Pumpkin season means cookie season (at least in our house!) – and if you’re looking for healthier cookies that stay soft and moist, then these pumpkin cookies with cream cheese icing are it!
Despite swapping some of the white flour for wholemeal flour and replacing part of the sugar with coconut sugar for that caramel-like flavor, the cookies still come out tender and soft in the middle.
Plus, the tangy-sweet cream cheese frosting makes them totally irresistible!
What You’ll Need
These pumpkin cookies are super easy to make and they’re built on pantry basics:
You need butter, coconut sugar, and pumpkin puree for a soft, moist base. A mix of white flour and wholemeal flour brings a little more nutrients to the recipe.
Staples like baking soda and baking powder help your cookies rise and pumpkin spice will add that yummy, fall flavor.
For the frosting, you’ll need cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla extract, plus a handful of crushed walnuts for decorating and adding a bit of crunch.
How to Make These Pumpkin Cookies With Cream Cheese Icing
Start by creaming butter with white sugar and coconut (or brown) sugar until smooth and fluffy. Add in the egg and a splash of vanilla, then mix in the pumpkin puree until you have a silky pumpkin mixture.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the two flours, pumpkin spice, baking soda, baking powder, and a pinch of salt.
Slowly combine the pumpkin mixture with the dry mix in three parts – this helps everything blend evenly without overmixing. The dough will come out thick and sticky, which is exactly what you want.
Line a baking tray with parchment paper, then scoop out teaspoon-sized balls of dough. Space them about an inch apart since they’ll spread slightly as they bake (you might need to bake on two separate trays).
If the dough feels too sticky, sprinkle in a little extra flour; if you prefer flatter cookies, leave the dough softer so it spreads more in the oven.
Bake your cookies at 350°F for about 15–18 minutes, until the edges just begin to brown. Don’t overbake – you really want these cookies to stay soft. Cool them completely before adding the frosting.
For the icing, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and a splash of lemon juice until smooth and creamy. Spread a small spoonful over each cooled cookie and finish with a sprinkle of crushed walnuts for crunch and decoration.
Be sure to store your frosted cookies in the fridge in an airtight container so the frosting doesn’t melt!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- The cookies come out soft and tender: Thanks to pumpkin puree and only swapping out half of the ingredients, the cookies stay moist and soft.
- The coconut sugar adds a caramel-like flavor that pairs beautifully with the cream cheese icing.
- The cookies come out so pretty! When decorating with a cream cheese frosting, the white color contrasts beautifully with the orange-brown base and the walnuts bring a bit of color, too. These cookies are perfect for any fall party or Halloween and Thanksgiving dessert table!
- Easily customizable: Skip the walnuts for a smoother finish, or swap in pecans or pumpkin seeds.
- It’s very easy and beginner-friendly: The recipe doesn’t require any fancy steps – all you need to do is just mix, scoop, bake, and frost.
Tips for Success
- Don’t overbake – take the cookies out as soon as the edges turn golden or they’ll come out too dry.
- Cool completely before frosting so the icing doesn’t melt.
- Adjust flour to control shape: more flour = puffier cookies, less flour = flatter, spread-out and bigger cookies.
- Add lemon juice sparingly to the frosting for a bit of extra flavor, but you don’t want it overpowering the cream cheese flavor.
- Store in the fridge when frosted – the cream cheese icing needs to stay cool.
📌 Pumpkin Cookies With Cream Cheese Icing (Recipe Card)
Ingredients (Makes 15–20 cookies)
Cookies
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
- 1 small egg
- 1/4–1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup white flour
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons wholemeal flour
- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin spice
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- Pinch of salt
Frosting
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- 3/4–1 cup powdered sugar
- Dash of vanilla extract
- Splash of lemon juice
Topping
- Handful of walnuts, crushed
Equipment
- Mixing bowls
- Electric mixer or whisk
- Baking tray
- Parchment paper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, cream butter with white and coconut sugar until smooth. Add egg, vanilla, and pumpkin puree, mixing well until it turns smooth, too.
- In another bowl, whisk flours, pumpkin spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Combine dry ingredients with pumpkin mixture in three parts, mixing gently, to form a thick, sticky dough.
- Scoop teaspoon-sized dough balls onto the baking tray, spacing them about 1 inch apart. Use multiple trays if needed.
- Bake for 15–18 minutes, until edges begin to brown – don’t overbake! Let cool completely.
- To make the frosting, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice until smooth.
- Spread frosting over cooled cookies and top with crushed walnuts.
- Store in the fridge in an airtight container to keep the frosting from melting.
