Nothing says Fall quite like the warm aroma of freshly baked Pumpkin Cookies topped with a swirl of Cinnamon Frosting. Whether you’re enjoying them with a hot cup of cider or sharing them with friends, they add a touch of seasonal cheer to any moment.
Get ready to fall for these soft pumpkin cookies with cinnamon frosting! 🍂🎃 If you’re anything like me, you eagerly await the arrival of autumn and all the delicious treats it brings, and these cookies are at the top of my list. You can enjoy these delicious cookies by themselves, but life is short, so add that cinnamon frosting on top.
Ingredients for Pumpkin Cookies and Frosting:
- Softened Vegan Butter – I like the Earth Balance Buttery Sticks for baking.
- Pumpkin Puree – My favorite brand is Libby’s 100% Pure Pumpkin (not sponsored). If you don’t have canned pumpkin, then you could use fresh pumpkin by peeling, chopping, and baking it until it’s soft. You can also substitute this with mashed sweet potato if you can’t find pumpkin in your grocery store. It doesn’t give you the same pumpkin flavor, but it would still be a delicious fall cookie.
- Brown Sugar
- Granulated Sugar – If you’re vegan, make sure it’s organic, or look up the brand to see if it’s vegan-friendly.
- Vanilla Extract
- All-Purpose Flour
- Baking Powder
- Pumpkin Pie Spice – If you don’t have any, you can substitute it with just cinnamon. To make your own pumpkin pie spice, mix together ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, ground allspice, and ground cloves. Here’s a recipe if you can’t find it at the grocery store: Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice by Live Well Bake Often.
- Cornstarch – Adding cornstarch helps make the cookies even more tender and soft by reducing gluten development, which enhances their moist, fluffy texture and prevents excessive spreading. This is why it’s important to roll and flatten the dough into a disc shape before baking.
- Salt – Just a pinch!
Ingredients for Vegan Frosting:
- Softened Vegan Butter
- Vanilla Extract
- Cinnamon
- Pumpkin Pie Spice (or more Cinnamon)
- Brown Sugar
- Powdered Sugar
You’ll Also Need:
- Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer
- Cookie Scooper (optional but helps keep all the cookies the same size)
- Baking Sheet – Lined with parchment paper.
- Piping Bag, fitted with a Wilton Piping Tip #2A
How to make Soft Pumpkin Cookies:
- In a large bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup of softened vegan butter, 1/4 cup of pumpkin puree, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, 1/2 cup of organic cane sugar, and 1 tsp of vanilla extract until light and fluffy.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together 1¾ cup of all-purpose flour, 2 tsps of baking powder, 2 tsps of pumpkin pie spice, 2 tsps of cornstarch, and 1/4 tsp of salt.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in the bowl, mixing on low speed until just combined.
- Cover the bowl and place it in the fridge for 30 minutes (or overnight). Chilling the dough is an important step that you cannot skip.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177 C).
- Scoop 2-inch balls of dough out with a medium cookie scooper or a large spoon. Press down to flatten the dough balls into disks. While baking, the dough will not spread out much so you need to form it into a cookie shape beforehand. Arrange them a couple of inches apart on a large parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake on the center rack for 10-12 minutes. Let them cool down completely on the baking sheet.
How to make Cinnamon Frosting:
- In a medium bowl with an electric mixer or in a stand mixer using the whisk attachment, whip together all of the ingredients until fully combined. If making ahead of serving, place in the fridge, covered by plastic wrap, until ready to assemble.
- Spoon icing into a piping bag fitted with the Wilton Piping Tip #2A. Pipe the cinnamon frosting on top of the cooled cookies in a swirl, starting from the middle and moving outwards.
- Finish the cookies with a dusting of pumpkin pie spice. Enjoy!
More vegan cookies to try out:
- Halloween Pumpkin Spice Cookies (Vegan) – Get into the Halloween spirit by baking these spooktacular soft pumpkin spice cookies! They’re the perfect dessert during the fall time.
