Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting
Soft pumpkin drop cookies topped with cream cheese frosting. Use plain canned puree, cool completely before frosting, and refrigerate for storage.
Ingredients
For the cookies
- 2.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice Dough amount; optional finishing spice listed separately
- 0.5 teaspoon salt
- 0.75 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 0.75 cup granulated sugar
- 0.5 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1.25 cups canned pumpkin puree Plain canned puree, not pie filling
- 1 large egg (room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the frosting
- 8 ounces block-style cream cheese (softened but still cool)
- 0.25 cup unsalted butter (softened but still cool)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1.75 cups confectioners’ sugar (sifted)
Optional finish
- 1/4 teaspoon additional pumpkin pie spice For a light dusting across the batch
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°F and line baking trays. Blend flour, both leaveners, the dough spice, and salt in a bowl.
- Beat the ¾ cup dough butter with granulated and brown sugars about 3 minutes. Mix in pumpkin puree, egg, and dough vanilla. Fold in the flour mixture only until combined.
- Divide into 30 similar mounds, approximately heaping-tablespoon portions. Put 10 on each lined tray with about 2 inches between them.
- Bake 13–15 minutes per tray until the cookie centers and edges are set. Bake the three trays sequentially, keeping unused dough cool. Leave each tray 5 minutes before transferring cookies to a rack for around 40 minutes more, or until fully cold.
- Beat the separate cream cheese and ¼ cup frosting butter until smooth. Mix in frosting vanilla and sifted powdered sugar just until evenly creamy. If too loose, chill briefly and stir again.
- Spread frosting over the cooled batch and optionally dust with the separate ¼ teaspoon spice allowance. Store covered in the refrigerator for 3–4 days.
Notes
Quantities are listed once, with separate dough and frosting butter/vanilla. Plain canned puree is required. Divide into 30 medium cookies. Timing covers three sequential 15-minute trays and approximately 45 minutes cooling, extending until fully cold before frosting. Frosted cookies need refrigerated storage.