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Pumpkin Spice Roll Cookies

Pumpkin spice roll cookies are thick and soft, with plenty of pumpkin pie spice in each bite. These cookies are everything you love about fall rolled up in a handheld treat.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Chill Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 15 minutes
Course Cookies
Cuisine American
Servings 16

Ingredients
  

Dough

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice blend
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
  • 2 ounces cream cheese room temperature
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup pure pumpkin puree NOT pumpkin pie filling (I used Libby’s brand)
  • 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Filling

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled
  • ½ cup light brown sugar
  • 1½ teaspoons pumpkin spice blend

Icing

  • 1 cup powdered sugar sifted
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter melted and cooled

Instructions
 

  • In a medium bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, pumpkin pie spice blend, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl, using a handheld mixer on low speed, beat together the unsalted butter and cream cheese for 1 to 2 minutes or until no lumps remain.
  • Add granulated sugar, pure pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract to the butter and cream cheese mixture. Beat for an additional 1 to 2 minutes or until the dough comes together to form a rough ball.
  • Add the reserved flour mixture to the bowl of wet ingredients. Mix together just until all the dry ingredients are fully incorporated. Do not overmix, or your dough will be tough.
  • Turn out your dough onto a lightly floured surface (a piece of parchment paper works great). Form your dough into a rough rectangle and roll it out to a 10x12-inch rectangle that is approximately ¼-inch thick.
  • In a small bowl, stir together the melted and cooled unsalted butter, light brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice blend to create the filling layer.
  • Spread the sugar and spice blend evenly over the dough.
  • Slowly roll the dough, using your fingertips, into a log. You will want to roll from the longer end of the dough, being careful to pinch together any dough that may lightly split open as you roll.
  • Wrap your cookie dough log with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator to chill. When wrapping your cookie dough log, try not to flatten the shape as much as possible. You want to make sure that when you slice your cookies, they are a circle.
  • Chill your pumpkin spice roll cookie dough log for 2 hours or up to 2 days before slicing and baking.
  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Slice the chilled cookie dough log into ½ to ¾-inch thick slices. You should get between 16 to 18 cookies. You can trim off the very edges of the log so that you have evenly shaped and sized cookies.
  • Place 5 to 6 cookies onto each prepared cookie sheet. You need to allow space between the cookies because they will spread some as they bake.
  • Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until just barely golden on the edges. Repeat until all the cookies have been baked.
  • Allow your cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 2 to 3 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
  • While your cookies cool completely on the counter, you can make your icing drizzle by whisking together, in a medium bowl, the sifted powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and melted and cooled unsalted butter until you have a smooth mixture. You should be able to use a spoon to drizzle the icing over the cooled cookies. If your icing is too thick, then you can thin it with a little more milk, starting with ½ teaspoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency. If it is too thin, you can add a little powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, to reach the desired consistency.
  • Transfer the icing to a piping bag or zip-top plastic bag, and drizzle the icing over the pumpkin spice cinnamon roll cookies once they have cooled completely. Allow the icing on the cookies to dry and harden before placing them into a storage container.

Notes

If you use an organic or homemade pumpkin puree, then you may need to place a coffee filter into a mesh strainer and then add the pumpkin puree to it to allow all the excess liquid to drip out. A lot of the organic, or homemade varieties, have more moisture than the standard can of Libby’s brand pure pumpkin puree. The excess moisture will alter your cookie dough and make it too soft to hold its shape when baked.
When flouring your work surface to roll out your dough, be sure to only add a couple of tablespoons of flour. If you work too much excess flour into your dough, then it will not be as easy to roll and can cause cracking.
Oven temperatures vary and may need to be recalibrated periodically to ensure they are accurate. Make sure to check your cookies at the lower end of the recommended baking time.
You can place your cooling rack over a piece of parchment paper on your counter, and when you drizzle your icing, the excess drips will fall on the parchment paper and make clean-up much easier.
You do not have to place your icing into a piping bag; you can just use a spoon to drizzle the icing. I like the use of the bags because it controls the look of the icing drizzle.