- Vegan S’mores Cookies – These decadent vegan s’mores cookies are a delicious twist on the campfire treat and are so easy to make. Loaded with toasted marshmallows, chocolate chunks, and crunchy graham cracker crumbs.
- Peppermint Hot Cocoa Cookies (Vegan) – Enjoy the holidays with these soft and chewy Peppermint Hot Cocoa Cookies! You’ll love these double chocolate cookies filled with crushed candy canes, marshmallows, and chocolate chips. They are the best vegan Christmas cookies to whip up for a party or a cookie exchange.
Who needs a scented candle when you can have the aroma of fresh-baked pumpkin cookies in your kitchen? Enjoy these cozy homemade treats with your pumpkin-spice-obsessed friends and family this Fall.
Print
Soft Pumpkin Cookies with Cinnamon Frosting
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 18 cookies 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Get ready to fall for these soft pumpkin cookies with cinnamon frosting! 🍂🎃 If you’re anything like me, you eagerly await the arrival of autumn and all the delicious treats it brings, and these cookies are at the top of my list.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1/2 cup vegan butter, softened
- 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Cinnamon Frosting:
- 1 cup vegan butter, softened
- 3 teaspoons vanilla paste (or extract)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or cinnamon)
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 3 1/4 cups powdered sugar
Utensils:
- Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer
- Baking Sheet
- Parchment Paper (or baking mat)
- Cookie Scooper (optional)
- Piping Bag
- Wilton Piping Tip #2A
Instructions
- In a stand mixer or large bowl, cream together the softened butter, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, cornstarch, and salt.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients bowl, mixing on low speed until just combined (don’t over-mix).
- Cover the bowl and place it in the fridge for 30 minutes or overnight. Chilling the dough is an important step that you cannot skip.
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F (177 °C).
- Scoop 2-inch balls of dough out with a medium cookie scooper or a large spoon. Press down to flatten the dough balls into disks. While baking, the dough will not spread out much so you need to form it into a cookie shape beforehand. Arrange them a couple of inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake on the center rack for 10-12 minutes. Let them cool down completely on the baking sheet.
- Cinnamon Frosting: In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer or a stand mixer with the whisk attachment to whip together all the ingredients until fully combined. If preparing in advance, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Spoon icing into a piping bag fitted with the Wilton Piping Tip #2A. Pipe the cinnamon frosting on top of the cooled cookies in a swirl, starting from the middle and moving outwards. Sprinkle pumpkin pie spice on top, and enjoy!
Notes
Storage: Store cookies in an airtight container for 3-4 days at room temperature, up to 7 days in the fridge, or freeze unfrosted cookies or dough for up to 2 months.
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Fall
- Method: Baking
These cookies were wonderful!! I’m addicted to the cinnamon frosting. They’re like crumble cookies but better. Going to make them again ASAP!
Jenn, thank you so much! I’m thrilled to hear you loved the cookies and that you’re hooked on the cinnamon frosting. Can’t wait for you to make them again soon!
All the best,
Maria
Hi! How and for long can you store them?
Hi Amy! You can store these cookies in an airtight container for 3-4 days at room temperature, up to 7 days in the fridge, or freeze unfrosted cookies or dough for up to 2 months. I’d also love to hear how they came out if you make them!
All the best,
Maria
Came out perfect 💖 made everything with crisco instead of butter and omitted chilling because of it. 111/10
Hana, it’s wonderful to hear these cookies came out perfect! Glad to know you used crisco and didnt’ have to wait for it to chill. Thanks for leaving this lovely review. Happy baking!
All the best,
Maria
These were amazing!!!! they were not too sweet and they had the PERFECT texture! Plus they didn’t take that long to make!!!
I made these and brought them to school for friends and they LOVED them and begged me to make more! Thank you!
These were so so so delicious!! I didn’t make the frosting, but the cookies alone were so good. They had a cake texture and were very soft as well as sweet. I could definitely taste the pumpkin and cinnamon!! I’d make this again, I look forward to making your other recipes! 😄💖💖💖