkin Spice Cookies with a soft cream cheese frosting! via chelseasmessyapron.com

Soft Pumpkin Cookies with cream cheese frosting and a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice to finish them off!

Are you obsessed with pumpkin like we are? Next, try these Pumpkin SnickerdoodlesPumpkin Créme Brûleé, and Healthy Pumpkin Bread!

Two soft pumpkin cookies with cream cheese frosting, one with a bite taken out to reveal the fluffy interior.

Pumpkin Cookies With Cream Cheese Frosting

These cookies are a soft, cake-like blend of pumpkin cookies, pumpkin muffin tops, and pumpkin pie,. They’re thick, chewy, and full of great flavor and spice.

Over the past few weeks, my boys and I have been perfecting pumpkin treats (like these Pumpkin Pancakes, Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal, and Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies) and we’re thrilled to share one of our favorites: delicious Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Beating butter and sugars, adding egg and vanilla, mixing until smooth, and adding dry ingredients to the wet, mixing until smooth.

Ingredients In Pumpkin Cookies With Cream Cheese Frosting

Dry Ingredients:

  • Flour: This is the main part of the cookie dough.
  • Baking Soda & Baking Powder: These make the cookies rise and get fluffy.
  • Cinnamon & Pumpkin Pie Spice: These spices make the cookies taste like pumpkin spice.
  • Salt: It makes all the other flavors taste better.

Wet Ingredients:

  • White Sugar & Brown Sugar: They make the cookies sweet. Brown sugar also makes them a bit chewy.
  • Butter: Makes the cookies rich and tasty.
  • Pumpkin from a Can: Gives the cookies a pumpkin flavor.
  • Egg: Holds everything together.
  • Vanilla: Makes the cookies smell and taste good.

Pumpkin spice cookies with cream cheese frosting dough balls before and after baking, transformed into delicious cookies.

Cream Cheese Frosting

I’ve tried various frostings for my Pumpkin Cookies over the years, including browned butter, maple, and a glaze. After testing and getting feedback from family and friends, cream cheese frosting emerged as the clear favorite!

  • Cream Cheese & Butter: They make the frosting creamy and good. Here are some tips on bringing them to room temperature quickly.
  • Powdered Sugar: Makes the frosting sweet and smooth.
  • Salt: Just a little to balance the sweet.
  • Vanilla: Adds more good smell and taste.
  • Optional Pumpkin Spice: For extra spice flavor if you like.

Creaming together butter and cream cheese, adding salt, vanilla, and powdered sugar, and mixing until smooth and creamy.

How To Make Pumpkin Cookies With Cream Cheese Frosting

  1. Mix Dry Ingredients: Combine all dry ingredients in one bowl.
  2. Cream Butter and Sugars: In another bowl, mix the butter and sugars, then add pumpkin, egg, and vanilla.
  3. Combine Mixtures: Mix the wet and dry ingredients together.
  4. Scoop Dough: Place the dough onto a lined baking sheet and flatten slightly.
  5. Bake: Cook in a preheated oven until just set.
  6. Prepare Frosting: Beat together cream cheese, butter, and sugar until smooth.
  7. Frost Cookies: Apply the frosting to cooled cookies and enjoy. Store leftovers in the fridge.

The finished soft pumpkin cookies with cream cheese frosting, one with a bite taken out, showcasing their delightful texture.

STORAGE

Can You Freeze Pumpkin Cookies With Cream Cheese Frosting?

Yes, you can freeze Pumpkin Cookies, but it’s best to freeze the dough, not the baked cookies. Drop the dough balls on a sheet pan, freeze until solid, then transfer them to an airtight container or bag with parchment paper between them. Freeze for up to 3 months.

It’s not recommended to freeze the cream cheese frosting; instead, make it fresh when you’re ready to serve.

More Amazing Pumpkin Treats

FOLLOW ALONG! Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates, recipes and content.

