Soft Pumpkin Cookies with Cinnamon Frosting

Soft Pumpkin Cookies with Cinnamon Frosting taste like little bites of pumpkin pie and snickerdoodles had a very soft, very cozy cookie baby. They work perfectly for busy bakers who want a fall dessert in about 45 minutes, start to finish, with simple pantry ingredients. I tested these on my neighbors, and one of them now “accidentally” walks by my house every time I bake a batch.

Why Soft Pumpkin Cookies with Cinnamon Frosting Is Worth It

These soft pumpkin cookies stay tender and cake-like, with warm spices and a fluffy cinnamon frosting that melts across the top. The recipe uses one bowl, no mixer for the dough, and it never needs chill time, so you get cookies on the plate fast.

Pumpkin puree keeps the cookies moist for days, which makes them great for parties, bake sales, or “I just want a cookie with my coffee” moments. The frosting sets enough to stack lightly, so you can pack them for potlucks without a sticky mess.

“These Soft Pumpkin Cookies with Cinnamon Frosting taste like a bakery treat but come together in one bowl at home, and everyone asked for seconds. ★★★★★”

Ingredients You Need

Cookie ingredients

• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
  • Use plain pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. I like Libby’s for consistent texture.
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
  • You can use salted butter and reduce the added salt to a pinch.
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • Use a kitchen scale if you have one for best texture.
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • You can swap the individual spices for 2 to 2 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice if that sits in your pantry already.
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

Cinnamon frosting ingredients

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, very soft
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • Use full-fat brick style for the thickest frosting.
• 1 3/4 to 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Pinch of fine sea salt
• 1 to 2 tablespoons milk or heavy cream, as needed for consistency

Helpful equipment

• Large mixing bowl
• Medium mixing bowl
• Whisk and rubber spatula
• Measuring cups and spoons or a kitchen scale
• Sheet pans
• Parchment paper or silicone baking mats
• Cookie scoop (about 1 1/2 tablespoons size) or two spoons
• Cooling racks
• Hand mixer or stand mixer for the frosting

Quick Tips & substitutions

• Use room temperature egg so it blends smoothly with the pumpkin and melted butter.
• Blot very wet pumpkin puree with paper towels if it looks loose and watery, so the cookies stay puffy.
• Swap the individual spices for pumpkin pie spice if you want a shortcut.
• Use gluten free 1 to 1 baking flour in place of all-purpose flour for an easy gluten free version.
• Replace butter with melted coconut oil for a dairy light cookie, then keep butter or vegan butter in the frosting.
• Chill the dough 20 minutes if it feels very sticky and spreads too much on a test cookie.
• Start with 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar in the frosting, then add more if you want a thicker swirl.
• Sift powdered sugar so the frosting turns out smooth and not lumpy.
• Bake one test cookie to check spread and timing in your oven, then adjust a minute or two as needed.

How to Make Soft Pumpkin Cookies with Cinnamon Frosting

Mix the wet ingredients

1. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper and heat the oven to 350°F.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the melted, slightly cooled butter with brown sugar and granulated sugar until the mixture looks smooth and glossy.
3. Add the pumpkin puree, egg, and vanilla extract, then whisk until the mixture looks uniform and creamy.

Add the dry ingredients

4. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and salt.
5. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture in two additions, and fold gently with a spatula.
6. Stop mixing as soon as no dry streaks of flour remain, so the cookies stay tender.

Portion and bake

7. Use a cookie scoop or two spoons to drop mounds of dough, about 1 1/2 tablespoons each, onto the lined sheet pans, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
8. If you want a more even shape, lightly dampen your fingertips and tap down any tall peaks on the dough.
9. Bake one sheet at a time for 10 to 13 minutes, until the tops look set and a toothpick in the center of a cookie comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.

Cool the cookies

10. Let the cookies rest on the sheet pan for 5 minutes so they firm up.
11. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and let them cool completely before frosting.
12. Taste one plain, because quality control counts as a serious job.

Make the cinnamon frosting

13. In a medium bowl, beat the softened butter and cream cheese with a hand mixer until the mixture looks smooth and fluffy.
14. Add vanilla, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt, then mix again.
15. Add powdered sugar in two or three additions, mixing on low at first so it does not puff everywhere, then on medium until the frosting looks thick and creamy.
16. Add 1 tablespoon milk or cream and beat until the frosting looks smooth and spreadable, adding a tiny splash more only if needed.

