Pumpkin Drop Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

Pillowy and light Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting are light, fluffy and totally decadent. Made in less than an hour, this cookie recipe requires no chill time. These pumpkin drop cookies are perfect for any fall get-together! Makes 27 cookies.

2023 Update: This recipe was originally shared in December 2011. I have downsized and simplified this recipe. It also now includes measurements by weight. The post has been updated to include new photos, as well as more tips and tricks. I hope you love them!

My mother recommended a Pumpkin Drop Cookie recipe when she came to visit our home before Thanksgiving. She tried some delectable cookies at school the week before and was raving about them.

So did some experimenting one Sunday afternoon and tinkered with the recipe to make it more palatable to us. 

The end result was a smashing hit.

Why I love this recipe:

These cookies are simple to make, but pack quite the punch when served to a group. 

Winston and I made these for his family for Thanksgiving, and they were the resounding favorite from that evening.

The Soft Pumpkin Cookies are light and fluffy. The cream cheese frosting is easy to spread and utterly decadent.

Pumpkin and cream cheese, after all, are all kinds of perfect, and these cookies are just delicious. 

After all, it’s the time of year where we’re all about pumpkin recipes in these parts. And honestly, these easy pumpkin cookies are the PERFECT fall cookie.

Other pumpkin baked goods to try: Easy Pumpkin Spice Bread | Pumpkin Blondies with a Caramel Cream Cheese Swirl | Spiced Pumpkin Sugar Cookies | Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread | Brown Butter Pumpkin Streusel Muffins with Maple Cream Cheese Glaze

Need some food inspiration for this season? Check out my Fall Recipe Index for more ideas.

What you need to make this recipe:

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• Bowls
• Electric mixer: either a stand mixer or hand mixer
• Whisk
• Rubber spatula for scraping
• 1-tablespoon cookie scoop
• Sheet pan
• Parchment paper or nonstick baking mat

Here’s what you’ll need:

• All-purpose flour — we like to use unbleached AP flour in our household, but the regular kind works, too. I have not tried this cookie with a gluten free flour blend.
• Leaveners — we’re using a combination of baking powder and baking soda to give these pumpkin drop cookies some lift. Make sure they’re fresh.
• Sea salt — I like to use a fine grain sea salt for baked goods so that the salt evenly disperses in the batter.
• Spices — while you could use 2 ¼ teaspoons of your favorite pumpkin pie spice blend, I like to divide out my ingredients because I don’t love nutmeg. I use a combination of ground cinnamon, ground ginger and allspice here instead.
• Unsalted butter — make sure to set it out so it comes to room temperature before mixing the cookie batter!
• Unsweetened applesauce — this makes our cookies extra soft and cakey!
• Light brown sugar — this adds a sweet molasses flavor to the cookie dough. Personally, I think brown sugar and pumpkin are a match made in heaven. You could use dark brown sugar, too. 
• Eggs — these are also a leavener to help the cookie batter rise in the oven. They also help hold the batter together.
• Pumpkin purée — make sure to read the label. You don’t want to use pumpkin pie filling, which is already spiced and sweetened.
• Evaporated milk — this adds creaminess to the cookie batter! It is not the same thing as sweetened condensed milk.
• Pure vanilla extract — a little goes a long way and adds awesome vanilla flavor. Make sure you’re using the real deal.
• Cream Cheese Icing — this is the frosting recipe we’re using, and it calls for a combination of softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract and milk.

How to make Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

Preheat the oven. Also, line sheet pans with parchment or nonstick baking mats and set aside for later.

Combine the dry ingredients. Measure the flour, baking powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, ground cinnamon, ginger and allspice into a medium bowl and whisk. Set them aside for later.

Cream the butter and sugar. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat these until pale and fluffy. This will take a few minutes.

Add the egg and pumpkin. 

Measure in the vanilla extract, too. Mix up this wet pumpkin mixture until incorporated and fragrant.

Combine the wet and dry ingredients. Slowly sprinkle the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and mix until everything is combined.

Dollop the cookie batter onto the prepared baking sheets. You can use a cookie scoop or a tablespoon. 

Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes in the preheated oven.

When brown and pillowy, remove from the oven, and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. 

When completely cooled, ice the pumpkin cookies with the tangy cream cheese frosting, and enjoy!

Frequently Asked Questions

Quick tips and tricks to the best Soft Pumpkin Cookies

• Use pumpkin pie spice. Instead of a combination of ground cinnamon and ground ginger, use the same amount of your favorite pumpkin pie spice blend.
• Switch out the frosting. You could easily use Brown Butter Frosting or Easy Sugar Cookie Icing in place of the cream cheese rendition shown here.
• How to store: Place the cookies on a plate and wrap with plastic wrap. You may also place them in an airtight container. Store in the fridge for 3-4 days. You may also store them in an airtight food storage container. Consider separating layers of cookies with wax paper.

More pumpkin cookie recipes:

• Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookies
• Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies with Cinnamon Chips
• Chewy Pumpkin Cookies (Pumpkin Snickerdoodles)

Now who wants to bake these cookies? Scroll on down…