Soft Pumpkin Cookies with Cinnamon Frosting Recipe
These Soft Pumpkin Cookies with Cinnamon Frosting are a delightful seasonal treat featuring a tender pumpkin-spiced cookie base topped with creamy cinnamon-flavored frosting. Perfectly balanced with warm pumpkin pie spices and a rich vegan butter frosting, these cookies offer a soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture that's ideal for fall celebrations or cozy afternoons.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 18 servings
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- 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
Equipment
- Hand mixer or stand mixer
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper (or baking mat)
- Cookie scooper (optional)
- Piping bag
- Wilton Piping Tip #2A
Instructions
- Cream Ingredients: In a stand mixer or large bowl, cream together the softened vegan butter, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract until the mixture is light and fluffy, ensuring even incorporation of all wet ingredients.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a separate large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, cornstarch, and salt to evenly distribute the leavening agents and spices throughout the flour.
- Combine Ingredients: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients bowl, mixing on low speed until just combined. Avoid over-mixing to ensure tender cookies.
- Chill Dough: Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes or overnight. Chilling is crucial to firm the dough, control spreading, and deepen flavors.
- Preheat Oven: Set your oven to 350°F (177°C) to prepare for baking.
- Shape Cookies: Using a medium cookie scooper or large spoon, scoop 2-inch balls of dough. Press each ball down gently to form disks since the dough will not spread significantly during baking. Arrange the dough disks a couple of inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake Cookies: Place the baking sheet on the center rack and bake for 10-12 minutes until the edges are set but cookies remain soft. Then allow cookies to cool completely on the baking sheet to firm up.
- Prepare Cinnamon Frosting: In a medium bowl, use an electric or stand mixer with the whisk attachment to whip together the vegan butter, vanilla paste, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, brown sugar, and powdered sugar until smooth and fluffy. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate if preparing ahead of time.
- Pipe Frosting: Spoon the cinnamon frosting into a piping bag fitted with Wilton Piping Tip #2A. Pipe a swirl of frosting on top of each fully cooled cookie starting from the center outward.
- Finish and Serve: Lightly sprinkle pumpkin pie spice over the frosted cookies for an extra touch of spice and visual appeal. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container.
Notes
- Chilling the dough is essential to keep the cookies from spreading too much and to enhance flavor development.
- Make sure cookies are completely cooled before frosting to prevent the frosting from melting.
- For vegan dietary needs, ensure all ingredients including sugars and vanilla extract are certified vegan.
- You can substitute pumpkin pie spice with a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves if preferred.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate up to a week.
