Cream Cheese Frosted Pumpkin Cookies
Warm autumn spices make these soft, moist pumpkin cookies studded with chocolate chips, delicious. But pipe on the cream cheese frosting to make them incredible! The best autumn treat!
Cream Cheese Frosted Pumpkin Cookies
1 and 1/2 cups fresh or canned pumpkin puree
3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 cup butter, softened to room temperature
1 3/4 cups light or dark brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup chocolate chip morsels, semi-sweet or milk chocolate, to your taste
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
Cream Cheese Icing (Optional)
6 ounces full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
4 Tablespoons butter, at room temperature
1 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
extra milk to thin down if necessary
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger together in a large bowl. Set aside.
Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer, cream the softened butter and brown sugar together on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and mix on high until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla, and pumpkin and mix on high until combined. Mixture will look a little curdled.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, then mix on low speed until combined. By hand, stir in the chocolate chips and nuts (if desired). The dough will be thick and sticky. Scoop cookie dough, around 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie, and place 3 inches apart on the baking sheets.
Bake for 14-15 minutes or until edges appear set. The centers will look soft. Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. The longer the cookies cool, the better their flavor.
Optional Icing: Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese in a medium bowl on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy. Beat in the butter until combined. Add the confectioners’ sugar, cinnamon and a pinch of salt, then beat on low speed until smooth and creamy. Taste. Add more cinnamon if desired.
With a spatula, spoon the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a round tip and generously pipe the frosting on each cookie.
Cover leftover iced cookies tightly and store at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Cookies without icing can be covered tightly and stored at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Bake cookies for 14 - 15 minutes until just set and puffy.
Generously pipe cream cheese frosting on to each cookie.
Irresistibly delicious - you’ll be asking, “Who stole the cookies from the cookie jar?”
