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These pumpkin cookies are thick and cakey, with tons of pumpkin spice flavor, and a layer of cream cheese frosting. They’re an easy cookie dough, made in one bowl, that you don’t have to chill. My best is advice is to make a double-batch.
When my sisters and I were little, it was almost an everyday occurrence that we walked to the local bakery for root beers, individual french banquettes and melt in your mouth pumpkin cookies. This is a recreation of the best bakery pumpkin cookies I’ve ever had from West Side Bakery.
Without a doubt, they’re the best you will ever make! Cover them with cream cheese frosting and watch them melt in your mouth. You can freeze them or easily make them gluten free and dairy free.
The fresh pumpkin puree and butter give them a cake-like texture you will drool over every fall season.
Why You’ll Love These Pumpkin Cookies
- Melt-in-your-mouth texture: I’m a chewy cookie kind of girl, unless it’s pumpkin cookies. The cakey texture with the frosting is a dream.
- Easy: one bowl and no chill time!
- Endless pumpkin flavor: thanks to the real pumpkin and warm spices. Your house will smell like you spent all day baking a classic pumpkin pie.
- Nostalgic: They’re an old fashioned soft pumpkin cookie—just like grandma used to make. Or one you grew up on at the bakery down the street (like me).
- Frosting: you don’t always come across frosted cookies, and when you do, you must make them. Pumpkin and cream cheese frosting are a match made in heaven.
Do you love pumpkin recipes? Try pumpkin snickerdoodle cobbler, pumpkin cinnamon rolls, or pumpkin pudding cookies next.
Ingredients You Need
Here are the simple ingredients for these delicious pumpkin cookies. Jump to the recipe card for exact measurements.
- Unsalted butter: this one is key for the best cookies. I tested them with a vegan butter and they turned out amazing.
- Granulated sugar: you have to make them sweet!
- Leavens: baking soda and baking powder to make them nice and tall
- Spices: salt, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice
- Egg: this is a binder and helps bring the dough together.
- Vanilla: whatever vanilla extract you have on hand is great!
- Pumpkin: make sure you get canned pumpkin pumpkin purée and not pumpkin pie mix!
- All-purpose flour: I tested this with gluten free 1:1 baking flour and they were great.
- Cream cheese: this is for the frosting and gives a great tang to balance out the sweetness.
- Powdered sugar: you can’t have cream cheese frosting without confectioners’ sugar!
Do you love frosted cookies? Out of all of my cookie recipes, I absolutely love these eggnog cookies and Taylor Swift chai cookies.
How to Make Pumpkin Cookies
This is a step-by-step guide to make these easy pumpkin cookies. Use the printable recipe card for full instructions.
- Cream the butter and sugar: Beat butter in a large mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer or stand mixer, then add the sugar and beat again for 1-2 more minutes, until light and fluffy.
- Add the spices: Add the baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice and beat until well combined.
- Wet ingredients: Add one egg and the vanilla then beat well, until no yellow streaks remain. Mix in the pumpkin until it’s combined.
- Dry ingredients: Beat in the flour on medium speed until completely incorporated. The dough will be wet, this is what you want!
- Scoop and and bake: Use a heaping tablespoon or medium cookie scoop to drop dough balls a few inches apart on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the tops are set and no longer look wet.
- Frost: Beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in the powdered sugar and vanilla. Frost cooled cookies. Add a sprinkle of cinnamon and enjoy!
Recipe Variations
Add chocolate chips: Skip the cream cheese and fold semi-sweet chocolate chips into the dough.
Blot the pumpkin: to remove some of themoisture from the cookie dough, blot the pumpkin with paper towels. Line a bowl with paper towels and place the pumpkin puree inside. Press the tops with more paper towels to absorb some of the moisture. This removes moisture from the dough itself and makes the cookies less delicate, which is great if you’re transporting them. They’ll still be soft!
How to Store and Freeze
Leftover frosted pumpkin cookies stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 7 days.
Freeze unfrosted cookies in a single layer then transfer to a freezer bag and store for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight, frost, and serve!
Soft Pumpkin Cookie Recipe
Save this Recipe!
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cookies
- 1 cup (2 sticks; 227g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (225g) canned pumpkin puree
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1/2 cup (1 stick; 57g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 8 ounces (225g) cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 3 cups (360g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Pumpkin Cookies
- Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Cover a large cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer on medium to high speed for 1 minute. Add sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice and beat until well combined.
- Add one egg and the vanilla then beat well, until yellow streaks are gone. Add the pumpkin pure and beat again until it's incorporated. Finally, add the flour and beat on medium speed until completely incorporated. Watch the video to see instructions on how to properly measure flour. The dough will be wet, this is what you want!
- Use a heaping tablespoon or medium sized cookie scoop to drop the cookie dough balls a few inches apart on prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until tops are set and no longer look wet. Allow to cool on cookie sheet for a few minutes then transfer to wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Beat together the softened butter and cream cheese in a large bowl until smooth and all of the lumps are gone.
- Sift in the powdered sugar then add the vanilla. Beat until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Once cookies are cool, frost with cream cheese frosting.
Notes
Video
Equipment
- Electric mixer or stand mixer
- Parchment paper
- Baking Sheet
- Cooling rack
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Everyone that tries these, loves them!
Thanks!
We loved these cookies. I did substitute the sugar with honey which I think made them more moist. I cooked a little longer.
These cookies are so delicious and easy to make.
Glad you think so!
BEST Pumpkin flavored anything I’ve ever had! They are light and fluffy as a cloud, and melt like butter in your mouth. I made these for my mother-in-law today and we both ended up falling in LOVE. When MIL tells you to “be sure to save that recipe!” that’s when you KNOW it’s good! 🙂 Thank you for sharing!!
Love this, MIchelle!! What a compliment. I’m so glad you saved it and I hope you make it for years and years. Fluffy as a cloud is a great way to describe them:)
They are amazing!! I also made free cookies too. They tasted just as good. But it takes 14-15 minutes for them to bake.
That’s a great tip, Kim! Bake times can vary based on ovens too. So glad you liked them!
These were the best pumpkin cookies I have ever made. I had some pumpkin left over and didn’t want it to go to waste. This was the easiest recipe. The cookies were soft and the cream cheese frosting was the “icing on the cake” . I will make them again. I didn’t read the whole recipe regarding freeing them without the frosting. I frosted them all so I guess I will have to eat them all:0) Thank you again for this great recipe.
Donna
Love this! Oh darn—guess you have to eat them all!! 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to share.