Pumpkin Cookies

by Jamie on September 23, 2009

Post image for Pumpkin Cookies


Okay, I know I have been in fall mode for about two weeks, but yesterday was the official first day of Autumn. I thought I would celebrate by baking pumpkin cookies with cream cheese icing! If you follow my blog, you may recognize these bad boys from last year…yep, same cookies…different icing!

As I said on Monday, I am dedicating this week to recipes that deserve recognition for being so good I found it necessary to make them over and over again! These cookies are a perfect example: they are soft, cake like while being a little chewy and oh so perfect for fall. Last year I made them with caramel icing and again with maple icing. This year I switched them up yet again and loaded them with cream cheese icing! What could be better?

I hope you had a great first day of Autumn. Now get in your kitchen and make these cookies! Thanks for stopping by. Come back later this week for another recipe worthy of repeating! Hint: chocolate is involved!


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Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Icing

Yield: 24 Cookies

Ingredients:

For the Cookies

1 cup butter flavored shortening
1 cup unsalted butter; softened
2 cups white sugar
2 cups canned pumpkin (solid; not pie mix)
2 eggs
2 teaspoons baking soda
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups all-purpose flour

For the Cream Cheese Icing

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons butter, softened
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (extract will also work)
2 tablespoons milk

Directions:

For the Cookies

1. Cream shortening, butter, white sugar and pumpkin. Add eggs and mix well.

2. Sift together the baking soda, ground cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, salt and flour. Add to pumpkin mixture and mix well.

3. Drop from spoon to cookie sheet. Bake 13-15 minutes at 350°F (175°C).

For the Cream Cheese Icing

1. Mix the cream cheese with the butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract, and milk in a bowl.

2. Heat in a microwave for 15 seconds.

3. Drizzle spoonfuls over the cooled cookies and smooth with the back of a spoon or a spatula.

Notes:

- I wanted big cookies, so I measured each cookie out to 1/4 cup, I shaped the cookies into circular blobs and smoothed the tops with dampened finger tips.
- When the cookies were just slightly warm, I spooned on the cream cheese icing, smoothed the surface and tossed on some fall inspired sprinkles.
- This icing recipe does not harden!

adapted from allrecipes


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{ 50 comments… read them below or add one }

avatar 1 Sara September 23, 2009 at 9:16 pm

Oh my, these sound so yummy and look beautiful. I cannot wait to make these cookie. Yay, for pumpkin and fall recipes.

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avatar 2 Bethie September 24, 2009 at 4:37 am

Oh, yum! My 11 year old daughter is my little pumpkin queen. I might just have to make these for her.

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avatar 3 thereddeer September 24, 2009 at 4:42 am

They sound delish!

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avatar 4 sherri September 24, 2009 at 6:46 am

Of course the addition of cream cheese to make my growing waistline even thicker!

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avatar 5 Jamie September 24, 2009 at 6:51 am

I love the theme here – my son keeps complaining whenever I bake something new "Why make anything new when X, X and X are perfect and we all love them?" There are some great recipes that deserve to be highlighted over and over again. Great-looking cookies!

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avatar 6 oneordinaryday September 24, 2009 at 8:05 am

Pumpkin cookies are on my list of things I want to bake asap. These look so good!

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avatar 7 Robin September 24, 2009 at 9:46 am

Oh these look amazing. I've been trying to find canned pumpkin all over Atlanta and EVERYONE is out!!!
I'm told it may be November before we get any. (Libby had a bad pumpkin crop last year apparently!)
The minute I find some I'm making these…
Hugs~Robin
All Things Heart and Home

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avatar 8 Ingrid September 24, 2009 at 9:55 am

I wish, oh, how I wish we had some hint of Autumn but alas it won't happen.

I don't remember these but am printing out the recipe. They look perfect for sending into school.
~ingrid

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avatar 9 Debbie September 24, 2009 at 9:59 am

They are perfect for this time of year. Love the frosting and sprinkles!

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avatar 10 Fahrenheit 350° September 24, 2009 at 11:10 am

I just love, love, love fall! These might be just the thing to heal my cold!

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avatar 11 Megan September 24, 2009 at 11:17 am

Ooh I think I made similar cookies last year using a Martha Stewart recipe. You've just reminded me of them! Love the way you decorated yours.

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avatar 12 Jelli Bean September 24, 2009 at 11:56 am

I would love some of these cookies, autumn or not!

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avatar 13 Palidor September 24, 2009 at 12:25 pm

Great way to celebrate fall! I love how cakey they look. Delicious!

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avatar 14 Katie @ goodLife {eats} September 24, 2009 at 4:04 pm

Oh yum, I'm going to have to make these when I get back from BlogHer Food. Have you ever had pumpkin cookies with chocolate chips in them? Those are the best!

