Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting
Pumpkin cookies with cream cheese frosting are moist, chewy, and full of all the best fall spices. These cookies are the perfect choice to make during the fall season.
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup salted sweet cream butter softened
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed
- 15 ounces pumpkin puree
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- ½ cup salted sweet cream softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 2 teaspoons clear vanilla flavoring
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice optional garnish
Instructions
Cookie Dough
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and ground cinnamon. Set it aside.
- Using a stand mixer, or a medium-sized mixing bowl and a handheld mixer on medium-high speed, cream together the softened butter and vegetable oil for 1 minute.
- Lower the mixer speed to low, add the granulated sugar and brown sugar, and increase the mixer speed to medium-high. Mix for another 1 minute. Using a silicone spatula, scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.
- Lower the mixer speed to low, add in the pumpkin puree, increase the speed to medium, and mix just until the pumpkin is completely incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Lower the mixer speed to low, and add in the vanilla extract and the eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well after each egg.
- Keeping the mixer speed on low, slowly add in the flour mixture. Mix just until all ingredients are well incorporated.
- Using a 1 to 1 ½ tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop out the cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Space the dough 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Allow the cookies to completely cool before frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Using a stand mixer, or a medium-sized mixing bowl and a handheld mixer on medium-high speed, cream together the softened cream cheese, clear vanilla flavoring, and butter for 1 to 1 ½ minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula.
- Lower the mixer speed to low, slowly add in the powdered sugar. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and continue mixing for another 1 to 1 ½ minutes.
- Lower the mixer speed to medium and slowly add the milk. Mix just until the frosting is smooth.
- Once the cookies have completely cooled, spoon 1 tablespoon (or more if you wish) of frosting onto each cookie, smoothing out to the edges. If you wish, you can gently dust the tops of the cookie with the pumpkin pie spice.
Notes
PRO TIP: Watch out when you are at the grocery store that you buy pure pumpkin puree and not canned pumpkin pie filling.
PRO TIP: These cookies can also be made larger (2 to 3 tablespoons) size.
PRO TIP: You can make these as sandwich cookies with the frosting on the inside as well.