Pumpkin Cookies With Cream Cheese Frosting

4.71 from 58 votes
Soft Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting are dusted with a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice to finish them off!
The finished soft pumpkin cookies with cream cheese frosting, one with a bite taken out, showcasing their delightful texture.
Print Recipe

Pumpkin Cookies With Cream Cheese Frosting

The finished soft pumpkin cookies with cream cheese frosting, one with a bite taken out, showcasing their delightful texture.
4.71 from 58 votes
Soft Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting are dusted with a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice to finish them off!
Course Dessert, Snack, Vegetarian
Cuisine American
Keyword Pumpkin Cookies With Cream Cheese Frosting
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 27 minutes
Servings 4 dozen cookies
Chelsea Lords

Ingredients

  • Parchment paper or Silpat liner

Cookies

  • 2 and 1/2 cups all-purpose white flour (See Note 1)
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 3/4 cup granulated white sugar
  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
  • 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter softened, do NOT melt
  • 1 CUP (not an entire can!) canned pumpkin, (do not use pumpkin pie filling; do not use an entire can)
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 4 ounces full-fat cream cheese (the block cream cheese, not spreadable), softened NOT melted
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, NOT melted
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Optional: pumpkin pie spice

Instructions

  • PREP: Prepare a large sheet pan by lining with parchment paper or a Silpat liner. This step is very important to avoid burned bottoms on these cookies. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • DRY INGREDIENTS: Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt to a large bowl; whisk to combine and set aside.
  • WET INGREDIENTS: In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth and creamy. Add 1 cup pumpkin, the egg, and vanilla. Beat until the mixture is creamy. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Avoid over mixing, as it will create denser cookies. 
  • OPTIONAL -- CHILL DOUGH: Cover tightly and chill the dough for 30 minutes up to 10 hours. Chilling is not necessary but it makes the dough easier to work with and intensifies flavors.
  • ROLL COOKIE BALLS: Use a 1 tablespoon measuring spoon to scoop out balls of dough. Each cookie should be about 1 tablespoon in size. Once dough is in the measuring spoon, use a small spoon to scoop it out and onto the lined sheet pan. Try to smooth or round the balls, but it's okay if they're a bit bumpy; the dough is difficult to work with. Leave 2 inches of room for each cookie (I only bake 8-10 cookies at a time) and flatten the balls of dough slightly. (This batter is wetter than normal cookie dough, so don't be alarmed that you can't roll the balls of dough; chill in the fridge for additional time if needed for easier rolling).
  • BAKE: Bake for 8-12 minutes (9 minutes is perfect for my oven!) watching carefully to avoid over baking. We like these slightly under-baked and soft, but the tops shouldn't be shiny/wet looking at all. Remove and allow cookies to stand for another 3-5 minutes on the sheet pan before removing to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling.
  • FROSTING: Meanwhile, make the frosting. In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the softened (not melted; it should be at room temperature) cream cheese and butter until creamy (about 2 minutes) at medium-high speed. Add the powdered sugar, salt, and vanilla. Beat until soft and creamy. Avoid over-beating the mixture or you'll get whipped frosting.
  • FROST COOKIES: Generously frost the cooled cookies and if desired, sprinkle the tops of the cookies with a little pumpkin pie spice.
  • STORAGE: Do not store the cookies in a sealed plastic container. Instead, store on plates loosely covered with foil in the fridge. They're best eaten the same day or within 2-3 days. After that, they soften too much. Freeze un-baked cookie dough balls for up to 3 months; bake straight from freezer for an additional 1-3 minutes.

Video

Recipe Notes

Note 1: If you press a measuring cup into a bag of flour you will pack in too much flour; use a spoon to scoop it into a measuring cup and then level the top with the back of a table knife. 

We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed.

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?

I love hearing from you when you've made one of my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @ChelseasMessyApron or leave me a comment below.

FREE BONUS

FREE BONUS

EASY MEAL SECRETS:
How to Make Mealtime Hassle Free!

5 secrets to easy, fast and delicious dinners.

[gravityform id="2" title="false" description="false"]

Leave a Comment:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




133 Comments

  1. Sounds great!…will be making these! I make cream cheese frosted cupcakes and found that once they’re cooled and frosted, I can freeze them on a sheet in the freezer, then wrap individually in plastic wrap and put them back into freezer…it works!

  2. I make a ginger cookie that sounds like it should have the same texture as this cookie. I often bake cookies on a stone but those ginger cookies never seem to turn out unless I bake them on a traditional cookie sheet. Am I crazy?

