Iced Pumpkin Cookies

Super soft and fluffy Iced Pumpkin Cookies, topped with a sweet vanilla cinnamon icing and are a must for the fall season. These unique pumpkin-flavored fall treats are very tempting that you will want to make them again and again throughout the year and fall especially.

If you love fall desserts as much as we do, you should definitely try our favorites: Pumpkin Sheet Cake and Pumpkin Scones.

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

These cookies are moist and have texture similar to cake. You won’t be able to stop at one cookie – they are just so good! Sometimes I make them couple times a week and it’s worth every calorie!

While most people start fall baking in September, I kind of do it all year long. In WA, we get those rainy cold days out of the blue during summer and spring. Those days always remind me of fall and that means pumpkin desserts are on my mind and definitely in the oven that day.

Can I use Homemade Pumpkin Puree?

Yes! I compared both and I make these cookies with Homemade Pumpkin Puree more than half times. There is no difference besides the color of the baked cookie. With canned puree the cookie is bright orange, while with homemade it’s more lightly golden.

Canned puree usually has a thicker texture, while homemade is more an applesauce consistency and thinner. I always purchase organic pumpkin puree to avoid any hidden artificial coloring that is not mentioned on the back of the can. My all-time favorite is the Farmer’s Market Organic Pumpkin.

Having pumpkin puree on hand is never a problem as I always keep homemade pumpkin puree in my freezer or canned in my fridge.

Increasing Pumpkin Flavor in Cookies

When we think about eating a pumpkin cookie, the expectation is a pumpkin-pie experience. This is where the fall spices come in. I like using combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger.

The recipe has a bit of everything, but if you truly want to experience the pumpkin flavor, increase the amount of each. These spices can be replaced for pumpkin pie spice as well. I purchase jars of each spice as I like to use them so often.

Iced Pumpkin Cookies Ingredients:

Scroll down below for a printable recipe. Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature and all dry ingredients are sifted to ensure the fluffy texture of baked cookies.

• Unsalted butter – softened
• Granulated sugar
• Brown sugar
• Large egg – room temperature
• Canned or homemade pumpkin puree
• Vanilla extract
• All-purpose flour – I like to use Bob’s Red Mill or Central Milling Organic from Costco
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Fine salt
• Fall spices: ground cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger

Pumpkin Cookies Icing Ingredients:

The icing is easy to make and literally takes couple minutes. Sifted powdered sugar, cooled melted butter, milk, vanilla and cinnamon are whisked together to create smooth, thick but spreadable icing. The consistency should be thick enough to stay put on top of each cookie without running down.

Adding couple pinches of cinnamon into the icing will give a light cinnamon flavor. If you like cinnamon, you can definitely increase the amount.

My family are not very big on cinnamon or fall spices in general so I keep it low. Don’t worry, I add the extra into my coffee when I enjoy these cookies. I’m all for fall spices – the more the better!

I like to top each cookie with a generous cloud of icing. Of course, you can drizzle them as well but make sure to cut the icing recipe into half.

How to Make Pumpkin Cookies:

1. Preheat oven to a 350 degrees F.
2. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
3. In a medium bowl, combine and whisk: flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger.
4. In a large bowl, cream butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
5. Mix in the egg, pumpkin puree and vanilla until just combined.
6. Gradually add the dry ingredients and beat on low until just combined.
7. Scoop dough out with a small cookie scoop and drop onto the prepared baking sheets, couple inches apart.
8. Bake 12-15 minutes until edges are lightly browned and the center of a cookie is set.
9. Transfer to a wire rack to cool to room temperature.

How to Make Icing:

1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine and whisk: sifted powdered sugar, unsalted melted butter, 2% milk, vanilla extract and ground cinnamon. Icing should be smooth and thick. If icing too thick, thin with more milk as needed. Too thick icing won’t smooth out on cookie.
2. Transfer the icing to a decorating bag, cut a small hole at the tip of the bag and drizzle or fully cover each cookie with icing cloud. Avoid drizzling icing onto warm cookies as the icing will melt and slide off. Let rest at room temperature to allow icing to set.

Enjoy These Other Pumpkin Recipes:

• Pumpkin Knots Recipe + Video – slightly sweet, moist and light in texture
• Homemade Pumpkin Puree – light in texture, applesauce-consistency, great for many dishes
• Pumpkin Scones Recipe + Video – crumbly and moist on the inside and topped with delicious icing for the extra sweetness.
• Roasted Pumpkin Seeds – crunchy and delicious every time; great on salads, mixed in granola and much more
• Pumpkin Sheet Cake Recipe + Video – easy to make, fluffy, moist; topped with delicious sweet cream cheese frosting.