Soft Pumpkin Cake Cookies with Maple Icing

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I can’t get enough of these soft pumpkin cake cookies. These cake-like cookies are light, fluffy, and full of warm fall spices. They’re drizzle with a sweet maple icing that takes them to the next level. They’re the perfect pumpkin cookie for Fall baking and Thanksgiving dessert tables!

If you’re a pumpkin lover, you will also enjoy my pumpkin pie cheesecake bars or chewy pumpkin cheesecake cookies. Let the pumpkin baking begin!

So there’s a bakery near my house that sells the most glorious pumpkin cookies. I mean, they’re good. I had to re-make them at home so here we are! You know, I need to have a pumpkin cake cookie whenever I want, right!? Also, these are so much fun to bake for friends and family. I want everyone I know to enjoy a pumpkin cake cookie!

Why You’ll Love These Cookies

• Soft and fluffy – these cookies have a light, cake-like texture that melts in your mouth.
• Simple Ingredients – this recipe uses pantry basics and pumpkin puree. They’re not complicated to make.
• Perfectly spiced – Cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice make every bite taste like fall. I like to use pumpkin pie spice to make things simple.
• Maple icing – The cookie just wasn’t enough. I had to jazz them up with this sweet maple icing. It’s literally the icing on the cake!

For another fluffy pumpkin dessert, try my homemade pumpkin bread with cream cheese frosting. It’s so moist and is the perfect pumpkin treat with coffee.

Ingredients

Pumpkin Cake Cookie Ingredients:

• Pumpkin puree – make sure it’s 100% pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling. Also blot it with paper towels to remove excess moisture.
• All purpose flour – All purpose works best for these cookies. It provides structure.
• Baking powder & Baking soda – both help keep the cookies light and airy.
• Salt – salt enhances all the flavors.
• Cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice – When I first made the recipe, I used a blend of spices. I decided to use just cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice to keep things simple. The flavor is perfect.
• Butter – for richness.
• Brown sugar & granulated sugar – both sweeten the cookie.
• Egg – to bind everything together.
• Vanilla extract – adds warmth and flavor.

Maple Icing Ingredients:

• Powdered sugar – for sweetness.
• Melted butter – adds structure. You will notice in the pictures the icing holds up really nice.
• Milk – to thin out the icing to drizzle. Any kind will work.
• Vanilla extract – for warmth and flavor.
• Maple syrup – for flavor.

How to Make Pumpkin Cake Cookies

1. Mix the wet ingredients – cream together butter and sugars, then add pumpkin puree, egg and vanilla.
2. Whisk the dry ingredients – combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt in bowl.
3. Combine – slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until mixed.
4. Scoop and bake – Measure spoonfuls of dough, gently roll into a ball and place on cookie sheet. Gently flatten to form a disc.
5. Glaze with maple icing – whisk together powdered sugar, melted butter, milk, vanilla and maple syrup. Drizzle over cooled cookies.

Tips for Success

• Always read through the entire recipe and prepare the ingredients ahead of time. This will help prevent mistakes and make clean up easier.
• Do not over mix the cookie dough. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients JUST until combined.
• Cookie dough is sticky. Wet hands to help handle it.
• Do not over bake. Always watch the first round to make sure the timing is right. All ovens are different. They should puff up and be slightly golden along the edges.
• For the maple icing, start with just a little milk and work it in until you’ve reached the desired consistency. If it’s too runny, add more powdered sugar.

Storage Tips

• Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
• For longer storage, refrigerate for up to a week or freeze (unglazed) for up to 2 months.

Final Thoughts

The time has come to start baking with pumpkin. If it’s not here yet for you, it’s approaching quickly. It’s here for me, though! The earlier the better. These pumpkin cake cookies with maple icing are definitely on my list of pumpkin cookies to make. They’re soft, perfectly spiced, sweet and melt in your mouth. Add them to your Thanksgiving menu – your guest will love you! Try pairing them with my roasted tomato and pepper soup fora cozy fall dinner followed up with cookies for dessert. Whatever you decide, just make them! Enjoy!

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Yield: 28-30 cookies

Soft Pumpkin Cake Cookies with Maple Icing

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These soft pumpkin cake cookies are drizzled with a sweet maple icing. They're light and fluffy, easy to make and perfect for fall dessert for holidays and more!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

Pumpkin Cookies

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• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup unsweetened pumpkin (blotted with paper towels to remove moisture)

Maple Icing

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• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 3-5 tablespoons milk (I used 4)
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with a non-stick baking mat or parchment paper, set aside.
2. In a bowl, mix together the flour, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, salt, baking soda and baking powder, set aside.
3. In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (hand held mixer works too), cream together the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Next add the egg, vanilla and pumpkin puree (make sure to blot it with a paper towel before adding) and mix until incorporated. Scrape down sides of bowl as necessary.
4. With mixer on low speed, slowly add the bowl of dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated. The dough will be sticky and wet.
5. Measure about 1 1/2 – 2 tablespoons of dough, roll into a ball and gently press them onto the baking sheet. You want to slightly flatten the cookies as they don’t spread out much. Wet your fingers to make it easier to handle the dough. Bake cookies for 15 minutes and let cool completely before adding the glaze.
6. To make the glaze, whisk all the ingredients in a bowl. Depending on how much powdered sugar you use, you may need to add more or less milk – start with 2 tablespoons and go from there. You want the glaze to be thin enough to run off a spoon, but thick enough so it coats the cookies well.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

30

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 117Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 101mgCarbohydrates: 26gFiber: 0gSugar: 17gProtein: 1g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated. Use as an approximation only.

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Recipe slightly adapted from verybestbaking.com