These soft and flavorful pumpkin pie cookies taste just like traditional pumpkin pie! They’re topped with a sweet and tangy cream cheese vanilla frosting and are a great way to use up any extra cans of pumpkin puree in the pantry this fall season or any time of year!
Our family loves easy desserts and baking, besides these Soft Pumpkin Cookies, our favorites lately have been these rice flour pumpkin cookies, oreo brownies, peach cobbler cake and oatmeal cookies.
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Ingredients
- Pumpkin puree - Pumpkin pie filling is not a suitable alternative to pumpkin puree so don’t get these two mixed up. The puree gives these cookies a cake-like texture and a good amount of moisture. A good brand of canned pumpkin we like to use Libby’s.
- Flour - All-purpose flour is a sturdy option for chewy cookies. You could use gluten-free flour instead such as Measure to Measure or Bob’s Red Mill. I also like to sift the flour so that no lumps form in the cookie dough. I haven't tried plant-based flour such as coconut flour but I'm sure it would work.
- Butter and eggs - I’ve used melted unsalted butter in these pumpkin treats but you could use salted butter instead and omit the salt called for in the ingredients. The egg should be at room temperature for easy mixing.
- Spices - You could omit the cinnamon since pumpkin pie spice typically includes cinnamon anyway but I enjoy that extra kick of warm spices in these scrumptious cookies.
- Sugar - I’ve used white granulated sugar which adds sweetness to the cookies and makes them crispy on the outside. While brown sugar could also be used, it may make the soft cookies overly moist.
- Oats - Use regular oats for these cookies, not whole grain.
- Frosting - I’ve made a vanilla cream cheese frosting to top these soft and cake-like cookies. All you need is cream cheese, butter, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar. You could also make a maple frosting by adding some pure maple syrup to the frosting mixture.
- We love to use the same thick cream cheese frosting in our other cookie recipes, especially these soft Ricotta Cookies.
For the full list of ingredients, please scroll down where you'll find the recipe card.
How To Make Soft Pumpkin Cookies
In a large mixer bowl beat eggs, sugar, vanilla. Add fresh pumpkin puree.
In a separate large bowl, combine dry ingredients. Whisk to combine and add to wet ingredients gradually.
Mix until ingredients are almost combined.
Refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight.
Shape about 2 tablespoon size cookie dough balls and arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet leaving at least 2 inches apart. Slightly press down the cookies.
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Bake for 12 minutes.
The cookies will have a very soft and moist center inside.
Let the cookies stand in the pan for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Meanwhile, combine the icing ingredients and once the cookies are cool to touch top with frosting and enjoy.
Tips
- Make sure that the egg is at room temperature and the butter is melted for this recipe, as this helps them to mix much better into the cookie batter.
- You can easily double the ingredients to make an extra batch of cookies and store them away in an airtight container in the freezer to enjoy whenever you like.
- Always check the expiry date on the label of your baking soda as old or expired ingredients can affect how these cookies rise while baking.
- Use a cookie scoop for ease of measuring and to ensure uniform-sized cookies that will bake evenly.
- I’ve refrigerated the cookie dough before shaping the cookie balls and baking the cookies. This helps the cookie dough thicken and will also prevent the cookies from spreading flat while baking, which is especially important since this recipe used melted butter!
- Baking time could vary since all ovens heat differently. These cookies should take about 12-13 minutes in the oven but you can insert a toothpick to test for readiness.
- Add in some chocolate chips to make chewy pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.
Freezing and Storing Instructions
Cool the soft pumpkin cookies before storing them completely. Transfer to airtight containers and keep at room temperature for 3-5 days or freeze for 2-3 months.
Easy Baking Recipes
- Cookies And Cream Cookies
- Valentine Oreo Brownie Bars With Chocolate Ganache Glaze
- Red Velvet Cookies With White Chocolate Chips
- Healthy Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
- Peppermint Snowball Chocolate Chip Cookies (No Nuts)
📖Recipe
Soft Pumpkin Pie Cookies With Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
For Red Velvet Cookies
- ½ cup pumpkin puree such as Libby’s, not pumpkin pie filling
- 7 oz butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 + ½ cup flour, sifted
- 1 cup oats, regular not wholegrain
- 1 teaspoon baking soda, sifted
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon ground
- 1 teaspoon salt
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- In a large mixer bowl beat eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Add fresh pumpkin puree.
- In a separate large bowl, combine dry ingredients. Whisk to combine and add to wet ingredients gradually.
- Mix until ingredients are almost combined.
- Refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. Shape about 2 tablespoon size cookie dough balls and arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet leaving at least 2 inches apart. Slightly press down the cookies.
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Bake for 12 minutes.
- The cookies will have a very soft and moist center inside.
- Let the cookies stand in the pan for 5-10 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Meanwhile, combine the icing ingredients, and once the cookies are cool touch top with frosting and enjoy.
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