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Pumpkin Sugar Cookies are soft and chewy with warm pumpkin spice flavor and a buttery, melt-in-your-mouth texture. Unlike many pumpkin cookies, these aren’t cakey, just perfectly tender, sweet, and packed with fall goodness.
Pumpkin Sugar Cookies are a fall treat that’s guaranteed to win over any pumpkin lover. They’re chewy, flavorful, and have that classic sugar cookie sweetness with a seasonal twist. Best of all, these cookies skip the cakey texture that so many pumpkin cookies have, giving you the perfect balance of soft and chewy in every bite.
These cookies are perfect for baking on a fall day, sharing at fall get togethers, or adding to your holiday cookie trays. They are rolled in sugar before baking, that gives them the best chewy texture. Topped with a cream cheese frosting that makes that absolute irresistible!
Ingredients Needed
Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the post for the FULL PRINTABLE recipe card.
- Butter – I always use unsalted butter in baking
- Vegetable Oil – you can use avocado oil or a neutral flavored oil, but using the oil and butter helps give the cookies the texture of a traditional sugar cookie and not cakey.
- Pumpkin Puree – you want to make sure to use pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling that has added sugar and spices to it.
- Granulated Sugar
- Vanilla Extract
- Eggs
- All-Purpose Flour
- Cornstarch – helps give a soft and chewy cookie texture
- Cinnamon
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Salt
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Cream Cheese
- Butter
- Powdered Sugar
- Cinnamon
- Vanilla Extract
- Milk
How To Make Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
- Mix Butter. Start by mixing together the butter, oil, pumpkin and sugar together until everything is creamy and smooth. You can use an electric mixer for this, but a bowl and spatula works as well.
- Add Wet Ingredients. Next mix in the vanilla, egg and egg yolk until it is well blended.
- Add Dry Ingredients. Finally slowly mix in all the dry ingredients until everything is combined.
- Shape Cookies. Scoop balls of dough and roll in sugar before placing on a lined baking sheet. Use the palm of your hand to gently flatten the cookies to about 1/2 inch thick.
- Bake. The cookies bake for 9-10 minutes and then once they are cool you top them with frosting.
- Make Frosting. To make the frosting mix together cream cheese, butter, cinnamon, vanilla, powdered sugar and a little milk. You can adjust the sugar and milk to get a nice spreadable consistency.
- Frost. Frost cookies once they are completely cool and let them sit for a few hours for the frosting to set up before storing in an air tight container.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Shape & Spread. The cookies spread very slightly in the oven, but not much at all. So when you flatten the balls of dough, you want to make sure they are about what you want in the end. I find it is best just over 1/2 inch thick. But if you want thinner or thicker cookies you can, just watch the baking time.
- Rolling in Sugar. I tried many versions of these cookies and there is something about rolling the dough in sugar that keeps them moist, tender and delicious.
- Glaze or Frosting. I prefer a full on frosting with sugar cookies, but you can also make it much thinner and make it a glaze instead. I would cut the recipe in half and then add enough milk to get your desired consistency for a glaze.
Storage
These pumpkin sugar cookies will last at room temperature in an airtight container for 4-5 days. Place a pieces of wax paper or parchment paper in between the layers if stacking when you store them.
More Pumpkin Recipes To Try
- Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread
- Pumpkin Cake
- Pumpkin Pancakes
- Pumpkin Dump Cake
- Apple Pumpkin Coffee Cake
Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar for rolling
Frosting
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- 3 Tablespoons butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 Tablespoon milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Mix together the butter, oil, pumpkin and sugar together until everything is creamy and smooth.1/2 cup butter, 1/3 cup vegetable oil, 1/2 cup pumpkin puree, 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- Add in the vanilla, egg and egg yolk and mix until it is well blended.2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1 egg, 1 egg yolk
- Add flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Mix until everything is combined.3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons cornstarch, 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Scoop balls of dough and roll in sugar before placing on a lined baking sheet. Use the palm of your hand to gently flatten the cookies to about 1/2 inch thick.1/3 cup granulated sugar for rolling
- Bake for 9-10 minutes until the edges are set and the tops appear dry.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the frosting mix together cream cheese, butter, cinnamon, vanilla, powdered sugar and a little milk. You can adjust the sugar and milk to get a nice spreadable consistency.4 oz cream cheese, 3 Tablespoons butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 2 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1-2 Tablespoon milk
- Once the cookies are completely cool spread the frosting over the cookies.
- Let the frosting set before storing in an air tight container.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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It’s pumpkin season, for sure! These look so amazing! I will try them this weekend!
Can you leave the pumkin cookies with the cream cheese out and not worry about spoiling with the cream cheese?
Thank you
Cream cheese frosting should be refrigerated. So I would store these in the fridge