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avatar 15 Leslie September 24, 2009 at 6:25 pm

I bet the frosting just puts these bad boys over the edge!!!!!DELISH

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avatar 16 Erin September 24, 2009 at 7:48 pm

OMGosh, those look so good! I'll definitely be making these…

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avatar 17 marthaandme September 25, 2009 at 7:31 am

These look so delicious. I have a pumpkin cookie recipe that uses maple frosting and those are wonderful too.

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avatar 18 Amanda September 26, 2009 at 10:37 am

Since I left Maine this summer, I've been missing the perfect (giant) pumpkin chocolate chip cookies made by the local store. If this recipe is worth repeating over and over, it just might be the one to bring Maine memories to Georgia realities!

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avatar 19 MaryBeth September 27, 2009 at 12:56 pm

I just made these Jamie and LOVED them! Thanks for the recipe!!

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avatar 20 Brenda September 27, 2009 at 7:48 pm

I can't wait to make these cookies. What is your opinion on the best frosting for them, the caramel, or the cream cheese frosting?

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avatar 21 Erin October 1, 2009 at 11:31 am

Made another one of your fabulous recipes, Jamie. Thanks so much! Of course, when I blogged about it I gave all the credit to you…thanks for sharing.

http://nagle5.blogspot.com/2009/10/autumn-pumpkins-pumpkins-terrific-baked.html

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avatar 22 aLiCia* November 22, 2009 at 8:36 pm

just made these! thank you! they are fab! I posted the recipe on my blog linking back to yours fyi.

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avatar 23 maddawesome13 November 26, 2009 at 9:22 am

i made these yesterday for thanksgiving. a few notes. i am horrible baker and never attempt anything. the icing came out perfect however. and make sure you cook them long enough. if you dont they wont harden up and fall right apart, even while letting them sit for a long time. when i mastered them they were great and i couldnt get my family to stop eating them as i iced them, even the ones that were falling apart.

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avatar 24 Steph @ Cookin' Cowgirl July 15, 2011 at 10:03 am

These looks amazing! I love pumpkin!
I’m having my first linky party on my blog and the theme is pumpkin. I’d like to invite you to come link up your favorite pumpkin recipe. The link is open until Wednesday at midnight, so please stop by and say hi.

http://cookincowgirl.blogspot.com/2011/07/pumpkin-blog-hop.html

~Cookin’ Cowgirl

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avatar 25 Kristi B. August 31, 2011 at 2:41 pm

How did you make the maple icing last year? I’d love to try that one. Is it an icing that hardens? Thanks!

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avatar 26 Jackie October 6, 2011 at 10:54 pm

I’ve made these cookies twice in the past 3 days. THAT is how good they are! I made one batch with giant cookies and the other with small because I was taking them to a party. I like the bigger ones better! Thanks for sharing! :)

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avatar 27 Amanda Polewczynski October 19, 2011 at 4:25 pm

I made this over the weekend for a Packers party and the cookies were a huge hit! I made my cookies smaller and probably had nearly 4 dozen cookies! Delicious!

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avatar 28 aubrey November 2, 2011 at 11:41 pm

Mmmm…this is a good recipe! We enjoyed them…it is my new favorite pumpkin cookie recipe!!

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avatar 29 Sarah Moshe November 7, 2011 at 7:30 pm

I just made these, and my 4-year-old kids can’t get enough! We haven’t even frosted them yet, and they’re gobbling them up faster than if they contained chocolate! Thank you!

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avatar 30 Mo November 14, 2011 at 10:29 am

I made these last night, yeilds twice the number listed when using rounded spoonfuls rather than 1/4 cup measures but they are DIVINE!!!
I powdered sugared a dozen to send to my daughter’s God Father in Afghanistan (I didn’t think the cream cheese icing would ship well) but iced the rest and took them to work.
It is 10:30AM and they’re ALL gone!!!
Oh, I increased the vanilla in the icing by a teaspoon also.

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avatar 31 Lizet November 20, 2011 at 3:09 am

i juss came across your blog i usually never look into them but im so glad i did and im here in ur blog & im loving it!
ur recipes look delish and i cant wait till i try them tomorrow!
a true inspiration thanks so much! <3
keep doin ya thang=)

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avatar 32 AJ December 11, 2011 at 3:22 pm

Such a great cookie! I was worried the spice amounts would be too much but they turned out perfect and full of flavor where other cookies I have made didnt have any flavor. I followed the cookie and icing recipe exactly only using reduced fat cream cheese. My 2 year old didnt like the icing but ate the cookies plain and my 4 year old and 12 month old gobbled them up too! Next time might try adding mini chocolate chips and making a cream cheese frosting that is more whipped n fluffy just so its not as messy. My icing was pretty runny but I think thats the reduced fat cream cheese. Usually it tends to be softer. Glad I found a keeper. Thanks for the recipe!

