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Pumpkin Sugar Cookies With Cream Cheese Frosting

Pumpkin sugar cookies with cream cheese frosting are spiced, tender, and cut into pumpkin shapes before baking until just set. After chilling, the cookies get a thick cinnamon cream cheese swirl and a final dusting of cinnamon sugar.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
chilling 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 42 minutes
Servings: 24 cookies
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 210
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For cookies
  • 3 cup flour
  • 0.5 tsp baking powder
  • 0.25 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 cup butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 0.25 cup pumpkin blotted dry
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla
For cream cheese frosting
  • 8 oz cream cheese softened
  • 0.25 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 3 cup powdered sugar
  • 1.5 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 tbsp milk
  • 0.5 cinnamon sugar for finishing

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Make and chill the dough
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a sheet pan with parchment or a silicone mat for baking.
  2. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon until evenly blended.
  3. Cream the butter and sugar, then mix in the pumpkin, egg, and vanilla until a cohesive dough forms.
  4. Shape the dough into a disk, wrap tightly, and refrigerate for 1 hour, until firm and easy to roll.
Roll, cut, and bake
  1. Roll the chilled dough to 1/4-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface.
  2. Cut into circles or pumpkin shapes and place the cookies on the prepared sheet pan with space between them.
  3. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350°F, until the edges look set and the centers are no longer glossy.
  4. Let the cookies cool completely on the sheet pan or a rack so they don’t melt the frosting.
Frost and finish
  1. Beat the softened cream cheese and butter until smooth, then beat in powdered sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla until creamy.
  2. Mix in milk, a little at a time if needed, until the frosting is pipeable or spreadable with a smooth texture.
  3. Pipe or spread generously onto each cooled cookie using a thick swirl.
  4. Dust the frosted cookies with cinnamon sugar so the topping clings to the frosting.

Notes

Pro tip: blot the pumpkin well before mixing to keep the dough from turning sticky and to prevent the baked cookies from spreading. Store cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days; freeze frosted cookies for up to 2 months. For a lighter option, you can use low-fat cream cheese and reduce the frosting sweetness slightly by using 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar instead of 3 cups.