Soft Pumpkin Cookies with Salted Maple Frosting

Soft Pumpkin Cookies with Salted Maple Frosting

Why You Should Give This Recipe a Try

I am definitely someone who wants to embrace all things pumpkin this time of year. I’m fairly sure that pumpkin in and of itself doesn’t taste like much, but combine it with fall spices like cinnamon and nutmeg and I am in! That said, endless pumpkin bread goes only so far and I wanted something different. These Soft Pumpkin Cookies with Salted Maple Frosting is a delicious new way for me to get my pumpkin fix. These are super soft, cake-like cookies with a swirl of slightly salty maple icing, are the perfect fall treat for snuggling down under a blanket with a cup of tea, checking out the leaves.

Some of the best features of this recipe:

Super soft pumpkin cookies that straddle the line between cookie and cake.

A swirl of delicious maple frosting – maybe with a little sprinkle of chopped nuts.

Warm fall flavors like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and ground cloves. 

Soft Pumpkin Cookies with Salted Maple Frosting is the perfect recipe for a beginner: no complicated steps or fancy equipment, and ingredients that are easily found in most grocery stores.

Happy baking!

Recipe Ingredients

Cookies:

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 cup softened butter (room temperature)

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 large eggs (room temperature)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup pure pumpkin purée

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground ginger

14/ tsp ground cloves

pinch of allspice

Frosting:

1 cup confectioners (powdered) sugar

3 tbsp heavy cream

2 1/2 tsp pure maple syrup

​1/4 tsp salt

Chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Helpful Tools

• Large bowl
• ​Fine mesh sieve
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Paper towel
• Stand mixer or hand mixer
• ​Rubber spatula 
• Cookie scoop or tablespoon
• ​Baking sheet
• ​Parchment paper
• ​Medium bowl
• ​Cooling rack 

Ingredient Notes

Make sure you are using pure pumpkin purée and NOT pumpkin pie filling, which has lots of additional ingredients you don’t want.

Unless otherwise specified, it is generally a good practice to use room temperature ingredients, so be sure to take out your butter and eggs ahead of time.

Pure maple syrup is light and flavorful and naturally sweet. It is always better to use that than other types of maple syrup which tend to rely on corn syrup as a main ingredient.

Don’t have all of those spices to create homemade pumpkin pie spice on hand? You can use 2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice instead.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

3. Sift the all purpose flour into a large bowl and whisk in the baking soda and the spices. Set aside.

4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar on medium speed until completely combined.

5. Measure out the pumpkin puree and blot the top with paper towel to remove the extra liquid.

6. Add the eggs, vanilla extract, and pumpkin to the mixing bowl and beat on low speed until combined.

7. Carefully add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until combined. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

8. Scoop out rounded balls of cookie dough and place on the prepared cookie sheet/sheets. You can use a tablespoon if you don’t have a cookie scoop. Leave at least two inches between cookies to allow for spreading.

9. Bake cookies for 14-16 minutes until they are set and golden brown.

10. While the cookies bake, you can prepare the salted maple frosting. Start by sifting the  powdered sugar into a medium bowl.

11. Add the cream, maple syrup, and salt to a bowl and stir to combine. You use a stand mixer or a hand mixer, or you can use a wooden spoon. 

12. Let the cookies cool completely on a wire rack before frosting. If you don’t wait, the frosting will melt off the surface.

13. Lightly frost the tops of each cookie. Chop nuts, if desired, and sprinkle over each of the frosted cookies.

Check out the printable recipe card below for step-by-step directions for these Soft Pumpkin Cookies with Salted Maple Frosting!

Storage

Store the completed cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. Place a small piece of parchment paper between layers so the frosting won’t make the cookies stick to one another. If you are planning to eat the cookies after a few days, you can hold off frosting them until you are ready. 

Tips & Tricks

Sifting flour and powdered sugar is an important step because it removes lumps. To sift the flour, place a fine mesh sieve over a bowl. Add the flour or sugar to the sieve and gently tap the side.

It is important to remember to bring refrigerated ingredients to room temperature before you begin the process. Using ingredients at room temperature helps the batter come together more smoothly and also assists in making a lighter finished product. Above all, do not melt butter unless that is specified in the recipe. Melted butter often changes the consistency of the final product. Melting butter in a microwave also does not help because it heats the butter into a liquid on the inside, while leaving the outside unmelted/softened.

FAQs

Can I freeze these cookies?

Freeze your pumpkin cookies before frosting by wrapping them in plastic and placing them in a freezer safe container. They can remain frozen for up to 2 months.

Can I add mix-ins to the dough?

You can add mini chocolate chips or chopped nuts (pecan and walnuts are best) to the pumpkin cookie dough.

I have added lots of recipes to my favorite ways of using pumpkin. These Best Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Blondies with Cream Cheese Frosting and No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake recipes are super delicious and so easy!