  3. 5 stars
    My husband and I made these yesterday and they turned out perfectly! The idea to cook one cookie first to get the perfect time was brilliant! Thank you for the delicious recipe; your website is our go to for new, delicious recipes!

  4. Hey!! these look so soft and amazing!!! I’m so happy I stumbled across your page! I went ahead and got the ebook! its been a huge help, since I had no idea about blogging!! thanks so much!! I’ve learned a lot these past few days!!

    1. Thank you so much Kaylen 🙂 I hope you loved the book and please let me know if you ever have any questions 🙂

  5. 5 stars
    Just made these cookies and mannnnn they came out perfect! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I never thought I could bake something and get it right the first time lol

  6. 5 stars
    I just took these out of the oven and they taste delicious! I plan on making the frosting and frost them tomorrow.

      1. Hello I have a questuon. Have you ever made these cookies with coconut flour for those that are gluten free ? If so are they still soft and good ?

  7. Super fofo,lembra um hambúrguer, deve ser muito bom vou adorar preparar, que bom que encontrei essa receita, este blog está de parabéns.adoro!

    1. I’m late to the comment game here but I’m trying out chilling the dough for an hour to see if I can get the texture to be a little more lofty. The same idea applies to chocolate chip cookies to why the heck not, right?

  8. 5 stars
    Thank you so much Ms. Chelsea I’ll be making these. I was looking for a chewy pumkin cookie recipe such as this. I’m gonna try a glaze with with milk instead of the cream cheese for a lower cal count.????

  9. Thanks for this recipe! Been looking for a good soft cookie recipe for my sister’s birthday. She lives anything pumpkin! I will be making it tomorrow, but can you confirm the # of eggs? You wrote 1 but in the picture above, I see 2 eggs. Thanks!

  10. 5 stars
    I made these yesterday. I posted a picture of them on Facebook and my family came running over. Luckily i had doubled the batch. I took some to work today and got highly compliments. Not everyone got a cookie so tonight I made another batch. Very delicious. I however cooked a pie pumpkin down instead of can. I will not make any other pumpkin cookies besides these ? Thank you so much for recipe. I love love love these cookies

  11. 5 stars
    Yesterday I made these cookies and doubled the batch which i am glad i did. I posted a picture of them on facebook and my family came running over lol. I took some to work today and they were a major hit and not everyone got a cookie. They all loved them. Tonight I made another batch to take to work and my daughter wants to take some to school to. Very delicious ? I will not make any other pumpkin cookie. I cooked a pie pumpkin down instead of can pumpkin. Thank you so so much for the recipe. The best one ever ? Thank you again

  12. 5 stars
    These are my new fall go-to cookies! They’ve been a huge hit at parties and family get togethers (if they make it past the kiddos and hubby…and me!)Thank you!

  13. 5 stars
    very good pumpkin cookies. I added raisins for pumpkin-raisin cookies 🙂 Super tasty and soft. I will make these again!

  14. If i were to make the batter a few days before i need the cookies for an event how do i store it?

    1. I would recommend making the cookies and freezing them. I don’t think this batter would sit well for an extended period of time unfortunately.

      1. I plan on making these tomorrow.. it looks like we cannot save the raw dough or freeze it for later ?? only freeze cookies that have been baked but not frosted correct

          1. 5 stars
            Made these to take to work one day and ended up having to make another batch when I got home for my husband and I. These are the perfect cookie for fall or any time of year, really! Such a great recipe!

    2. I made these tonight and they all flattened out and were a thin and not thick chewy cookie. What did I do wrong?

      1. Did you change any of the ingredients or process? Did you by chance accidentally use an entire can of pumpkin instead of the 1 cup called for? (A common mistake in pumpkin recipes!)

  15. Why can’t you use spreadable cream cheese? I didn’t notice that comment until after shopping and grabbed spreadable 🙁

  16. 5 stars
    Oh my!! There are not even words to describe how delicious these cookies are!! Our family loves pumpkin and these cookies are perfect! Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe!!

