By Grocery List Plus Editorial Staff | Published on June 3, 2026
Serves 72
140 cal · 30 min
Frosted Pumpkin Cookies
Recipe GLPR35741e226c66d0
Soft, spiced pumpkin cookies topped with a creamy frosting made from cream cheese and butter. These autumn-inspired treats feature warm baking spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Perfect for fall gatherings and holiday celebrations.
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Ingredients
2 cups shortening
2 cups sugar
1¾ cups pureed pumpkin
2 eggs (room temperature)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 cups all-purpose flour (or gluten-free cake flour blend)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1½ teaspoons ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground ginger
3 oz. butter
3 oz. cream cheese
1 pound powdered sugar
Directions
In a large mixing bowl, cream together the shortening and 2 cups sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes of beating.
Add the pumpkin puree, eggs (at room temperature), and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract to the creamed mixture. Beat until well combined.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.
Add the dry ingredient mixture to the pumpkin mixture and stir until just combined.
Drop rounded teaspoons of cookie dough onto a greased baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
Bake at 350°F for 12-15 minutes, until the edges are set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Transfer the baked cookies to a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely.
While cookies cool, prepare the frosting by beating the softened butter and cream cheese together until creamy.
Gradually add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract, beating until the frosting is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Spread a generous amount of frosting onto each cooled cookie.
Comments
This is a solid fall baking project that will find every ingredient at Harris Teeter, Food Lion, or Walmart without a special trip—pumpkin, spices, cream cheese frosting basics are all standard stock. The stated 30 minutes ignores mixing, rolling, baking, and cooling the frosting, which realistically runs 90 minutes start to finish, though much is passive oven time. At roughly 8 cents per cookie, the cost is reasonable for a batch that yields 72 servings, and the cookies reheat well or keep in an airtight container for days. The recipe is straightforward and well-suited to weeknight baking with kids, though the yield means you're committed to having them around—not ideal if you're baking for one or two people.
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