Embrace the cozy, comforting flavors of autumn with these unbelievably soft and delicious Pumpkin Cookies. This recipe creates a wonderfully light, fluffy, and cake-like cookie that’s infused with warm pumpkin pie spice. But the true star of the show is the dreamy cinnamon frosting swirled on top—a rich, buttery, and perfectly spiced complement to the tender pumpkin cookie. They are the perfect treat for a crisp fall day, a holiday gathering, or any time you’re craving a taste of pure comfort.
Why You’ll Adore These Pumpkin Cookies
This recipe is a fall dream come true. Here’s why it’s so special:
- Incredibly Soft & Cakey: These aren’t your typical chewy cookies. The pumpkin puree gives them a light, fluffy, and cake-like texture that melts in your mouth.
- Dreamy Cinnamon Frosting: The frosting is the perfect finishing touch, with a warm, spiced flavor that elevates the entire cookie.
- Packed with Fall Flavor: With pumpkin pie spice in both the cookie and the frosting, every bite is a celebration of autumn.
- Chilling is Key: This recipe includes a crucial chilling step that ensures the cookies bake up perfectly thick and don’t spread too thin.
Your Ingredient Checklist
This recipe is broken down into the cookie dough and the delicious cinnamon frosting. The original recipe is vegan, but you can use traditional dairy butter if you prefer.
For the Soft Pumpkin Cookies:
- Butter: ½ cup vegan butter (or regular unsalted butter), softened.
- Pumpkin Puree: ¼ cup of 100% pure pumpkin puree.
- Sugars: ¼ cup packed brown sugar and ½ cup granulated sugar.
- Vanilla Extract: 1 teaspoon.
- All-Purpose Flour: 1 ¾ cups.
- Baking Powder: 2 teaspoons.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: 1 teaspoon.
- Cornstarch: 2 teaspoons (a secret to softness!).
- Salt: ¼ teaspoon.
For the Cinnamon Frosting:
- Butter: 1 cup vegan butter (or regular unsalted butter), softened.
- Vanilla: 3 teaspoons vanilla paste or vanilla extract.
- Spices: 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice.
- Brown Sugar: ⅓ cup, packed.
- Powdered Sugar: 3 ¼ cups.
Step-by-Step Guide to Your New Favorite Cookie
Follow these simple steps for a perfect batch of soft and festive cookies.
Part 1: Make and Chill the Cookie Dough
- Cream Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl using an electric or stand mixer, cream together the softened butter, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, cornstarch, and salt.
- Mix Wet and Dry: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until just combined. Be careful not to overmix the dough.
- Chill the Dough (Essential Step!): Cover the bowl and place the dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes (or overnight). Do not skip this step! Chilling the dough is essential for the cookies to hold their shape and bake up thick and soft.
Part 2: Bake the Cookies
- Preheat and Prep: Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Scoop and Flatten: Scoop 2-inch balls of the chilled dough onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them a couple of inches apart. Because this dough doesn’t spread much, use your fingers or the bottom of a glass to gently press down on each dough ball to flatten it into a disk shape.
- Bake: Bake on the center rack for 10-12 minutes. The cookies should look set and no longer glossy on top.
- Cool Completely: Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheet before attempting to frost them.
Part 3: Make the Frosting and Decorate
- Whip the Frosting: While the cookies cool, prepare the frosting. In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to whip together all the frosting ingredients (softened butter, vanilla, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, brown sugar, and powdered sugar) until fully combined, light, and fluffy.
- Frost the Cookies: Once the cookies are completely cool, you can frost them. For a beautiful look, spoon the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a round tip (like a Wilton #2A) and pipe a swirl onto each cookie, starting from the center and moving outwards. Alternatively, you can simply spread the frosting with a knife.
- Garnish: Sprinkle a little extra pumpkin pie spice on top for a finishing touch.
Tips for Perfect Pumpkin Cookies
- Don’t Skip the Chill: Chilling the dough solidifies the fat, which prevents the cookies from spreading into thin, flat puddles in the oven. It’s the most important step for a thick, soft cookie.
- Flatten Before Baking: This cookie dough is more cake-like and won’t spread much on its own. Gently flattening the dough balls before baking helps them bake evenly and gives them a classic cookie shape.
- Cool Completely: Do not frost warm cookies! The frosting will melt and slide right off. Patience is key for a beautifully frosted cookie.
- Storage: Store the frosted cookies in a single layer in an airtight container. They will last for 3-4 days at room temperature or up to a week in the refrigerator.
Soft Pumpkin Cookies with Cinnamon Frosting
These Soft Pumpkin Cookies are light, fluffy, and cake-like, infused with pumpkin pie spice and topped with a dreamy cinnamon frosting. The ultimate cozy fall treat!
Equipment
- Mixing bowls
- Electric mixer
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Piping bag (optional)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup vegan butter (or unsalted butter), softened
- 1/4 cup 100% pure pumpkin puree
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup vegan butter (or unsalted butter), softened
- 3 tsp vanilla paste or extract
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 3 1/4 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Cream together softened butter, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, cornstarch, and salt.
- Gradually add dry ingredients to wet mixture, mixing on low until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Cover and chill dough for at least 30 minutes (or overnight) to ensure cookies bake thick and soft.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Scoop 2-inch balls of dough onto baking sheet and gently flatten into disks.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, until set and no longer glossy on top.
- Cool cookies completely on baking sheet before frosting.
- Make frosting by whipping butter, vanilla, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, brown sugar, and powdered sugar until fluffy.
- Frost cookies with piping bag or knife. Sprinkle with extra pumpkin pie spice if desired.
Notes
For the best texture, don’t skip the chilling step before baking. Store frosted cookies in a single layer in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-4 days or in the fridge for up to a week.