Printer-friendly versionSoft pumpkin cookies topped with cream cheese icing are my favorite fall treat. This pumpkin cookie recipe has been a family favorite for decades, and every time I make it for new people, I get more recipe requests than for any other recipe I make. These pumpkin cookies really are that good.
It's September! That means it's fall, and we can bring out all the fabulous pumpkin stuff, right? That might be wishful thinking here in Phoenix, where it's supposed to reach a high of 108 degrees today, but it's not going to stop me from whipping up a batch of delicious (and for me, optimistic) pumpkin cookies with cream cheese icing.
These cookies are soft, fluffy, perfectly spiced, moist--in a word, INCREDIBLE.
They've been a family favorite, and a particular favorite of mine for so long that my recipe card reads "From Mommy to Nikki." Mommy. Clearly one of the first recipes I requested for my very own recipe box!
Soft Pumpkin Cookie Recipe:
- 1 1/2 cups shortening
- 3 cups sugar
- 3 eggs
- 6 cups flour
- 3 teaspoons cinnamon
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 3 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 large (29oz) can of pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
- 1 teaspoon allspice
Mix the sugar and shortening together, and beat until fluffy. Add eggs and beat. Add spices, salt, baking powder and baking soda, pumpkin, and mix together. Add the flour last, mixing just until incorporated.
Scoop the cookie dough onto a cookie sheet, and bake at 375 Fahrenheit for 10-12 minutes.
I think these are absolutely delicious without any topping, but pumpkin cookies with cream cheese frosting are even better. Let cool completely before icing the cookies.
If you're a chocolate fan, try making pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, too!
This recipe is large, and makes 90 cookies (7 1/2 dozen). It can't easily be halved, since the recipe uses 3 eggs. But the cookies are SO GOOD that you'll want to eat them all. Because it's such a large batch, and because I really shouldn't eat them all myself (though I want to), I very often make these cookies for potlucks or parties, so I can share the pumpkin cookie bounty with many friends. I always--always--get multiple requests for the recipe when I bring these cookies.
If you can't get enough of pumpkin desserts, try making pumpkin pie dump cake or this easy pumpkin pie recipe with a brilliant secret ingredient.
Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting:
These soft pumpkin cookies are best topped with cream cheese frosting. There's just something magical about pumpkin baked goods topped with cream cheese frosting, isn't there?
You can use a piping bag to make a fancier swirl of the icing, but I prefer just to use a metal cake decorating spatula to spread the icing on top.
I like the look--homey and casual and warm and inviting--and I like the ratio of icing I end up with better.
They're good without the icing, too, but with the icing...ooooooh baby. It's magical!
What's your favorite fall pumpkin treat?
Printable, One Page Soft Pumpkin Cookie Recipe:
Other Pumkin Recipes You Might Like:
.png)