Pumpkin Cookies with Cinnamon Glaze

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These moist and tender Pumpkin Cookies are full of fall spice and everything nice! They’re drizzled with a smooth cinnamon glaze and absolutely packed with pumpkin flavor. Plus, you can whip them up in under 30 minutes.

If you’re looking for more festive cookie recipes that you can make this fall/winter, check out these snickerdoodles, these peanut butter cookies, these chewy sugar cookies, or these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies!

Dreamy Pumpkin Spice Cookies for Fall

Every year, I feel like fall can’t come soon enough. I am such a huge fan of all the season’s famous flavors – apple, maple, cranberry – you name it! But there’s one fall staple that’s particularly near and dear to my heart. You guessed it! Pumpkin.

These easy cookies are for all my fellow pumpkin lovers out there. They’re wonderfully moist and soft with plenty of pumpkin and pumpkin spice flavor, and the sweet cinnamon glaze tips them over into utter cookie perfection.

They have a bit more of a cakey texture than your average cookie does, so I’d definitely say that they cater more to soft cookie fans. But, no matter what your preferences are, these drool-worthy pumpkin treats are bound to become an annual tradition.

Why You’ll Love This Pumpkin Cookie Recipe

These pumpkin cookies are a favorite in my house once the leaves start turning! Here’s why they’re such a big hit:

• Packed with fall flavors. Sweet cinnamon, earthy nutmeg, and warm ground cloves make these rich pumpkin cookies so comforting! They’re the best cozy fall treat.
• Super soft texture. The baking powder and baking soda make these cookies nice and tender, while the pumpkin puree adds the perfect amount of moisture. Add the sweet cinnamon glaze on top and every bite is truly dreamy!
• Quick and easy. It takes just 15 minutes to prep the dough, and about 10 more minutes to bake the cookies!

What You’ll Need

Both the cookies and the glaze rely on kitchen staples, so you may already have everything you need to make them. Let the fall baking begin! (For the exact ingredient amounts and the full set of directions, check out the recipe card below.)

For the Pumpkin Cookies

• Butter – Make sure to bring this to room temperature. You can use salted or unsalted butter, either works!
• Sugar – This recipe calls for both granulated and brown sugar.
• Pumpkin Puree – If you choose to make your own pumpkin puree, be sure to drain out all of the excess liquid.
• Egg – To help bind the ingredients together.
• Vanilla – Use a high-quality extract for the tastiest results.
• Flour – The best way to measure it is by using a food scale or the spoon and level method.
• Salt – For moisture and flavor enhancement.
• Baking Soda & Baking Powder – The use of both ensures light and tender cookies.
• Spices – Cinnamon, nutmeg, and warm ground cloves are a must!

For the Cinnamon Glaze

• Powdered Sugar – You may need to add some extra if you like a thicker glaze.
• Cinnamon – You don’t have to add this in if you’d prefer a vanilla glaze, but I love the extra cinnamon!
• Milk – To add some creaminess.
• Vanilla Extract – Again, pure vanilla extract is the way to go.

How to Make Pumpkin Cookies With Cinnamon Glaze

I can’t stress enough how simple these cookies are. The dough and glaze each come together in a single bowl!

• Heat the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Cream the butter and sugars. Cream the butter and sugars together until the mixture is light and fluffy (about 3-4 minutes).
• Add in the pumpkin, egg, and vanilla. Stir in the pumpkin puree, egg, and vanilla extract, then mix until everything is combined.
• Mix in the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients and mix until smooth. The dough will be sticky.
• Form the cookies. Drop 2-tablespoon-sized balls of cookie dough onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet and flatten them out just a little.
• Bake. Bake the cookies for 9-10 minutes. Make sure you don’t underbake them!
• Let them cool. Let your cookies cool for 1 minute on the baking sheet, then move them to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
• Make the glaze. Once the cookies are completely cooled, whisk together the ingredients for the glaze. Add more powdered sugar little by little, if needed, to thicken the glaze.
• Add the glaze to the cookies. Drizzle your glaze over the cookies and allow it to set.

Tips for Success

In order to knock these pumpkin spice cookies out of the park, look over the simple tips listed below.

• Avoid over-measuring the flour. It’s really easy to over-measure your flour if you’re not careful since it packs itself into the measuring cup. To avoid this, either spoon it in little by little and level it off with a butter knife, or simply use a food scale to measure it.
• Cream the butter and sugars well. Keep beating together the butter and sugar until the mixture lightens in both color and texture. This signifies that it’s fully creamed.
• Use this sticky dough hack. Because the dough is sticky, I dropped one tablespoon onto the baking sheet at a time, then lightly pressed on the second tablespoon. You could also use a small cookie scoop. Don’t forget to flatten out the dough balls a little bit – if they’re too tall, the bottoms will cook too much before the tops are done.
• Don’t underbake these cookies. For many cookie recipes, you actually want to take them out of the oven while they’re still slightly underbaked in the middle. Well, that’s not the case for these, as they won’t continue baking when you remove them from the oven. Once the tops start to look done, you can take them out.
• Cool the cookies completely. Don’t pour the glaze over your cookies until they’ve cooled all the way down to room temperature. You want it to set on top of them rather than soak into them.

Substitutions & Recipe Variations

If you want to change up this recipe a bit, be my guest! One of the following variations might pique your interest.

• Frosted Pumpkin Cookies – Do you prefer a frosting over a glaze? If so, I highly recommend topping your cooled cookies with pumpkin spice buttercream or cream cheese frosting instead.
• Caramel Pumpkin Cookies – Pumpkin and caramel go together so well, and I’m a huge fan of drizzling homemade caramel sauce on all the things. I have 3 amazing caramel recipes on my site, but my favorite has to be this easy brown sugar caramel sauce. It’s divine!
• Pumpkin Nut Cookies – Pecans and walnuts are often paired with pumpkin, and I can’t get enough of it. Feel free to fold some chopped nuts into your dough if you’d like to add some crunch and extra flavor.
• Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies – It’s never a bad idea to fold some chocolate chips into your cookie dough. White chocolate, dark chocolate, milk chocolate – it would all taste delicious in these cookies!

How to Store Pumpkin Cookies

Since the glaze for these cookies is made with milk, I suggest storing them in the refrigerator. Keep them in an airtight container for up to 1 week. If you have to stack them in multiple layers, place a sheet of parchment or wax paper between each one. You can bring the cookies to room temperature before enjoying them if you’d like.

Can I Freeze These Cookies?

Yes, you can keep your cookies in the freezer for extended storage, but you’ll have to flash-freeze them first. Place the cookies on a baking sheet and freeze them for 1 hour. Once firm, transfer them to a freezer-safe container and store them for up to 3 months. Separate layers with parchment or wax paper if needed, and thaw out your cookies in the fridge before enjoying them.

More Easy Pumpkin Dessert Recipes

I have no shortage of pumpkin delights to share with you. Take a look at the following recipes next!

• Pumpkin Cupcakes
• Classic Pumpkin Pie
• Spice Cake with Pumpkin Mascarpone Buttercream
• Pumpkin Muffins with Cinnamon Pecan Streusel Topping
• Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Icing

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