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Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

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If fall were a cookie, it would be these Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting.

While I have all sorts of dessert recipes with pumpkin, these cookies take the cake. Laced with cinnamon, tangy cranberries, walnuts- they’ll disappear as fast as you can make them.

pumpkin cookies on a cooling rack frosted with cream cheese icing

These cookies are a no-chill recipe, meaning you don’t have to wait for the dough to chill in the fridge. Instead, you can drop the dough onto the baking sheet and bake immediately; this is great news when you’re ready to sink your teeth into a warm cookie.

Jump to:
  • Pumpkin Cookies Iced with Cream Cheese Frosting
  • Soft Pumpkin Cookie Ingredients
  • How to Make Pumpkin Cookies
  • Cream Cheese Frosting for Pumpkin Cookies
  • Tips for the Best Iced Pumpkin Cookies
  • Can you Make Pumpkin Cookies Ahead?
  • Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

Pumpkin Cookies Iced with Cream Cheese Frosting

These iced pumpkin cookies don’t have the same texture as a standard chocolate chip cookie. Instead, they’re soft and cake-like, almost like tiny pumpkin pillows, topped with cream cheese frosting. 

Are you picturing yourself biting into one of these? I am too. 

I like using cinnamon for this cookie recipe, but you can swap it out for pumpkin pie spice if you want a little more pumpkin spice action. 

The cream cheese frosting is also optional, the cookies are delicious all on their own, but I find it adds a nice touch with the pumpkin flavor and tangy-sweet cranberries. 

pumpkin cookies being scooped onto a baking sheet with cookie scooper

Soft Pumpkin Cookie Ingredients

To make these iced pumpkin cookies you will need: 

  • Butter: gives the cookie a soft texture.
  • White sugar: how we sweeten the deal; for a softer cookie, use brown sugar.
  • Egg: adds structure and helps the dough rise.
  • Vanilla extract: pairs beautifully with pumpkin and vanilla flavors.
  • Pumpkin puree: make sure it’s puree and not pumpkin pie filling.
  • All-purpose flour: can’t make these cookies without it; for a gluten-free recipe, use 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour.
  • Baking powder: makes the dough rise.
  • Baking soda: yes, this recipe gets a double dose of leavening agents because it makes the cookies cake-like.
  • Salt: enhances the other ingredient flavors.
  • Cinnamon: or pumpkin pie spice.
  • Fresh or frozen cranberries: optional, but they add a delicious tart flavor.
  • Chopped walnuts: for optimal crunch!

Check the recipe card for the ingredient measurements and detailed cooking directions!

While these cookies are made with regular butter, sugar, and flour, if you have a sweet tooth, definitely check out my latest cookbook, Clean Treats for Everyone. It includes recipes made without refined sugars and grains but still taste like the decadent desserts they are!

Clean Treats Cookbook

Healthy and wholesome dessert recipes you’ll want to eat made with clean ingredients you already have on hand.
Grab your copy today!

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Buy the Book

How to Make Pumpkin Cookies

Don’t be alarmed that the dough is soft compared to cookie doughs you’ve made in the past. It’s supposed to be soft and easy to scoop. 

Speaking of, while you can scoop these with a regular tablespoon, I like using a cookie scoop. It’s a hands-free way to shape and portion out the perfect amount for each cookie. If you have one on hand, now is a great time to put it to use but make sure it holds up to one tablespoon. 

Without further ado, let’s make pumpkin cookies: 

  1. Prep 
    Preheat the oven to 350F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. 
  2. Cream the butter and sugar
    In the bowl of a stand mixer or large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the softened butter on high for 30 seconds. Add the sugar and mix on medium speed for 3 to 5 minutes or until fluffy, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl when necessary. 
    To the butter and sugar, add the egg, vanilla, and pumpkin puree. Mix to combine.
  3. Make the dough
    Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a separate large bowl. Working in 2 batches, add the dry ingredients to the butter-sugar mixture, combining after each addition. 
  4. Add the good stuff
    Gently fold in the cranberries and walnuts. 
  5. Scoop and bake
    Using a cookie scoop or tablespoon, scoop and drop the dough 2-inches apart onto the lined baking sheet. 
    Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until the edges are just set. 
  6. Cool off
    Remove from the oven and allow to cool down to room temperature before removing the cookies to a cookie rack. 
  7. Make the frosting
    While the cookies bake, in a stand mixer or large bow with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, melted butter, and vanilla extract. Mix until combined and smooth. 
  8. Time to frost
    Once the cookies are cooled, gently frost the tops and enjoy! 

This is definitely the part where you quickly whip up a batch of homemade hot cocoa, pour yourself a mug, and grab a cookie. 

Watch the cookies come together step by step in this recipe video.

Cream Cheese Frosting for Pumpkin Cookies

Top these cookies with this cream cheese frosting, and they’ll melt in your mouth. It has a glossy, smooth texture that makes it easy to spread, and this recipe yields just enough for one batch of cookies, so you won’t have extra going to waste in the fridge. 

pumpkin cookies cooling on a rack

How to Frost Pumpkin Cookies

Make sure to cookies cool down to room temperature before applying the frosting. If you try to frost them out of the oven, the icing will melt, and they most certainly would break apart.

pumpkin cookies being frosted with cream cheese icing

Tips for the Best Iced Pumpkin Cookies

Along with the recipe, I’ve also included several helpful tips to help you achieve the perfect iced pumpkin cookie. These could also be applied to other drop cookie recipes like my Frosted Sugar Cookies.  

Make sure the butter is softened
What does softened butter look like? It’s not half-melted or caving in. Softened butter should be solid, but when poked, your finger or knife will easily leave an indent. 

Cream the butter and sugar
When you cream the butter and sugar on medium speed long enough, about 3 to 5 minutes, it adds air to the dough and does wonders for the texture of the cookie. The cookies will rise and keep their shape without caving in as they bake, producing a soft, “puffy” cookie. 

Use fresh baking powder
Baking powder is what gives these cookies and other baked goods their “lift.” Once expired, the leavening agents in baking powder begin to decline, resulting in flat tops and dense texture. 

Don’t overbake
One of the biggest culprits to tough cookies is too much time in the oven. Once cookies are removed from the oven, they continue to cook on the baking sheet, so removing them at the point that they’re just holding together will ensure evenly baked cookies that stay soft and chewy for days. 

three pumpkin cookies with cream cheese frosting on a plate

Can you Make Pumpkin Cookies Ahead?

You can absolutely make these cookies ahead of time and freeze for later! Here’s how to freeze unbaked cookie dough.

  • Prepare the dough as directed.
  • Scoop onto a baking sheet and freeze for 1 hour or until solid.
  • Transfer the cookies to a large zip bag labeled with baking directions. 
  • Freeze for up to 2 months. 
  • When ready, preheat the oven and bake as directed, adding an additional minute to the recipe. 

If you’ve already baked the cookies, you can still freeze them using the same process above, but no need to re-bake them. Just remove them from the freezer and thaw for 10-20 minutes before frosting. 

Print

Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

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★★★★★

5 from 3 reviews

Soft pumpkin cookies with cream cheese frosting are chocked full of tangy cranberries and toasted walnuts for a yummy fall treat with coffee. 

  • Author: Laura Fuentes
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 24 cookies
  • Category: Cookies
  • Method: Baked

Ingredients

Pumpkin Cookies

  • 1 stick butter (½ cup), softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoons baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, coarsely chopped
  • ½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 4 ounces cream cheese
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer or large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the butter on high speed for about 30 seconds. Add the sugar and mix on medium speed for 3 to 5 minutes or until fluffy. 
  3. Add the egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and pumpkin to the butter and sugar mixture. Mix on medium speed until just combined.
  4. Stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a separate large bowl. 
  5. Working in 2 batches, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and mix on medium speed after each addition, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl when necessary. 
  6. Once combined, add the cranberries and walnuts to the dough and fold to combine.
  7. Using a tablespoon or cookie scoop, scoop and drop the dough 2-inches apart onto the lined baking sheet.
  8. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until the edges are just set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool down before transferring the cookies to a cookie rack. 
  9. While cookies are cooling, make the frosting. In the stand mixer with a clean bowl or a large bowl with the hand mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. 
  10. Add in the powdered sugar, melted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Mix on low speed for 2 to 3 minutes or until a thick frosting-like texture is achieved. 
  11. Frost the cooled cookies. Enjoy and refrigerate the leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. 

Equipment

Clean Treats Cookbook

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Notes

Cranberries and nuts are optional but highly recommended!

