Frosted Pumpkin Spice Cookies
These Frosted Pumpkin Spice Cookies are soft, light, and warmly spiced, with a thick layer of creamy vanilla butter frosting. Adapted from a vintage recipe passed down through friends and family, they're an easy fall cookie that's just as delicious with or without the frosting.
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The Story Behind this Pumpkin Spice Cookie
Email inboxes have a way of becoming untidy, and sorting through them is one of those chores that's easy to put off. In this case, procrastinating paid off: during one of those read-delete-save sessions, I rediscovered a 2012 email from my Auntie Betty containing this pumpkin cookie recipe.
It was in one of those read/delete/save/sort sessions when I happened across an email from my Auntie Betty, who is to this day a fabulous cook and baker. It was a recipe for pumpkin cookies -- sent in 2012! Did I mention... procrastinating? Seven years... I like to look at it as a lost treasure.
In that recipe email was an addendum that read in part:
"This recipe came from Grace Jio, a Japanese lady we would take to Sunday School every week. She used to bring these pumpkin cookies to share and they were always a hit."
Sold-I had to try them!
Converting a Vintage Recipe
I love old, tried-and-true recipes passed down among friends and family. You know they're good, or they never would have survived.
As is true for these Pumpkin Spice Cookies.
The original recipe used shortening and cinnamon and included ½ cup each of raisins and nuts. In my version, I use butter instead of shortening, add pumpkin pie spice for a warmer fall flavor, and leave out the raisins and nuts. You can certainly add them back if you'd like.
The icing is the same. The sugar in the recipe is a smaller amount than we use today. My son loves the icing. For me? I like the cookies plain. So, we make them both ways! Happy house.
Recipe FAQs
Absolutely. I prefer the vanilla butter frosting because it keeps these cookies from becoming overly sweet, but cream cheese frosting is delicious too. My pumpkin bars cream cheese frosting works well here.
These soft pumpkin cookies are best the day they're made, but they can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Unfrosted cookies may keep a day or two longer.
I like this recipe for breaking down leftover pumpkins from Halloween into pumpkin puree - it freezes really well too. Also, if you can't find pumpkin spice where you are mixed spice is a good international substitute, either from the store or homemade.
Easy Pumpkin Cookies with Vanilla Butter Icing
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup pure pumpkin
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a cookie sheet with parchment.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt in a medium-size bowl.
- In a stand mixer or with an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Then add the egg, pumpkin puree, and vanilla; stir until combined.
- Gradually fold the dry ingredients into the pumpkin butter mixture. Using a cookie scoop, transfer mounds of pumpkin cookie batter to the prepared cookie sheet. Two spoons work well too. Bake in the preheated oven for 17 to 20 minutes or until lightly browned.
- Cool on a wire rack and make the icing.
- To Make the Icing: In a small saucepan, bring 3 tablespoons of butter and 4 tablespoons of milk to a boil. Stir in ½ cup of brown sugar and ½ teaspoon of vanilla. Let the mixture cool and then stir in powdered sugar until you reach spreading consistency.
Notes
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
More Pumpkin Recipes We Love
- Quick Pumpkin Butter Recipe
- Roasted Pumpkin Hummus with No Tahini
- Easy No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Dessert Recipe
- Moist Low Sugar Healthy Pumpkin Muffins
- Vegan Pumpkin Chickpea Curry with Coconut Milk
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