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I love pumpkin spice season! These Pumpkin Pie Spice Cookies are an easy soft and chewy sugar cookie with warm fall flavors – and they’re so good. I took my favorite sugar cookie recipe and added pumpkin spice to the cookie and the icing. It’s an EPIC fall cookie recipe!
Pumpkin cookies are really good. I know, because I’ve made several pumpkin cookie recipes, even one stuffed with Nutella. But sometimes you’re in the mood for pumpkin spices but not actual pumpkin (you know, how I loved the PSL before it actually had pumpkin in it?) That’s where these cookies come in!
Pumpkin Spice Cookies are an easy sugar cookie recipe filled with pumpkin pie spice in both the cookie dough and the frosting. They’re easy to make, no chill cookies, soft and chewy and perfectly spiced. They’re the perfect fall cookie recipe!
Pumpkin Pie Spice Cookies Ingredinets
- Butter: I always use unsalted butter. Be sure to soften it before making the cookies so that it’s room temperature.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar goes into these cookies – they’re like a sugar cookie! You could also do half and half brown sugar if you want a more chocolate chip cookie texture.
- Cream of Tartar: I use this to keep the cookies nice and soft. Learn all about Cream of Tartar. This is an essential ingredient.
- Pumpkin Spice: Pumpkin Pie Spice is another one of those enigmas to me because every recipe I’ve found for pumpkin pie spice is different. Cinnamon and nutmeg are always there. But some have allspice, some have cloves and some have ginger. Some have a combination or none of the above. That’s why I made my own DIY Pumpkin Pie Spice so I never have to guess, plus it’s easier than getting out all the spice jars individually.
Dorothy’s Expert Tips
- If you don’t have cream of tartar you can use 1 tsp lemon juice in place of it but that should only be done if absolutely necessary.
- Don’t over bake them. Err on the side of underdone – they’ll finish cooking and set as they cool.
- You could also make these semi-homemade with cake mix: use my cake mix sugar cookies and add pumpkin spice!
- I use heavy whipping cream in my frosting. You can also use milk or half and half, or even nondairy milk. Just know you’ll need less of it – the less fat your milk has the less you need to make the frosting thin enough to spread.
- If you want, you can make cream cheese frosting instead and add the pumpkin pie spice. This is my favorite cream cheese frosting recipe!
Pumpkin Spice Cookies Recipe
Video
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- ¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups (248g) all-purpose flour
For the Frosting:
- 4 tablespoons (57g) unsalted butter, softened
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups (226g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 3 tablespoons (45ml) heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two cookie sheets with silpat liners or parchment paper.
- Cream butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat in egg and extract. Mix in pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Slowly mix in flour.
- Scoop 2 tablespoon balls of dough (use a cookie scoop if you have one) onto cookie sheets.
- Bake for 9-10 minutes. Take them out just as you notice the bottoms start to turn golden (or right before). They’ll finish cooking as they cool. If they get too golden on the bottom before you remove them, they won’t be as pillowy and soft!
- Cool 5 minutes before removing from cookie sheets. Place on a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
- Make the frosting: Beat butter until creamy with a hand or a stand mixer. Mix in salt. Slowly add in powdered sugar until mixture is crumbly. (It will be very crumbly if using a hand mixer, more smooth if using a stand mixer.) Add vanilla, pumpkin spice and 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream. Mix until the frosting comes together and becomes smooth, adding remaining tablespoon of heavy whipping cream as needed for consistency. Frost.
- Store at room temperature loosely covered. Frosting will semi-dry and cookies are stackable but some frosting may transfer.
Notes
To make the frosting with Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer instead:
Mix 3 tablespoons softened unsalted butter with 2 cups powdered sugar and a pinch of salt. Mix in 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin spice, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 3 tablespoons pumpkin spice coffee creamer until smooth. Frost as desired.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Storing and Freezing
Store cookies in a single layer in an airtight container. These can sit at room temperature, but will last an extra few days if refrigerated. You can also freeze them, frosted or unfrosted.
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How to make Pumpkin Spice Cookies
- Butter and sugar should be creamed until light and fluffy.
- Once egg, vanilla, baking soda, salt, and spices are mixed in you’ll get a looser light brown batter.
- The flour will make these stable enough to bake without chilling.
- Mix powdered sugar and butter until crumbly before adding anything else.
- Salt should be mixed into the crumbly batter.
- Add cream a bit at a time until smooth and you reach your desired consistency for frosting.
- Know that if you’re using a hand mixer the mixture will be crumbly when you start adding the cream. In a stand mixer it might be smoother and need less. This is because a hand mixer is not as strong as a stand mixer and needs more help.
Love pumpkin spice? Make these recipes:
- Pumpkin Spice Banana Bread
- Pumpkin Spice Snowballs
- Pumpkin Spice Latte (spiked!)
- Pumpkin Spice Latte Popcorn
- Try Jen’s Pumpkin Spice Snack Mix
- Do you want a pumpkin cookie recipe? Try my Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies.
I make these every year as a tradition now, and everyone in the family and at work asks every fall, “when are you making the cookies??” Thank you!
These were sooo good! I also used this frosting on a different cookie. Spectacular!!
My cookies didn’t spread out. They remained in ball/dome shape even after cooling. I followed the recipe added everything I needed to. Any suggestions?
Sometimes if they get extra cold while chilling (chilled longer than an hour or two) I’ll press them slightly with the palm of my hand before baking to help them spread.
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