Soft Pumpkin Cookies with Maple Frosting
Like a warm hug, these soft cookies boast warming spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves), rich pumpkin, sweet vanilla, and a maple-infused frosting. They’re moist, perfectly pumpkin-y, delightfully sweet, and really easy to make.
I can’t imagine a better cookie for autumn! Pumpkin is a classic fall flavor, as is cinnamon. And when you add nutmeg, cloves, vanilla, and maple syrup, it’s like all the flavors of pumpkin pie, in cookie form.
The maple frosting on these cookies is totally divine. There’s something magical about the pairing of maple syrup and pumpkin. The gourd is rich and meaty, and the syrup is sweet and light, so they balance each other perfectly. And the maple flavor is woven into a buttery-sweet frosting that’s satiny and sultry. You’ll want to spoon it onto everything.
These cookies are super easy to make. At first glance, the ingredient list might seem long – but you might have everything you need already. The cookie dough is pretty straightforward – flour, sugar, butter, and egg. Plus the warming spices. The same is true of the frosting – it’s a quick and easy blend of butter, sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla.
Can you replace the spices with pumpkin pie spice? Absolutely. If you don’t have cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, pumpkin pie spice is an excellent alternative. Replace those three spices with 1 1/4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice.
Can you freeze these cookies? Yes! They freeze really well too. Store them in an airtight container for up to 3 months. When cravings strike, you’ll always have cookies on hand!
Soft Pumpkin Cookies with Maple Frosting
Ingredients
For the Cookies
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup 1 stick butter, softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar, light or dark
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Maple Frosting
- 6 tablespoons butter, softened
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1-2 teaspoons milk
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet (or two) with parchment paper.
- To make the cookies, in a medium bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Mix well and set aside.
- In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat in the egg. Beat in the pumpkin puree and vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Beat in the flour mixture until blended.
- Using a small cookie scoop or heaping tablespoon, drop the dough onto the prepared pan(s), about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until a wooden pick inserted into the center of one cookie comes out clean or with little moist bits clinging to it. Cool the cookies on the pan(s), on a wire rack. Cool completely before frosting.
- To make the frosting, using a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Beat in the maple syrup and vanilla. Beat in the powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time and stop at 1 cup. Beat in 1 teaspoon of the milk.
- If the frosting seems too thin, beat in the remaining 1/2 cup of powdered sugar. If it seems too thick, beat in the remaining milk.
- Spread the frosting on cookies and serve. Store leftovers in an airtight container.