Incredibly soft pumpkin cookies topped with a cream cheese frosting — these cookies are similar to storebought “Lofthouse” cookies, but with a Fall-twist!
I originally shared the recipe for these Frosted Pumpkin Cookies over on Spend with Pennies!
Thank the Great Pumpkin, we have finally made it to Friday. I have an incredibly packed weekend coming up. complete with a special project that I’m working on as a Halloween treat, and it’s probably going to take most of Saturday and Sunday to complete. Not to mention the fact that it might completely fail — we will see!
But right now, let’s talk cookies, at least briefly.
I’m absolutely in love with these cookies, which is saying a lot for someone who, last year, didn’t even like pumpkin anything. Maybe it’s their generous caps of cream cheese frosting (complete with brown sugar, because in the Fall you need to add brown sugar to everything, trust me), or their cheery sprinkles, but really it’s the cookie base itself that I’m so pleased with.
These cookies are soft, like sugar cookies (not the cutout kind) and remind me of the Lofthouse cookies my parents used to bring home from the store. Melt-in-your mouth cookies that taste like autumn, festively decorated with sprinkles.
No cookie cutters required, you’re going to want these at your next Fall party.
Enjoy!
Lofthouse-Style Pumpkin Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup (200 g) sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) brown sugar
- ½ cup (130 g) pumpkin puree
- 1 egg + 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 ⅓ cups (405 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon corn starch (or cornflour in UK)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon pumpkin spice
- ½ teaspoon salt
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 6 ounces (170 g) cream cheese softened
- 6 Tablespoons (85 g) butter softened
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar tightly packed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 cups (400 g) powdered sugar
Instructions
- In KitchenAid (or using an electric hand mixer) cream together butter, sugars, and pumpkin puree on medium-high speed, until well-combined1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, 1 cup (200 g) sugar, ½ cup (100 g) brown sugar, ½ cup (130 g) pumpkin puree
- Add egg and egg yolk, beating until combined.Stir in vanilla extract.1 egg + 1 egg yolk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- In separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, corn starch, pumpkin spice, and salt.3 ⅓ cups (405 g) all-purpose flour, 1 Tablespoon corn starch, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ¾ teaspoon pumpkin spice, ½ teaspoon salt
- Gradually (with mixer on medium-low speed) stir the dry mixture into wet ingredients, pausing occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure that all ingredients are well-combined.
- Transfer dough to refrigerator and chill 30-45 minutes.
- Shortly before dough has finished chilling, preheat your oven to 350F and prepare cookie sheets by lining with parchment paper.
- Remove dough from refrigerator and roll into heaping 1 ½ Tablespoon-sized balls.
- Use the (clean) bottom of a glass or measuring cup to press down until cookies are about ½" thick.
- Place on cookie sheet at least 2" apart and bake on 350F for 12-13 minutes.
- Allow cookies to cool completely on cookie sheet before frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using an electric mixer and a large bowl), beat together cream cheese, butter, and brown sugar until well-combined.6 ounces (170 g) cream cheese, 6 Tablespoons (85 g) butter, 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
- Stir in vanilla extract and salt, and then scrape down sides and bottom of bowl and beat briefly once more to ensure all ingredients are well-combined.1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Gradually, with mixer on low-speed, stir powdered sugar into frosting until completely combined (pausing occasionally to scrape down sides and bottom of bowl).3 cups (400 g) powdered sugar
- Once cookies have cooled completely, spread icing over the tops of cookies and immediately decorate with sprinkles.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
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Pat Ellis
Enjoyed making this Lofthouse type cookie. My dough turned out sticky and I’m wondering if I should have added more flour. I placed a small square of waxed paper under the glass as I flattened them, and that worked well. Icing was divine! Fun to have a decorated cookie for Thanksgiving.
Sam
Hi Pat! I’m glad you still enjoyed them! If they didn’t spread too much in the oven then you don’t need to add any more flour. 🙂
Anna
Probably some of the best cookies I’ve ever had. Seriously, they were like pumpkin bread in a cookie shape! Thank you!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed the cookies so much, Anna! 🙂