Soft Pumpkin Cookies With Cream Cheese Frosting
Soft pumpkin cookies are soft, thick, pillowy, and perfectly spiced. They’re topped with a tangy cream cheese frosting which makes the perfect melt in your mouth combination.
Servings 12 Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
Soft Pumpkin Cookies
- ⅓ cup pumpkin puree, blotted dry (75g)
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (160g)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature (113g)
- ½ cup light brown sugar (100g)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (50g)
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 3 oz cream cheese, room temperature (85g)
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature (42g)
- ¾ cup powdered sugar (90g)
- ⅛ tsp salt
Instructions
Soft Pumpkin Cookies
- Blot the pumpkin puree until it's no longer "mushy." I place the pumpkin puree on a plate and then blot. It doesn't have to be completely dry. Refer to the image in the post for guidance. Set aside.⅓ cup pumpkin puree, blotted dry
- Whisk the dry ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside.1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 tsp baking soda, ½ tsp baking powder, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice, ½ tsp kosher salt
- In a large bowl, beat the butter for 30 seconds on high speed. Add the sugars and cream together in high speed, about 2 minutes. Add in the pumpkin puree, egg, and vanilla extract and mix until combined.½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature, ½ cup light brown sugar, ¼ cup granulated sugar, 1 egg, 1 tsp pure vanilla extract, ⅓ cup pumpkin puree, blotted dry
- Add the dry ingredients in 2 parts (to avoid a mess). Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Don't skip this step because the dough is very sticky and hard to work with.
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ (177℃). Line a baking tray with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside. Remove the cookie dough from the fridge. Use a 1.5 tablespoon scoop and roll the dough into balls. Place 6 cookie dough balls on a tray, about 2 inches apart. Bake for 12-14 minutes. The centers will look soft. I find that 13 minutes is perfect for my oven.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack. Let the cookies cool completely before frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a medium size bowl, beat the softened cream cheese and unsalted butter until smooth and combined. Add in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and whip until combined.3 oz cream cheese, room temperature, 3 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature, ¾ cup powdered sugar, ⅛ tsp salt
- To frost the cookies, use a knife or an offset spatula and spread on the frosting. Make sure the cookies are completely cool before adding frosting or it will melt. Optional, dust on ground cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice on top.
- Because these cookies have cream cheese frosting, store them in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for 2 months. Let the cookies reach room temperature before serving. If you want, you can keep the cookies covered at room temperature, and then add the frosting before serving! These cookies are moist enough that the cold doesn't dry them out!
Notes
- Tools That Helped Me Bake This Recipe: Baking Pans | Mixing Bowls | Electric Handheld Mixer | Spatula | Cooling Rack | Small Mesh Strainer | Parchment Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats