These pumpkin cookies with cream cheese frosting are soft and fluffy with warm spices and melt-in-your-mouth fall flavor! They are perfect for autumn baking.

Pumpkin cookies with cream cheese frosting on a plate.

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Cream Cheese Frosted Pumpkin Cookies

Pumpkin cookies with cream cheese frosting are the perfect way to welcome fall. Just like carrot cake cookies in spring, they bring instant seasonal joy.

These soft, cake-like cookies are made with pure pumpkin and warm pumpkin pie spice, then finished with a sweet and tangy cream cheese frosting that melts in your mouth. If you love pumpkin cookies with caramel icing, this version is just as irresistible.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Ingredients

Ingredients for pumpkin cookies with cream cheese frosting on the counter.

See full printable recipe below.

  • Baking staples: All-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, egg, butter, sugar, and vanilla.
  • Pumpkin pie spice: Make your own blend with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves or allspice or use a store brand version.
  • Ground cinnamon: You may notice that pumpkin pie spice contains cinnamon. It’s just not enough this time for the best warm spiced cookie.
  • Light brown sugar: Adds a beautiful caramel flavor to the cookie.
  • Pumpkin purée: Not pumpkin pie filling! Use your own homemade pumpkin puree or canned pumpkin.
  • Cream cheese frosting: Butter, softened cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla.

How to Make Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

The process of making pumpkin cookies with cream cheese frosting in a four step photo collage.
  1. Make cookie dough. Whisk together flour, baking soda, pumpkin spice, cinnamon, and salt. In a stand mixer, cream butter and sugars until fluffy, then mix in egg, vanilla, and pumpkin purée. Stir in the dry ingredients just until combined.
  2. Scoop and bake. Drop dough onto a lined baking sheet about 1 ½ inches apart. Bake 10–12 minutes, then let cool on the sheet for 2–3 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely before icing.
  3. Make the cream cheese frosting. In a large mixing bowl, cream softened cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar then vanilla and beat until just combined and airy. Do not overmix.
  4. Frosting your cookies. Using a knife or cake spatula, spread and slather those babies to your heart’s content! Add a sprinkle of extra cinnamon on top, if desired. Enjoy!
Pumpkin cookies with cream cheese frosting frosted on the counter with one cooking propped against another.

Recipe Tips

  • Room temperature ingredients. It’s the only way the butter and cream cheese will be soft enough to cream together! Remember to soft them out ahead of time.
  • Don’t pack your flour. Learn how to measure flour so your cookies don’t turn out too dense.
  • To test if your cookies are done, stick a toothpick into the thickest part of the cookies (the center). If it comes out clean, it’s done!
  • A thicker sweeter frosting. Use 1/2 cup more powdered sugar than the recipe calls for.
  • Add cinnamon sugar on top of the frosting for even more warm flavor.
Cream cheese frosted pumpkin cookies with cinnamon sprinkled on top.

Love pumpkin recipes include pumpkin oatmeal cookies, pumpkin cream cheese muffins recipe and pumpkin roll!

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Pumpkin cookies with cream cheese frosting on a plate.

Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

5 from 3 votes
Recipe by: Jamielyn Nye
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Cool Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 36
These soft pumpkin cookies with cream cheese frosting are light, fluffy and will melt-in-your-mouth! With plenty of pumpkin pie spice, they are the perfect fall cookie.
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Ingredients 

Cookies

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ¾ teaspoon table salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter , softened
  • ⅔ cup light brown sugar , packed
  • ⅓ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup canned pumpkin puree

Frosting

  • 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese , softened
  • ½ cup unsalted butter , softened
  • 2 cups powdered sugar , plus more as needed
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Cookies

  • Prep. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
  • Dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice, 1 1 2/ teaspoons cinnamon, and 3/4 teaspoon salt.
  • Wet ingredients. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream 1 cup butter, 2/3 cup brown sugar, and 1/3 cup sugar. Add 1 large egg and 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla. Mix in 1 cup pumpkin puree until smooth. Add the flour mixture and stir until combined.
  • Bake cookies. Using a medium cookie scoop or a large spoon, scoop the cookie dough 1 1/2 inches apart onto the baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool on the baking sheet 2 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Frosting

  • Combine. In a large bowl, beat 8 ounces cream cheese and 1/2 cup butter with a mixer until smooth. Add 2 cups powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla, and beat just until combined and airy. Do not overmix. Taste and add a pinch of salt or more vanilla, if desired. You can also add 1/2 cup more powdered sugar if you'd like it a little sweeter or thicker. 
  • Frost. Using a knife or a cake spatula, frost cookies. Add a dash of cinnamon on top, if desired. Store in covered container up to 3 days.

Last step: Please leave a comment and rating after you make the recipe.

Notes

Pumpkin: Since you won’t be using a whole can of pumpkin, you can freeze it in a zip top bag or feel free to double the recipe to use the whole can.
Storage: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie, Calories: 169kcal, Carbohydrates: 19g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.3g, Cholesterol: 32mg, Sodium: 104mg, Potassium: 41mg, Fiber: 0.4g, Sugar: 13g, Vitamin A: 1388IU, Vitamin C: 0.3mg, Calcium: 17mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.

Frosting Variations

This soft pumpkin cookie recipe can be topped with a variety of different flavors of frosting.

You could even just add 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin spice to plain cream cheese frosting like in my pumpkin cake!

Recipe FAQs

Should I blot my pumpkin puree so it is less wet and sticky?

I only do if I am using homemade puree which can be more watery or if I am planning to transport the cookies. Blotting the pumpkin removes some moisture for a sturdier cookie that is still super soft.

How to store soft pumpkin cookies?

You can store cookies in airtight container for up to 3 days with no need to keep them in the refrigerator! The powdered sugar in the icing will keep the frosting safe for days. If you plan on storing them longer, though, I would move them to the refrigerator for up to 5 days then bring to room temperature before enjoying.

Can I freeze these cookies?

Yes! You can either freeze unfrosted baked cookies for up to three months or freeze the cookie dough balls.