Nutrition information is calculated with walnuts and cranberries

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 cookie
  • Calories: 172
  • Sugar: 13.7 g
  • Sodium: 117 mg
  • Fat: 7.9 g
  • Saturated Fat: 3.9 g
  • Trans Fat: 0 g
  • Carbohydrates: 23.9 g
  • Fiber: 0.7 g
  • Protein: 2.1 g
  • Cholesterol: 24 mg

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @MOMables on Instagram and hashtag it #momables

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Reader Interactions

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    Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

  1. Jmac

    November 05, 2021 at 5:36 pm

    This recipe was easy to follow, and normally I don’t like the blog portion, but you gave helpful hints in preparation techniques, substitution and storage. I normally get irritated when someone varies from the author’s original recipe, but I also made that leap this time. I used dried cranberries because I didn’t have fresh or frozen. I only used 1/3 c dried cranberries because I knew it added additional sugar. It turned out great! I’ll use more next time. Thanks for giving me a perfect use for my leftover pumpkin purée! And yes! The icing is a nice presentation, but the flavors are great without it. Well done!

    Reply
    • Laura Fuentes

      November 09, 2021 at 8:35 am

      I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe for pumpkin cookies!

      Reply
  2. Donna

    October 15, 2020 at 3:53 pm

    I also skipped the icing. Not needed as these are delicious without.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  3. Donna Befus

    October 15, 2020 at 3:47 pm

    Delicious. I left out the walnuts because we are not fond of them. Used frozen cranberries. I had to cook 15 minutes in my old oven.
    Nice that they can be frozen.
    Thanks for this recipe to use up my leftover Pumpkin Puree. I also made pumpkin loaf, so it’s all gone now.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Laura Fuentes

      October 18, 2020 at 10:03 am

      I’m glad you enjoyed these, Donna!

      Reply
      • Kimberly Christopher

        October 01, 2021 at 3:28 pm

        Laura,
        Not sure if recipe has been updated or if the issue is on my end-I don’t see the pumpkin purée on the recipe. Tried looking through all the text to see if an amount was mentioned but I don’t see it. I also tried to print the recipe to see if it showed up that way but it doesn’t. Disturbing because I want these cookies NOW!

        Reply
        • Laura Fuentes

          October 04, 2021 at 5:59 pm

          I did update the recipe layout and I mistakenly removed the 1 cup pumpkin. Thank you for catching that Kimberly! I sent you an email separately.

          Reply
  4. Linda

    October 11, 2020 at 3:31 pm

    I only have all purpose flour. Will that do?

    Reply
    • Laura Fuentes

      October 11, 2020 at 5:48 pm

      Use it! They’ll be great.

      Reply
  5. Jessica Faery

    October 10, 2020 at 7:53 pm

    Laura,
    Your recipe is so tasty! I was wondering how/if I can store the left over frosting (so that I can use it when I decide to bake the frozen cookie dough).
    Thank you,
    Jesi

    Reply
    • Laura Fuentes

      October 11, 2020 at 5:52 pm

      I’m so glad you enjoyed these cookies. I would simply place the leftover frosting inside a zip bag, take out any excess air, and keep it in the fridge for up to 30 days (check the cream cheese container for an expiration date, of course).

      Reply
  6. Manisha

    January 15, 2015 at 1:45 pm

    These cookies look awesome. I have some canned pumpkin the freezer from few months ago, would that work in this recipe?

    Reply
  7. Kelly @ The Nourishing Home

    December 07, 2013 at 1:03 am

    Your photos are so gorgeous, I want to jump through my computer screen. LOL! These look divine! Love to you, sweet friend! 🙂

    Reply
    • Laura Fuentes

      December 07, 2013 at 3:26 pm

      Thanks Kelly!

      Reply
  8. Natalie

    November 04, 2013 at 7:54 pm

    Love this recipe! I used whole wheat flour and they are so moist and delicious!! Now I just have to figure out how to store all these cookies with frosting…..

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Laura Fuentes

      November 04, 2013 at 9:26 pm

      Natalie, store them in the freezer 🙂 That’s what I do! frosted and all…. you just take them out, thaw at room temperature and enjoy!

      Reply
  9. Jamie Lamontagne

    October 30, 2013 at 1:49 pm

    I love ALL of your food, but I HAVE to know… where did you get the mug in these photos? It’s beautiful!

    Reply
    • Laura Fuentes

      October 30, 2013 at 8:54 pm

      Thank you! From Anthropologie (a few yrs back)

      Reply
      • Maureen

        January 15, 2021 at 9:39 pm

        I do not have a mixer. Can I beat the cream cheese by hand for the icing for this Pumpkin Cookie?

        Reply
        • Laura Fuentes

          January 20, 2021 at 2:44 pm

          Yes, go ahead a beat by hand make sure the cream cheese is soft so you can whip. Enjoy!

          Reply

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