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Pumpkin Sugar Cookies With Cream Cheese Frosting

Pumpkin sugar cookies with cream cheese frosting: pumpkin-spiced cut-out cookies rolled to 1/4-inch and baked until just set. Chill the dough for clean shapes, then frost and finish with a cinnamon sugar dusting.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
chilling 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 42 minutes
Servings: 24 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 240
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For cookies
  • 3 cup flour
  • 0.5 tsp baking powder
  • 0.25 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 cup butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 0.25 cup pumpkin blotted dry
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla
For cream cheese frosting
  • 8 oz cream cheese softened
  • 0.25 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 3 cup powdered sugar
  • 1.5 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 tbsp milk
  • cinnamon sugar for finishing

Equipment

  • 1 stand mixer

Method
 

Make and chill the dough
  1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Mix the cookie ingredients into a dough, then cover and chill for 1 hour so the dough firms up for cleaner cut-outs (visual cue: dough looks cool and scoopable but holds shape when pressed).
Roll, cut, and bake
  1. Roll the chilled dough to 1/4-inch thickness and cut into circles or pumpkin shapes. Place cookies on a baking surface (visual cue: shapes are evenly sized for consistent baking).
  2. Bake at 350F for 10-12 minutes, until the cookies are just set. Cool on a rack until completely cool (visual cue: bottoms feel firm and edges do not look wet or glossy).
Frost and finish
  1. Beat the cream cheese and softened unsalted butter until smooth, then beat in powdered sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla until creamy. Add milk as needed to reach a pipeable or spreadable consistency (visual cue: frosting is thick and glossy with no lumps).
  2. Pipe or spread generously onto each cooled cookie. Dust the tops with cinnamon sugar for finishing (visual cue: a light, even brown speckled layer).

Notes

For the cleanest cut shapes, chill the dough for the full hour and roll it on a lightly floured surface. Store cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days; freeze unfrosted cookies for up to 2 months and thaw before frosting. For a lighter option, use reduced-fat cream cheese (frosting may be slightly softer—add a spoonful more powdered sugar if needed).