If you are anything like me, the first cool morning of the season sends you straight to the pantry for a can of pumpkin. These soft pumpkin cookies are exactly what I want to bake when the air turns crisp.
They come out tender and gently spiced, and the cinnamon frosting on top makes them look like something from a bakery case.
Soft Pumpkin Cookies With Cinnamon Frosting: A Perfect Fall Baking Recipe 15
One batch makes 18 cookies, which is just right for a potluck plate, a cookie swap, or a cozy afternoon with a mug of hot cider.
Nothing says Fall quite like the warm aroma of freshly baked Pumpkin Cookies topped with a swirl of Cinnamon Frosting. Whether you’re enjoying them with a hot cup of cider or sharing them with friends, they add a touch of seasonal cheer to any moment.
These are soft pumpkin cookies, and the cinnamon frosting is what takes them from good to unforgettable. The frosting is sweet, warm with spice, and pipes into a tidy swirl that makes a simple plate of cookies look like you fussed for hours.
Here is the honest part. You can absolutely enjoy these cookies plain. They are tender and full of pumpkin spice all on their own, and more than one person in my house has snuck a cookie off the cooling rack before the frosting was even mixed.
But the cinnamon frosting is the thing that makes them feel like a fall treat instead of just a cookie. If you have the extra few minutes, pipe it on. You will be glad you did.
Ingredients for Pumpkin Cookies and Frosting:
This is a short, everyday ingredient list. Nothing fancy, nothing hard to track down, and most of it is probably in your kitchen right now.
For the cookies:
1/2 cup vegan butter, softened
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
If you are new to vegan baking, this is a friendly place to start, because nothing on that list needs a trip to a specialty store.
A few notes before you start:
Vegan butter. Softened vegan butter is the base of both the dough and the frosting. Earth Balance Buttery Sticks are a dependable choice for baking because they cream well and behave the way butter should.
Pumpkin puree. Canned pumpkin is the easy route, and Libby’s 100% Pure Pumpkin is the one I reach for. If you would rather use fresh pumpkin, peel and chop it, bake the pieces until they are soft, then mash them smooth.
Soft Pumpkin Cookies With Cinnamon Frosting: A Perfect Fall Baking Recipe 16
Mashed sweet potato can stand in when pumpkin is not available, but the flavor will not be the same. Sweet potato is sweet and mild, and that pumpkin taste simply will not be there.
Sugar. Brown sugar brings moisture and a soft crumb, while granulated sugar helps the cookies hold together. If you are baking for vegan friends, use organic granulated sugar or check that your brand is vegan friendly. Not every bag of white sugar is processed the same way.
Pumpkin pie spice. One teaspoon gives these cookies their fall flavor. If you do not keep pumpkin pie spice on hand, plain cinnamon works, or you can stir together your own blend of ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves.
Cornstarch. This is the quiet hero of the recipe. Cornstarch limits gluten development, which keeps the cookies tender and soft instead of tough, and it helps prevent excessive spreading so the cookies hold the shape you give them.
One thing I love about this list is that it is completely vegan without any strange swaps. There are no eggs and no dairy, and nobody at the table will guess.
One last thing before you start mixing. This dough does not spread much in the oven, so you will roll and flatten the dough into disks before baking. The shape you set on the baking sheet is basically the shape you get.
Ingredients for Vegan Frosting:
The frosting is just as simple as the cookies, and it comes together in one bowl.
For the cinnamon frosting:
1 cup vegan butter, softened
3 teaspoons vanilla paste (or extract)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or cinnamon)
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 1/4 cups powdered sugar
You’ll Also Need:
Nothing unusual here, and if you bake even once in a while, you probably own most of it already.
A hand mixer or a stand mixer
A cookie scooper, optional, but it keeps every cookie the same size
A baking sheet lined with parchment paper
A piping bag fitted with a Wilton Piping Tip #2A
How to make Soft Pumpkin Cookies:
Set aside about half an hour of hands on time plus chilling. Here is the whole process, step by step.
Cream the wet ingredients. In a stand mixer or a large bowl, cream together the softened vegan butter, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla until the mixture is light and fluffy. Give it a minute or two longer than feels necessary. This is where the soft texture starts.
Whisk the dry ingredients. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, cornstarch, and salt. Breaking up any lumps now saves you from lumps later.
Combine the two. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until just combined. Do not over mix. Stop as soon as the last streaks of flour disappear.
Chill the dough. Cover the bowl and place it in the fridge for 30 minutes or overnight.
Preheat the oven. Set it to 350 °F (177 °C).
Shape the cookies. Scoop 2 inch balls of dough with a medium cookie scooper or a large spoon. Press down to flatten the balls into disks. Because the dough does not spread much while baking, you need to form it into a cookie shape beforehand. Arrange the disks a couple of inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake. Bake on the center rack for 10 to 12 minutes. Let the cookies cool down completely on the baking sheet.
Please do not skip the chill. Thirty minutes in the fridge firms up the butter and gives the flour time to hydrate, and it is the difference between a cookie that bakes into a soft little pillow and one that spreads thin.
Soft Pumpkin Cookies With Cinnamon Frosting: A Perfect Fall Baking Recipe 17
Do not worry if the dough feels stiff when it comes out of the fridge. That firmness is exactly what you want. It is what lets you press the dough into neat disks that hold their shape instead of sliding into a flat puddle in the oven.
If you want every cookie to match, pull the cookie scooper out of the drawer. Even balls of dough mean even baking and a plate that looks put together. And let the cookies cool all the way before you frost them. A warm cookie will melt the frosting into a puddle and the swirl will slide right off.
How to make Cinnamon Frosting:
The frosting takes only a few minutes, so I usually make it while the cookies cool.
