Pumpkin Cream Cheese Cookies
Fall baking just got better with these irresistible pumpkin cream cheese cookies! Soft, pillowy, and bursting with warm spices like cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg, these cookies combine the creamy richness of cream cheese with pure pumpkin puree for the ultimate autumn dessert. Perfect for pumpkin lovers, holiday gatherings, or cozy afternoons. They make a great fall cookie.
I love soft, pillowy cookies and these pumpkin cookies definitely fit that description. The cream cheese in the cookie gives it that great flavor and texture. Then you have all those great fall spices: cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and ginger that compliment pumpkin so well. This is the perfect fall dessert for a pumpkin lover.
If you’re searching for the best pumpkin cookies recipe, look no further. These easy-to-make treats are soft-baked to perfection and topped with a simple powdered sugar drizzle. Whether you’re a beginner baker or a seasoned pro, this step-by-step guide will help you create delicious fall cookies that everyone will rave about.
Why You’ll Love This Pumpkin Cookies Recipe
- Ultra-Soft Texture: The cream cheese adds moisture and a tender crumb that’s impossible to resist.
- Seasonal Flavors: Pumpkin puree paired with classic fall spices creates a warm, comforting taste.
- Easy to Make: Simple ingredients, straightforward instructions, and minimal equipment needed.
- Make-Ahead Friendly: Refrigerate the dough for easy baking whenever the craving strikes.
- Versatile Dessert: Great for Thanksgiving, Halloween parties, or as a homemade gift.
These pumpkin cream cheese cookies are a must-try if you enjoy other cream cheese desserts like cherry thumbprints or lemon cookies. They’re kid-friendly, crowd-pleasing, and ready in just over 4 hours (including chill time).
Ingredients for Pumpkin Cream Cheese Cookies
- butter
- cream cheese
- pumpkin puree
- sugar
- egg
- flour
- baking powder
- baking soda
- salt
- cinnamon
- ginger cloves nutmeg
- powdered sugar
- milk
How to Make Pumpkin Cream Cheese Cookies
Prepare Wet Ingredients:
You start with butter, cream cheese, and pumpkin.
In your mixer bowl, you’ll beat those ingredients together until smooth.
Add Sugar:
Then you add your sugar to the mixture and then beat on medium speed for a few minutes.
Mix Dry Ingredients
While the mixer is going you’ll put together the dry ingredients: all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg.
Whisk the dry ingredients together.
Incorporate Egg:
Add an egg to the mixer and mix until it’s combined.
Combine Wet and Dry:
Then add half of the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl and mix on low speed until mostly combined.
Add remainder of dry ingredients and mix well, scraping down the sides with a spatula to make sure it’s well combined.
Chill Dough
Once the batter is well mixed, you want to refrigerate the cookie dough for at least four hours. I just keep it in the mixer bowl and cover it with plastic wrap.
Bake:
After 4 hours, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and scoop a large teaspoonful of the batter into your hands and roll it. You want them to be 1″ cookie dough balls. Place the cookie batter on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.
After the cookies have cooled completely on a wire rack you can drizzle some icing on top of the cookies.
So beautiful and ready to eat! Once the drizzle has dried and you can store it in an air-tight container for up to a week.
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Cookies
Equipment
- mixer or electric mixer (hand held)
- Parchment-lined cookie sheet
- Oven
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter softened
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
Icing
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp milk
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, add the softened butter and cream cheese, and the pumpkin puree. Mix on low until combined.
- Add the sugar. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes.
- Add the egg. Mix on low until combined.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves, and ground nutmeg. Whisk together until even dispered.
- Add half of the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl. Turn on low and slowly combine.
- Add the rest of the dry ingredients. Turn on low and mix until combined.
- Cover mixer bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate dough for at least 4 hours.
- After 4 hours, preheat oven to 350 and remove dough from fridge.
- Scoop the dough into your hand to form one-inch balls. I just used a tablespoon but if you've got a cookie scoop you can use that.
- Place the balls onto a parchment lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for about 20 minutes until the edges are just starting to brown. Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.
- Icing
- Use a fork to mix together the powdered sugar and milk until smooth and thick.
- I use a fork to drizzle the icing on top of the cookies. Just move the fork in a back in forth motion until you get the icing coverage you want.
Notes
Tips for the Best Pumpkin Cream Cheese Cookies
- Use room-temperature ingredients for even mixing.
- Don’t overbake—cookies should be soft in the center.
- For thicker cookies, chill dough longer.
- Substitute spices with 1.5 tsp pumpkin pie spice if preferred.
I hope you get a chance to try these Pumpkin Cream Cheese Cookies soon. Here are some other cream cheese desserts you might like to try as well.
More Cream Cheese Cookie Recipes
