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Home » Recipes » Pumpkin spice cookies

Published: Nov 10, 2016 · Modified: Mar 20, 2025 by Veronica T

Pumpkin spice cookies

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These cake-like cookies are usually made with canned pumpkin puree. And while you can substitute that in, I do enjoy using a homemade puree instead.

Of course a little frosting makes this a sweet dessert, but don't overlook the option to leave them plain - they go great with a little coffee or bourbon.

And if you love the paisley icing, I have a few tips at the end of the blog post.

Recipe

pumpkin spice cookies with paisley icing

Pumpkin spice cookies

Veronica T
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Calories135
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Ingredients
  

COOKIE INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon ground cloves **feel free to substitute 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice instead of the cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves**
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup butter 1 stick, softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 1 ¼ cups pumpkin puree see note
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

FROSTING INGREDIENTS:

  • 8 ounces low-fat cream cheese 1 brick, room temperature
  • 3 tablespoons butter room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

COOKIES

  • PREP: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • MIX DRY INGREDIENTS: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves. Set aside.
  • STAND MIXER: In a stand mixer, cream together the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on medium-high speed for 1 minute until light and fluffy.
  • Add in the pumpkin, egg, and vanilla to butter mixture, and beat on medium-speed until just combined.
  • Set the mixer speed to low and add in the dry ingredients until just combined.
  • MAKE THE COOKIES: Use a heaping tablespoon of batter per cookie and drop them on the parchment paper-lined baking sheet. The cookies smooth out somewhat while baking, but will hold part of their shape, so smooth them out a bit.
  • Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cookies are cooked through and bounce back slightly if you touch them. Cool on a wire rack. Frost when they are cooled.

TO MAKE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:

  • With an electric mixer or in your stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla together on medium-high speed until smooth. Set the speed to low and gradually add in the powdered sugar until it is all combined and the frosting is smooth. To thin it, add 1 tablespoon of milk or water at a time. Add more sugar to thicken it.

Notes

To make pumpkin puree: follow instructions from Tastes Better From Scratch. Use 2 small or 1 larger sugar pie pumpkin. Cut in half & scoop out seeds. Bake, cut side down, for 35-45 minutes at 375F. Remove from oven and cool, then scoop out flesh and puree in a blender.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 135kcal | Protein: 2g | Fat: 5.7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 161mg | Sugar: 11g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Paisley Pumpkin Cookies Icing

I used a very small tip squeeze bottle (the small ones in this picture from amazon). I thinned the frosting a tiny bit, you want it to flow well but hold it's shape (and not spread/flatten when put on the cookie).

Next, use google image search to find a paisley pattern you like. And if you mess up, the frosting wipes off the cookie pretty easily (or just frost over the whole cookie!)

Recipe Inspiration

After going 5 years without making pumpkin cookies, I was looking for an updated version to fill an autumn craving. I am a big fan of Ali's recipes over at Gimme Some Oven and found her recipe for pumpkin cookies there. They were delicious, as expected 🙂

Then I adapted the recipe to use fresh pumpkin puree and they still turned out great.

More recipes & resources

Looking for other fall cookies? Try my pawpaw cookies with a cream cheese frosting, my pecan maple shortbread-style cookies, or some soft & chewy peanut butter blossoms.

Pawpaw cookies with cream cheese frosting
The flavor of these pawpaw, cake-like cookies will be unmistakable by pawpaw fans. They are moist, tender, and the frosting really highlights the fruit's flavor.
Check it out
Pawpaw cookies with pawpaw cream cheese frosting on a cooling rack
Maple pecan cookies
Pecan shortbread cookies with a maple syrup icing. Sprinkle maple sugar on top for bonus points!
Check it out
Maple pecan cookies cut out in a star shape for Christmas, on top of a pile of fresh pecans
Soft & chewy peanut butter blossoms
Make soft peanut butter blossoms by using melted butter, more brown sugar than white sugar, a little corn starch, and cook them in a hotter oven.
Check it out
A recipe for soft and chewy peanut butter blossom cookies.

If you're wondering what else is currently in season, check out my calendars to see what produce is in season each month (and coming up soon).

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January produce in season on a table
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About the Food Geek

Welcome, I'm Veronica, your resident food geek - experienced recipe developer and gardener. My goal is to help you enjoy eating at home by knowing what fruits & vegetables are currently in season and the best ways to use them. To do that, I've put together seasonal produce guides and recipes with practical advice.

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