  17. Hi, I just came across your recipe and can’t wait to make these cookies. About the pumpkin filling: do you drain or blot the filling to get out some of the liquid? I’ve seen other recipes where that’s done and wondered if you experimented with that at all. Thanks, and can’t wait to whip these up!
    – Brian

    1. Hey Brian! I don’t blot out for these cookies, but I do recommend a good quality, solid packed pumpkin like Libby’s! Enjoy!

  18. 5 stars
    These are literally the BEST!!! I’m kind of obsessed now! ? The first time I tried making them, I forgot to flatten them out, but they turned out amazing anyways! This time, I’ll TRY not to eat the entire two dozen or so. ????

  19. I made these and doubled the amount of pumpkin and think even more pumpkin would have brought out more of the pumpkin flavor. The basic recipe makes soft cookies.

  20. 5 stars
    These are amazing! I used all purpose gluten free flour and they turned out so good. Perfectly soft and fluffy with the perfect amount of spice. Didn’t make any frosting because I didn’t have the ingredients on hand but I dont think they need it, they stand on their own. I also added chocolate chips to half the batch, just because. All were gobbled up quickly by hubs and kids. Thanks for the recipe, I won’t be making any other pumpkin cookie recipe, this is it!

  21. 5 stars
    Fantastic cookies! I made two sheets at the same time for 12 minutes. They were wonderful and chewy even without the frosting. The frosting really puts them over the top. They are quick and easy to make and perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners and potlucks.

  22. 5 stars
    These are like a cookie steak – so rich, filling and delicious. I gave them at Thanksgiving to family and colleagues and they were a hit with both kids and adults. We’re about to make more right now.

    1. Sorry not this recipe! They won’t cut out nicely, they spread and are very cake-like (think like a muffin top!)

  23. I looked everywhere for a recipe for pumpkin cookies. The grocery store I go to makes them from scratch. These are very close to them. Thank you for sharing!

  24. Hello these cookies sound wonderful. I have one question do you think I could make these into cookie bars instead of drop cookies? I’ve done this succesfully with other kinds of cookies just wondering, I need to bring these with me to a party and because of time restraints I thought it would be faster… thanks.

    1. I wish I could be of more help but I’m really not sure with this recipe. My initial instinct is that it wouldn’t work super well, but I’m not sure without personally testing. Sorry to not have a great answer for you

  25. Does the icing dry? Can you stack the cookies in a container to transport or do they have to stay in a single layer? If so, how long does it usually take?

    1. The frosting stays soft and the cookies are fairly soft so I wouldn’t recommend stacking these cookies; I think they’d end up sticking together

  26. 5 stars
    Love this recipe! I am guilty of swapping sugars and using alternative flours in the vain of making bake goods a little more nutritious. However this time, I opted to throw that out the window and celebrate Fall with this recipe sans substitutions! These came out delicious. We didn’t get around to icing them before most were gobbled up. But they were plenty sweet for our three sweets-loving boys without the icing. I like pumpkin spice flavors so I was little heavy-handed with the pumpkin pie spice and it came out great. We added chopped pecans to the tops of the last half of the batch and found it helped to flatten out the cookie by preventing it from sticking to your fingers when you were shaping

    1. I am seriously so happy to hear this Andrea! I’m so glad you guys enjoyed these so much! Thanks for your comment! 🙂

  27. 5 stars
    Everything was perfect. I only had to cook them a little longer because I like my cookies a little bigger so I have more decoration space. I also found that if you put in 6oz of cream cheese it gives it less of a powdered sugar taste, and more of a homemade cream cheese frosting taste. 10/10 will make again!

  28. 5 stars
    Omg omg they are the best cookies ever, my fiancé is the picky person in the entire world, and he love love love these cookies, thank you so much for this great recipe ❤️❤️😍😍

  29. 5 stars
    These cookies are super delicious made them for my family last week and just couldn’t resist making them again today. Thank you Chelsea.

  30. 5 stars
    These were an absolute hit at my bachelorette girls night. People kept raving about them! I would describe these as similar to the pumpkin muffies at Panera but miniature. Next time I make them, I might consider sandwiching them to make “moon pies”. Only change I made to the recipe was I switched up the icing ratios to have a less rich, less sweet, and fluffy icing. I did about 6 oz butter to 3 oz cream cheese

  31. 5 stars
    I used a jumbo egg instead of a large, but the rest I measured out the same. Ended up with cookie sized pumpkin mini breads.
    They were still super delicious, and I’m actually pretty fond of this texture. I’ll have to make these again for the upcoming holidays.