Frost the cookies

17. Once the cookies cool completely, spread a generous spoonful of cinnamon frosting on each cookie.
18. Swirl the frosting with the back of the spoon or an offset spatula for a bakery style look.
19. Let the cookies sit at room temperature about 20 minutes so the frosting sets slightly, then serve.

Recipe Variations

• Gluten free: Use a 1 to 1 gluten free baking flour and check the label on your baking powder and spices.
• Dairy free: Use vegan butter in both dough and frosting, and swap cream cheese with a dairy free cream cheese.
• Egg free: Replace the egg with a flax egg made from 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tablespoons water.
• Lower sugar: Reduce the brown sugar to 1/2 cup and the powdered sugar in the frosting to 1 1/2 cups, then taste and adjust.
• Spice boost: Add an extra 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon or a pinch of cardamom for a stronger spice flavor.
• Add-ins: Fold in 1/2 to 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips, chopped pecans, or walnuts before baking.
• Plain version: Skip the frosting and sprinkle the dough balls with cinnamon sugar before baking.

Ways to Serve Soft Pumpkin Cookies with Cinnamon Frosting

• Serve with hot coffee, chai, or cocoa for a cozy afternoon snack.
• Pack in lunchboxes as a sweet surprise that still feels soft by midday.
• Stack a couple of cookies with frosting in between for a pumpkin cookie sandwich.
• Crumble a cookie over vanilla ice cream or yogurt for a quick dessert.
• Set them on a fall dessert board with apples, caramel dip, and sliced pears.

Storage Success

Store frosted Soft Pumpkin Cookies with Cinnamon Frosting in a single layer in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. If your kitchen runs warm, keep them in the fridge and bring them to room temperature before serving so the texture softens again. Place parchment between layers if you need to stack them, and handle gently so the frosting stays neat. Freeze unfrosted cookies for up to 2 months, then thaw and frost fresh when pumpkin cookie cravings strike.

Soft Pumpkin Cookies with Cinnamon Frosting

Soft Pumpkin Cookies with Cinnamon Frosting are tender, cake-like pumpkin cookies topped with fluffy cinnamon cream cheese frosting, like a cozy mix of pumpkin pie and snickerdoodles.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 13 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Servings: 24

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  

• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, very soft
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 3/4–2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 pinch fine sea salt
• 1–2 tablespoons milk or heavy cream, as needed for consistency

Instructions

 

1. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the melted, slightly cooled butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until smooth and glossy.
2. Add the pumpkin puree, egg, and vanilla extract and whisk until the mixture is uniform and creamy.

1. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and salt until well combined.
2. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture in two additions, folding gently with a spatula.
3. Stop mixing as soon as no dry streaks of flour remain to keep the cookies tender.

1. Use a cookie scoop or two spoons to drop about 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough per cookie onto the prepared sheet pans, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
2. If needed, lightly dampen your fingertips and tap down any tall peaks for more even cookies.
3. Bake one sheet at a time for 10 to 13 minutes, until the tops look set and a toothpick inserted in the center of a cookie comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.

1. Let the cookies cool on the sheet pan for 5 minutes to firm up.
2. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and cool completely before frosting.

1. In a medium mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and cream cheese with a hand mixer until smooth and fluffy.
2. Add the vanilla, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt and mix until combined.
3. Add the powdered sugar in two or three additions, mixing on low at first, then on medium, until the frosting is thick and creamy.
4. Add 1 tablespoon of milk or cream and beat until the frosting is smooth and spreadable, adding a little more only if needed for consistency.

1. Once the cookies are completely cool, spread a generous spoonful of cinnamon frosting on each cookie.
2. Swirl the frosting with the back of a spoon or an offset spatula if desired.
3. Let the cookies sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes so the frosting sets slightly before serving.

Notes

Nutrition Information
Approximate per 1 cookie (about 24 cookies total): 170 calories; fat 7 g; saturated fat 4 g; carbohydrates 26 g; fiber 1 g; sugars 17 g; protein 2 g; sodium 120 mg. Values are estimates and will vary based on exact ingredients, brands, and portion sizes.

Storage: Store frosted cookies in a single layer in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or refrigerate if your kitchen is warm and bring to room temperature before serving. Freeze unfrosted cookies for up to 2 months, then thaw and frost before serving.