Whip everything together. In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer, or a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, to whip together all the frosting ingredients until fully combined. Scrape down the bowl once so no dry pockets of powdered sugar hide at the bottom.
Pipe the swirls. Spoon the icing into a piping bag fitted with a Wilton Piping Tip #2A. Pipe the cinnamon frosting on top of the cooled cookies in a swirl, starting from the middle and moving outwards.
Finish. Sprinkle pumpkin pie spice on top, and enjoy.
This frosting is thick and pipeable, which is why the swirl holds its shape on top of each cookie instead of running down the sides.
If you are making the frosting ahead of time, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate it until you are ready to assemble. A quick stir before it goes into the piping bag brings it right back.
More vegan cookies to try out:
If pumpkin season has you baking every weekend, here are three more vegan cookies from the same kitchen.
Soft Pumpkin Cookies With Cinnamon Frosting: A Perfect Fall Baking Recipe 18
Halloween Pumpkin Spice Cookies (Vegan). Soft pumpkin spice cookies built for fall. This is the one to bring to a Halloween party when you want something that looks festive without any decorating work.
Vegan S’mores Cookies. Toasted marshmallows, chocolate chunks, and graham cracker crumbs in one cookie. They taste like a campfire without the smoke, and they are just as good in September as they are in July.
Peppermint Hot Cocoa Cookies (Vegan). Double chocolate cookies with crushed candy canes, marshmallows, and chocolate chips. Bookmark this one for December, because it disappears fast on a holiday tray.
Between these pumpkin cookies and those three, you have a whole season of baking covered. Every one of them is vegan, every one of them travels well to a gathering, and every one of them gets asked about before the plate is empty.
Who needs a scented candle when you can have the aroma of fresh baked pumpkin cookies in your kitchen? Enjoy these cozy homemade treats with your pumpkin spice obsessed friends and family this Fall.
These cookies keep beautifully if you want to bake them ahead of a gathering. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 4 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
For longer storage, freeze the cookies unfrosted for up to 2 months and frost them once they thaw. The dough freezes well too, for up to 2 months, so you can shape a batch now and bake it later on a chilly afternoon when you want the house to smell like fall.
I hope these soft pumpkin cookies with cinnamon frosting become part of your fall tradition. Bake a batch, share them with the people you love, and enjoy every cozy bite.
Whether you bring them to a potluck, a cookie exchange, or simply set them on your own kitchen counter, they do the same thing every time. They bring people to the table. Happy baking!
FAQs
How do you keep pumpkin cookies soft?
To keep pumpkin cookies soft and tender, you must include cornstarch in the dry ingredients. Cornstarch reduces gluten development, which helps prevent the cookies from becoming tough. Be sure to chill the dough for at least 30 minutes before baking and do not overbake them.
What frosting goes best with pumpkin cookies?
Cinnamon frosting is the best pairing for pumpkin cookies. This recipe uses a simple vegan cinnamon buttercream made with softened vegan butter, vanilla paste, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, brown sugar, and powdered sugar. It is piped onto the cooled cookies in a swirl for a beautiful and delicious finish.
Can I substitute pumpkin pie filling for pumpkin puree?
No, you should not substitute pumpkin pie filling for pumpkin puree in this recipe. Pumpkin pie filling is pre-sweetened and already contains spices, which would completely alter the sugar and spice balance. Always use 100% pure pumpkin puree, such as Libby's, for the best results.
How long do frosted pumpkin cookies last?
Frosted pumpkin cookies can be stored in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days at room temperature or up to 7 days in the refrigerator. If you want to store them longer, freeze the unfrosted baked cookies for up to 2 months and add the frosting just before serving.
Soft Pumpkin Cookies with Cinnamon Frosting If you are anything like me, the first cool morning of the season sends you straight to the pantry for a can of pumpkin. These soft pumpkin cookies are exactly what I want to bake when the air turns crisp.
Total Time:10 min
Yield:18 cookies 1x
Ingredients
Scale
Cookies 1/2 cup vegan butter, softened 1/4 cup pumpkin puree 1/4 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice 2 teaspoons cornstarch 1/4 teaspoon salt
Cinnamon Frosting 1 cup vegan butter, softened 3 teaspoons vanilla paste 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice 1/3 cup brown sugar 3 1/4 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
Cookies 1-In a stand mixer or large bowl,: In a stand mixer or large bowl, cream together the softened butter, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla until the mixture is light and fluffy. 2-In a separate large bowl, whisk together: In a separate large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, cornstarch, and salt. 3-Gradually add the dry ingredients to the: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients bowl, mixing on low speed until just combined (don’t over-mix). 4-Cover the bowl and place it in: Cover the bowl and place it in the fridge for 30 minutes or overnight. 5-Preheat the oven to 350 °F (177: Preheat the oven to 350 °F (177 °C). 6-Scoop 2-inch balls of dough out with: Scoop 2-inch balls of dough out with a medium cookie scooper or a large spoon. Press down to flatten the dough balls into disks. While baking, the dough will not spread out much so you need to form it into a cookie shape beforehand. Arrange them a couple of inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. 7-Bake on the center rack for 10-12: Bake on the center rack for 10-12 minutes. Let them cool down completely on the baking sheet.
Cinnamon Frosting 8-In a medium bowl, use an electric: In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer or a stand mixer with the whisk attachment to whip together all the ingredients until fully combined. If preparing in advance, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use. 9-Spoon icing into a piping bag fitted: Spoon icing into a piping bag fitted with the Wilton Piping Tip #2A. Pipe the cinnamon frosting on top of the cooled cookies in a swirl, starting from the middle and moving outwards. Sprinkle pumpkin pie spice on top, and enjoy!
Last Step:
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