Pumpkin Cookies with Caramel Frosting
These pumpkin cookies with caramel frosting are a delicious, fluffy pumpkin cookie made especially delectable by creamy caramel frosting.
Quite simply, these little beauties are a classically delicious, fluffy pumpkin cookie made even more delectable by a smear of creamy caramel frosting. A divine combination, really.
Not that any of us need any additional sugar at the midpoint of Halloween week, but bookmark to try soon when you need a scrumptious treat that tastes just like the epitome of fall.
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Pumpkin Cookies with Caramel Frosting
Ingredients
Cookies:
- 1 cup (227 g) butter, softened
- ½ cup (106 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (106 g) packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups (284 g) all-purpose flour
Frosting:
- 3 tablespoons (43 g) butter
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup (106 g) packed light brown sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 2 cups (228 g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars for the cookies. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well. Stir in the pumpkin.
- In a medium bowl, sift together the baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, salt and flour. Add the dry mixture to the pumpkin batter and mix until combined.
- Drop the dough by large tablespoonfuls onto a lightly greased (or lined with parchment or silpat) cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
- For the frosting, in a medium saucepan, combine the butter, cream, brown sugar and salt, and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil.
- Remove from the heat and stir in 1 cup powdered sugar and the vanilla. Let the frosting cool to room temperature and stir in the remaining 1 cup powdered sugar. Spread the frosting over the cooled cookies.
Serving: 1 Cookie, Calories: 225kcal, Carbohydrates: 32g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 35mg, Sodium: 182mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 23g
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Recipe Source: adapted from Let’s Dish Recipes, originally seen on Pinterest
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The cookie base is light and the frosting is perfectly sweet! I did end up using more heavy cream than was called for because my frosting was too thick to spread. But we will make these again! So tasty!
Each time we make these cookies, everyone loves them! Our favorite pumpkin recipe to make.
Have you tried making them into bars? I am considering making them for thanksgiving but don’t want to take the time for individual cookies! Any advice on how to do that or should I stick to the cookies?
I haven’t made these into bars, but it’s probably worth a try! I think the batter should fit in a 9X13-inch pan.
A friend had our young daughters make these for a church activity we were at. Ever since then, I’ve wanted to make them again! (Ok it’s only been a week but I couldn’t stop thinking about them.) They are fantastic! I’m picky about the recipes I keep and this is one that I’m going to write into my best recipes binder! Thank you
I just made these and used the brown butter frosting from your banana bars. https://www.melskitchencafe.com/banana-bars-with-browned-butter-frosting/
Probably my best decision of 2021
I’ve made these dozens of times and people cannot get enough of them!
I increased the ginger to two tsp and added a cup of golden raisins and a cup of chopped walnuts to batter . Also cookies will be fluffier if you also add a tsp of baking powder along with soda. I get lots of requests for these cookies.
Didn’t like the outcome of this one. Just my opinion… heavy, very sweet but lacked complimenting flavors. My family said “it’s not too bad” which is nice for “I don’t like it but I can still eat it”.
These are a hit every time I make them! I go a bit light on the second cup of powdered sugar so the frosting is a little easier to spread. This last time I was doing a bunch of baking ahead of time for a weekend away, so I froze the frosted cookies between layers of wax paper – when we dug in they were just as good as before!
Thanks for the review, Danielle!
I made these for the first time and followed the directions exactly. The frosting was soooo thick that I couldn’t spread it. I had to add a couple teaspoons of milk and whip it with my mixer, and then it was spreadable. The frosting tasted a lot like powdered sugar, so I think that next time I will reduce the amount of powdered sugar. But, it was fun to have another type of pumpkin cookie 🙂 We love pumpkin!
If you add a pinch of salt it takes away that powdered sugar taste.
Ok, you are a genius!!!!! I have to post on here and your sugar cookies because you made such a difference to my cookies. I will talk about them on the other page. The frosting wow eeeee! I actually used your cream cheese frosting but my daughter and I were torn between loving it and thinking it too cream cheesy tasting (not your recipe fault, just that distinct taste – but was 50 x better than the oh so over sweet buttercream I normally stick with) so I made the frosting but only had brown vanilla sugar so used that and only used half the powdered sugar and then drizzled it in swirls, uuuummmmm!!!! Just bought some buttermilk so going to try that topping now. I actually love whipping cream fillings and toppings but have had a nightmare in the past with a not so level 3 tier princess castle cake starting to landslide during the warm party so maybe the buttermilk will be the one.
Hi Mel! Just made these yesterday, and I think I have to declare these my favorite pumpkin treat ever! I ate one right out of the oven, no frosting yet, and it was so unbelievably good. So moist and delicate! I was a bit afraid to add the frosting because the cookie seemed so perfect without it. But the frosting had a delicate caramel flavor and didn’t take away from the cookie at all. I thought it was even better with the frosting. I took them to work and they were a huge hit. Thank you so much!
I think I made these a bit big, because I only got 19 cookies out of it. And they took about 16-17 minutes to cook. Next time I know not to use such a big spoonful. Maybe I have freakishly big spoons?
Mel,
Do you think that sweet potato puree could be substituted for the pumpkin in order to turn these into sweet potato cookies? Or would any proportions need to be adjusted elsewhere?
Thanks!
Hi Tiffany – I think it’s definitely worth a try although I haven’t tried it myself. I’d probably decrease the sugar just a bit though.
I’m planning on making these for work ; I think Ill put candy corns on top.