  32. 5 stars
    Soo good! Made them and I literally had to give them away to my sister to avoid eating it all myself. Lol I was curious- would I be able to make the frosting in advance? And how far in advance do you think if refrigerated? Thank you!

  33. 5 stars
    Soo good! Made them and I literally had to give them away to my sister to avoid eating it all myself. Lol I was curious- would I be able to make the frosting in advance? And how far in advance do you think if refrigerated? Thank you!

    1. I’m so happy to hear this Susana! Yes you can absolutely make the frosting in advance! It lasts for up to a week in the fridge in an airtight container. Just make sure to set it out a little bit before frosting so it can come to room temperature to frost easily! 🙂

  34. 5 stars
    Delicious! My oven took about 8 1/2 – 9 minutes to bake them fully. I added some chocolate chip to a portion of the batter, too; they just had to bake a little longer. Super easy to make, and they turned out wonderful. I found that a good indicator if they were cooked all the way through is a slightly golden brown bottom (not to be confused with a dark brown). I didn’t have enough cream cheese, so I made half a batch of frosting instead of the full batch and I had enough frosting for all of them (sans a few, I wanted to leave some frosting-free, but I would’ve had enough frosting had I wanted to frost them). The frosting wasn’t overly buttery or sweet, and the pumpkin spice on top is a nice touch. I’m definitely making these again (especially since my family loved them).

  35. Has anyone tried to half this recipe? I only have 1/2 cup pumpkin. Should I omit the egg or maybe just add a yolk? I really need these cookies this morning!!!!!

  36. 5 stars
    Amazing flavor, light as a cloud! I so appreciated your tips on measuring the flour etc. and my home-made pumpkin pie spice (also your recipe) was excellent. I will be making them again this week because for some reason, they just disappear into thin air, aka my husband scarfed them up!

  37. 5 stars
    Excellent flavor – they passed both the granddad and grandkid test.

    I will absolutely make this again.

    Pictures and instructions were spot on.

  38. 5 stars
    Yum! As stated in the recipe, the dough is sticky and hard to work with so I do definitely recommend chilling the dough before baking.

    These siftd sponge texture

  39. 5 stars
    I’ve made these cookies a few times now and I get compliments every time! They don’t last very long when I take them places. I’ll never use another recipe.

  40. 5 stars
    I have these in the oven right now and I’m soooo excited! My whole kitchen smells like pumpkin. I’m sending them with my husband to work, I can’t wait for the response!

  41. 5 stars
    Thank you for all your wonderful details! These pumpkin cookies came out perfect. I am 72 years old and this recipe was a pleasure to make! Blessings on your future cooking experiences.

  42. 5 stars
    I love pumpkin(so much that I use it to bake all year around lol) these cookies are perfect. I sprinkle the pumpkin spice on after the icing & I think it’s a great way to bring out the pumpkin taste. I can never just eat one of these so the 4 dozen servings works! I have some in my freezer now I just pop them in the oven whenever I’m craving some. Definitely recommend making these.

  43. 5 stars
    These cookies are AMAZING! So addicting and chewy. I had my husband, kids, and coworkers taste test – and everyone loved them 🙂

    1. Sorry I haven’t tested these with homemade puree. I think as long as it’s not watery it should work okay. If it is watery, I’d squeeze out some of the excess liquid first

  44. 5 stars
    These are my go to holiday pumpkin cookies for years now. I am lazy about the frosting bit however. I follow the cookie recipe to the “t” but instead I do them as drop cookies and add 3/4 cups of chocolate chips folded in. My family loves them and they turn out perfect every time.

    1. I’m sorry Amanda, I’ve never tested any of my pumpkin cookie recipes with fresh pie pumpkin! If it’s not watery (thick like canned) I don’t see why it wouldn’t work, but can’t say for sure

  45. 5 stars
    I make these cookies every year during the fall holidays. I share them with many of my friends and everyone loves them and me also, of course! Thank you for sharing the recipe.

Never Miss a Recipe

[gravityform id="3" title="false" description="false"]