Soft Pumpkin Cream Cheese Cookies With Frosting

These nostalgic Soft Pumpkin Cream Cheese Cookies With Frosting are pure perfection. These soft and delicious cookies are full of flavor and the tangy cream cheese frosting is the perfect addition. You have to add these cookies to your fall baking!

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Why You'll Love These Pumpkin Cream Cheese Cookies!

Who doesn’t love a soft melt-in-your-mouth cookie? These pumpkin cream cheese cookies are the perfect snack for the fall season. Packed full of pumpkin flavor and topped with a tangy frosting that takes them to another level. I love how simple these fluffy pumpkin cookies are to make. They bake in around 10 minutes and once they are cooled you can top them with that sweet frosting, a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice, and serve them up to friends and family as the perfect fall treat. 

Baked cookies are just one of those nostalgic treats that can take you right back to childhood. You can smell them being baked in the oven and there are so many different varieties you can make. But these soft pumpkin cookies with frosting are up there as being some of our family's favorites and ideal for the pumpkin lover. 

• Easy to make cookies - This pumpkin cheesecake cookie recipe is quick and easy and will bring you the best pumpkin cookies in no time at all. 
• Ideal for pumpkin season - These cookies are such a representation of the fall and everything we love about it. Packed full of pumpkin flavor. 
• Simple ingredients - You only need a few simple ingredients and pantry staples to bring these cookies to life. 
• Perfect for all occasions - Serve them up at a Halloween party, your next fall gathering, or just for your family and friends when you have a sweet tooth craving. 

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Equipment Needed

• Cookie sheet or baking sheet
• Large mixing bowl
• Additional small bowl
• Spatula
• Stand mixer or hand mixer 

Key Ingredients

Pumpkin puree - Make sure you use pure pumpkin puree which you can get in a can and not pumpkin pie filling. The pumpkin pie filling has extra additives and flavorings and also is a different consistency. You could also use your own pumpkin puree. 

Flour - We like to use all-purpose flour for these easy pumpkin cookies. 

Leavening agents - This is what helps you get that fluffy cookie and soft texture. A combination of baking powder and baking soda will give that perfect fluffy cookie texture.

Butter - An important ingredient in any cookie recipe, we used unsalted softened butter for this recipe. 

Pumpkin Pie Spice - This is one of the easiest ways to pack the cookies with flavor. You can also sprinkle some of this on top of the frosting before serving. Buy this premixed at the store or follow my recipe to have a big batch of homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice for all of your fall baking.

Vanilla extract - A great way to add extra flavor to the pumpkin cookies as well as the cream cheese frosting. 

White and brown sugar - We use brown and white sugar within this recipe. The brown sugar and white sugar both add sweetness but the brown sugar has a toasted caramel flavor that is more complex than just plain sugar.

Egg - The egg binds everything together. 

Heavy cream - Used in the frosting this will help thin the frosting out if its hard to mix and seems too thick. A little goes a long way so add a tablespoon to start. You can also use milk.

Cream cheese - We use this for cream cheese filling in the cookie dough as well as using it in the frosting. It adds an overall richness to the cookie.

Powdered sugar - Helps to sweeten that delicious frosting. 

Step-By-Step Instructions

Gather all of your ingredients together and preheat the oven to 350° F. Then line your cookie sheet with some parchment paper. 

In the bowl of your stand mixer or a large bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter. Beat for 1 minute until the mixture is light and fluffy. Then add the brown and white sugar and continue to mix until everything has combined. 

Add the egg, pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract and mix to incorporate all of the wet ingredients. You may need to scrap the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula to get everything mixed well.

Now add your dry ingredients. Add the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix until no white streaks of flour remain. Be careful to not over mix.

Use a cookie scoop to portion out the cookies onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet. You can always make these cookies bigger or smaller depending on the size of your cookie scoop. I liked the size of the cookie with my size 40 scoop.

Space the cookie dough balls about 2 inches apart from each other. They won't spread too much but you want to allow a little room.

Bake cookies for 10-11 minutes. If your cookie scoop is larger or smaller you will need to adjust the time accordingly.

Use a spatula to remove the delicious pumpkin cookies to a cooling rack and cool completely.

While the cookies cool it is time to make the frosting. Add the cream cheese and 3 tablespoons of butter to a medium bowl and beat until fluffy

Add the powdered sugar in small amounts so that it does not fly everywhere when mixed. Finally, add the vanilla extract and heavy cream as needed to the cream cheese mixture.

When cookies are completely cooled on a wire rack add a swirl of cream cheese frosting to the top and sprinkle with extra pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon.

Storage

Once they have cooled to room temperature you can add them to an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator for up to one week. Store in a single layer to keep the cream cheese from smudging.

You can also freeze the cookies when they have cooled. Transfer to a baking sheet and freeze them individually. Once they are frozen you can store them easily in a freezer bag or container. Allow them to thaw overnight before enjoying them. 

Do Pumpkin Cookies Need To Be Refrigerated?

The unfrosted cookies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container, however once you add the cream cheese frosting they should be stored in the refrigerator.

Is Pure Pumpkin The Same As Pumpkin Puree?

Pure pumpkin and pumpkin puree are the same thing and can be used interchangeable in recipes. When a recipe calls for pumpkin puree it is acceptable to use canned pumpkin as long as you check that it is 100% pure pumpkin which is made of a mixture of winter squashes. What would not work is pumpkin pie mix which contains added sugar and spices.

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