Pumpkin Cookies with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

These pumpkin cookies with cream cheese frosting are soft, thick, and spiced with cinnamon and pumpkin spice. Canned pumpkin puree and light brown sugar go into the dough, and the frosting is a cream cheese version of cinnamon honey butter.

The frosting is not optional here. A plain pumpkin cookie is fine. A pumpkin cookie under a thick layer of cinnamon honey cream cheese frosting is the one people come back for. Great for potlucks, classroom parties, or a Sunday afternoon when you want the house to smell like fall.

If you are stocking up on canned pumpkin this month, my Pumpkin Roll Cake and No Bake Pumpkin Pie use the same can. Both are easy recipes that come together quickly.

Ingredients

This section includes ingredient notes and substitution options. Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable recipe card at the end of this post.

• Butter – I use unsalted so I can control the salt. If you only have salted, cut back on the added salt.
• Light brown sugar and granulated sugar – Brown sugar keeps the cookies soft and adds a little molasses flavor.
• Egg and egg yolk – The extra yolk adds richness and keeps the cookies tender.
• Pumpkin puree – Use pure pumpkin like Libby’s, not pumpkin pie filling. Blot it before adding it to the bowl.
• Ground cinnamon and pumpkin spice – Pumpkin spice is usually a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and ground cloves. Adding extra cinnamon on top keeps the flavor strong.
• All-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt – Standard cookie ingredients.
• Cream cheese – Use a full-fat block. I use Philadelphia, straight from the fridge. There is no need to soften it, and cold cream cheese keeps the frosting thick enough to hold its shape on the cookies.
• Confectioners sugar, honey, and light brown sugar – The honey and brown sugar give the frosting a cinnamon honey butter flavor.
• Vanilla extract – Use real vanilla extract, not imitation.

How to Make Soft Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

This section shows you how to make the recipe with step-by-step photos and instructions. For the full printable recipe, see the recipe card below. 

Step 1: Heat the oven to 350°F and line your cookie sheets with parchment paper. Blot the pumpkin puree while the oven comes up to temperature. Spread it on a plate, press a paper towel or dish towel over the top, and repeat two or three times with a clean spot on the towel.

Step 2: Cream the softened butter with both sugars on medium speed with a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment for about a minute. You are not trying to whip air into it, so stop as soon as it comes together. Add the egg, the egg yolk, and the vanilla and beat for one minute more.

Step 3: Drop the mixer to low and stir in the blotted pumpkin puree. Sprinkle the baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin spice, and salt right over the top of the puree and mix until combined, scraping the bowl as you go.

Step 4: Add the flour and mix for 15 to 20 seconds, only until you no longer see dry streaks. This is the step that decides the texture. Overmixing here makes the cookies dense.

Step 5: Portion the dough with a medium cookie scoop (I used a #50 cookie scoop) and space the mounds 2 inches apart on the lined sheets. The scoop matters more than usual here because the dough is soft and hand-rolling it turns into a mess.

Step 6: Bake for 12 to 14 minutes. The tops should be set but still give a little when you press them. Leave the cookies on the pan for at least 10 minutes before moving them to a rack, or they will fall apart on you.

Step 7: While the cookies cool, make the frosting. Beat the butter, confectioners sugar, honey, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt on medium for one to two minutes, until fluffy. Break the cold cream cheese into small chunks with a spoon or a butter knife, add it at the end, and mix only until it disappears.

Step 8: Once the cookies are completely cool, frost them generously. A thin scrape of frosting is not what this recipe is going for. Dust the tops with a little extra cinnamon if you want.

Storage

Because of the cream cheese frosting, these need to go in the refrigerator. Store them in a single layer in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

If you would rather keep your cookies on the counter, leave the cookies unfrosted. Plain, they hold in an airtight container or a resealable bag for up to 4 days. Keep the frosting in the fridge and spread it on right before serving.

The frosting firms up a little in the cold but stays spreadable straight from the refrigerator, so you are not waiting on it to come back to temperature.

To freeze, freeze the unfrosted cookies in a single layer, then stack them with parchment paper between the layers. They keep for up to 3 months. Thaw on the counter and frost the day you plan to serve them.

Additions and Variations

• Add chopped pecans or walnuts. Fold about 3/4 cup into the dough with the flour for a little crunch against the soft cookie.
• Stir in white chocolate chips. One cup, added with the flour. They play well with the cinnamon.
• Swap maple syrup for the honey. Same amount. The frosting comes out a shade darker and leans more maple than honey.
• Finish with cinnamon sugar. Instead of plain cinnamon on top, use a mix of cinnamon and granulated sugar for a little sparkle.
• Try them with a different cream cheese frosting. If you already have a favorite, my Carrot Cake Cookies use one too. I would still make this frosting first, since it was developed for these cookies specifically.

Frosted Pumpkin Spice Cookies FAQ

If you make these, let me know in the comments how they turned out. And if you are baking your way through fall, my Halloween Cookie Recipes and Best Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes have plenty more to work through.

More Pumpkin Recipes

• Pumpkin Lush
• Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes
• Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread
• 2 Ingredient Pumpkin Cake
• Pumpkin Fluff
• Slow Cooker Pumpkin Spice Latte