These soft Pumpkin Cookies are thick, tender, and almost cake-like, with a melt-in-your-mouth texture that feels straight from the bakery case. Each one is topped with a rich brown sugar icing that seeps slightly into the surface, giving you that sweet, spiced, pumpkin-pie flavor in every bite.
I’ve been baking these for years, and they’re hands-down the most requested pumpkin treat in my circle — right up there with my Pumpkin Dump Cake. It’s the combination that does it: a thick, ultra-soft pumpkin cookie studded with creamy white chocolate and topped with buttery brown sugar icing. Together, they land somewhere between cake and cookie, rich but not heavy, and completely impossible to stop at one.
What Makes These Pumpkin Cookies Stand Out?
- Easy to make! These cookies are very easy to make, perfect for beginner-level bakers.
- They are ridiculously soft. Not chewy. Not crumbly. Not dry. These bake up thick, fluffy, and almost cake-like. These are the kind of pumpkin cookies that stay tender for days.
- They actually taste like pumpkin. Real pumpkin puree and plenty of pumpkin pie spice give them that warm, cozy flavor without being bland or overly sweet.
- White chocolate makes them better. Those creamy little pockets of white chocolate melt into the batter and balance the spice perfectly.
- The brown sugar icing is everything. It adds that subtle caramel, almost butterscotch flavor that takes these from “really good” to “where did they all go?”
What You’ll Need to Make These Cookies
I stock up on pumpkin puree this time of year, from pumpkin bread, to pumpkin scones and everything in between I use a lot of pumpkin in the fall-time. Make sure to hop down to the bottom of this post for the FULL recipe and ingredient list with measurements.
- Butter. I use salted butter in this recipe, but you can use unsalted as well, it’s just a personal preference for me.
- Sugars: You will use both light brown sugar and granulated sugar in this cookie recipe.
- Egg. Always use large sized eggs in my baking recipes unless otherwise noted.
- Pumpkin Puree. Make sure to use 100% pure pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling. Brands like Libby’s is popular, however many stores sell their own brand, which is just as good!
- Flavors: Vanilla extract and pumpkin pie spice. If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice you can ue a combination of 2 1/4 teaspoons of cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, and 1/2 teaspoon ginger.
- Dry Ingredients: Kosher salt, baking powder, baking soda, and all purpose flour
- Add-ins: I love white chocolate chips in this cookie, I feel like it pairs perfectly with the pumpkin, but you can leave it out if you aren’t a white chocolate fan.
Do You Have To Put Frosting On These Cookies?
You can absolutely omit the icing, but you shouldn’t. It’s what really sets these cookies apart! And while I defintiely think this brown sugar icing is incredible, you could also spread a little cream cheese frosting on top and that would be fantastic too! But here’s what you will need for my recipe:
- Light brown sugar
- Butter
- Milk
- Powdered sugar. I recommend sifting your powdered sugar for this icing recipe to ensure you don’t have lumps, but if you don’t feel like sifting, you can also whisk it. It just helps ensure you have a smooth and creamy frosting with no lumps!
To make the icing melt the butter and brown sugar together in a medium saucepan and bring it to a boil for 1 minute. You want the sugar to be dissolved. Then remove the pan from the heat and allow it to cool for about 10 minutes. Finally, whisk in the milk and powdered sugar until it’s smooth and spread it on the cookies! You could also use a hand mixer of you prefer.
What If You Don’t Like White Chocolate?
You can omit the white chocolate completely if you really don’t like it, add a little less or even use semi-sweet chocolate chips in its place! You can even find caramel chips at this time of year, I’ve seen them at Trader Joe’s and they would be absolutely delicious in this recipe.
How To Store/Freeze
Store these cookies airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 7 days! Or you could freeze them in an airtight container for up to 60 days. You can freeze them with or without the icing.
More Pumpkin Cookies You Will Enjoy
Pumpkin Cookies
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 36 cookies 1x
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Oven/Stove Top
- Cuisine: Dessert
Description
Thick, ultra-soft Pumpkin Cookies loaded with white chocolate and topped with rich brown sugar icing. Bakery-style and impossible to stop at one.
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
- 3 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 (12 oz) bag white chocolate chips
Icing:
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 cups sifted powdered sugar
Instructions
- Cookies: Preheat to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment mix the butter, granulated and brown sugar on medium speed for 2 minutes.
- Add in the egg, vanilla, pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, salt, baking powder, and baking soda and mix for 1 minute until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Turn the mixer to low and add in the flour, mixing until just combined. Stir in the white chocolate chip until evenly incorporated.
- Using a medium (2- tablespoon) sized cookie scoop, drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10- 12 minutes until the edges are slightly golden. Allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Icing: In a medium saucepan stir together the brown sugar and butter over medium heat.
- Bring the mixture to a boil and continue cooking for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and cool for 10 minutes. Mixture will slightly thicken. Whisk in the milk and the powdered sugar until smooth. Alternately you can use a hand mixer for this step.
- Spread about 1 teaspoon on the tops of each cookie and allow to set.
Notes
Store airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days.
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Can these be frozen ?if so for how long?
Absolutely! You can freeze them for up to 2 months for best freshness.