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Pumpkin Cake Mix Cookies With Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Pumpkin cake mix cookies with cinnamon cream cheese frosting are thick, soft, and spiced with pumpkin pie spice for a cozy bite. You bake quick 10–12 minute rounds, cool fully, then pipe or spread a cinnamon-flecked cream cheese swirl.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 27 minutes
Servings: 24 cookies
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 210
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Pumpkin cake mix cookies
  • 1 box (15.25 oz) spice cake mix Use a spice cake mix for the base flavor.
  • 0.5 cup pumpkin puree Pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling.
  • 2 eggs
  • 0.33 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
Cinnamon cream cheese frosting
  • 8 oz cream cheese Soften to room temperature.
  • 0.25 cup unsalted butter Soften to room temperature.
  • 2.5 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tbsp milk Add 1–2 tablespoons as needed for a pipeable consistency.

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Bake the pumpkin cookies
  1. Preheat the oven to 350F and line baking sheets with parchment or a silicone mat so the cookies bake evenly.
  2. Combine spice cake mix, pumpkin puree, eggs, vegetable oil, and pumpkin pie spice, then stir until a thick dough forms.
  3. Scoop 2-tablespoon rounds and space them on the baking sheets.
  4. Bake at 350F for 10–12 minutes, until the cookies are set around the edges and still soft in the center.
  5. Cool the cookies completely before frosting so the frosting doesn’t melt.
Frost and finish
  1. Beat cream cheese frosting ingredients until smooth and fluffy, stopping to scrape the bowl if needed.
  2. Pipe or spread the cinnamon cream cheese frosting onto each cooled cookie.
  3. Dust with extra cinnamon right before serving for visible spice on top.

Notes

For the smoothest frosting, ensure cream cheese and butter are truly softened, then add milk a tablespoon at a time until it reaches a thick, spreadable or pipeable texture. Store cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days; freeze unfrosted cookies up to 2 months (thaw overnight in the fridge), then frost after thawing. Dietary swap: use lactose-free cream cheese and lactose-free milk to keep the same texture and flavor.