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avatar 33 Laura Dembowski August 13, 2012 at 1:53 pm

These look so soft and moist. I love pumpkin, and you can’t go wrong with frosting on a cookie :)

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avatar 34 Elly September 27, 2012 at 7:05 pm

I made these cookies last night for one of my co-workers birthday, and there’s only one word for them…AMAZING!! I added just a teeny pinch of ground cloves, which really intensified the pumpkin flavor. I also liked them smaller..a small ice cream scoop was perfect for scooping the batter. They looked exactly like the picture! Letting them set up overnight in the fridge really made them perfect!! These cookies will be added to the favorites list!!

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avatar 35 Betsie @ Cooking Ripe! September 30, 2012 at 11:43 pm

Ok. My FAVORITE cookie in the world is pumpkin. I MUST make these!

Readers may like to use fresh homemade pumpkin puree instead of the processed kind. Here’s how: http://cookingripe.wordpress.com/2012/09/26/homemade-pumpkin-puree/

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avatar 36 Samantha October 3, 2012 at 2:56 pm

What would the best way to make these without the cinnamon due to an allergy?

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avatar 37 Jamie October 15, 2012 at 4:54 pm

Samantha-
Hi! You can definitely make these without the cinnamon, the flavor will be a little different, but I’m sure they’ll still be tasty.
-Jamie

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avatar 38 Ang October 6, 2012 at 7:59 pm

These were awesome! Thanks for the recipe! I shared my results on my blog @ http://domestic-diva-wannabe.blogspot.ca/2012/10/pinteresting-pumpkin-cookies.html

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avatar 39 Jamie October 8, 2012 at 7:21 pm

Ang-
I am so glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for stopping by and leaving your feedback – have a great day!
-Jamie

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avatar 40 Amy October 8, 2012 at 7:46 pm

These are the BEST cookies I’ve ever had. Holy cow.
Best find from PInterest to date! Thanks!!

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avatar 41 Gena October 10, 2012 at 8:29 pm

HOLY SMOKES! I made these tonight and just ate my first one, actually two, and they are amazing!!! They turned out to be almost a muffin like consistency and I think it maybe that I creamed the butter, shortening, and sugar a little too much but they are still awesome! Thanks so much for sharing! I found them on Pinterest(well, my husband did anyway!)!

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avatar 42 Jamie October 14, 2012 at 2:28 pm

Gena-
I am so happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe – thanks so much for leaving your feedback! Have a great day!
-Jamie

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avatar 43 Chelsea October 11, 2012 at 4:02 pm

Hey I saw this recipe & compared it with 2 other pumpkin recipes & decided this was the one. So I made these for my ladies Bible study class, I added prolly a tsp more of cinnamon & pumpkin pie spice & baked them only 11 minutes. They were a success! Then my husband took them to work (he’s in the army) & all the soldiers ate them up!! People who don’t even like pumpkin told me they loved them & soldiers were askin for the recipe for their wives! Thanks so much!

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avatar 44 Jamie October 14, 2012 at 2:24 pm

Chelsea-
I am so happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe – thanks so much for leaving your feedback! Have a great day!
-Jamie

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avatar 45 Christal R. October 12, 2012 at 5:20 pm

Do they need to be refrigerated since the icing has cream cheese in it?

Thanks!

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avatar 46 kristin October 24, 2012 at 12:48 am

Great recipe. I’ve never had such a moist cookie! Tastes just like a pumpkin pie. It made A LOT of BIG cookies, but I like it cuz I’m satisfied after one. Great job!!

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avatar 47 Kathleen October 29, 2012 at 10:51 am

I was wondering if using pure butter instead of crisco butter sticks would make a big difference? Thanks!!

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avatar 48 Jamie October 29, 2012 at 4:53 pm

Kathleen-
I fond that substituting all butter definitely gave the cookies a different texture and cause them to spread a lot more. Hope this helps.
-Jamie

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avatar 49 Lyndseycat December 3, 2012 at 8:33 pm

I live in Peru so some ingredients are tricky to come by. (It usually just leads to some amusing baking adventures!) Do you think using plain shortening without the butter flavor would affect the taste much? We’re pretty limited when it comes to options for that.

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avatar 50 MBA December 19, 2012 at 9:54 pm

Lyndsey-
This will definitely change the flavor and texture of the cookie.
-Jamie

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