Pumpkin spice drop cookies are a cozy fall treat with craggy edges and a soft, chewy center, finished with a rich cinnamon cream cheese frosting for the perfect bite.
I have been on a drop cookie kick lately (check out my full list of drop cookies that look just like these).
When I first started making them, I decided to challenge myself to make every popular kind of drop cookie with frosting so that they stay in these mounds with rustic, craggy edges. They have slightly crisp edges and a chewy center. Which is my favorite kind of cookie texture!
It all started with a simple peanut butter version, and now I’m on to delicious fall drop cookies that are so trendy. Stay tuned for Christmas drop cookies – those will be next!
Ingredients
- Pumpkin Puree
- Butter
- Light Brown Sugar
- White Granulated Sugar
- Large Egg
- Pure Vanilla Extract
- All-Purpose Flour
- Corn Starch
- Baking Soda
- Baking Powder
- Chai Spices: Cinnamon, Cardamom, Ginger, Cloves, Nutmeg
- Salt
- Cream Cheese
- Powdered Sugar
- Milk
How to Make Pumpkin Spice Drop Cookies
Pumpkin Spice Drop Cookies
- In a small saucepan, add pumpkin puree and bring to a simmer to remove moisture from the puree. Continuously stir until it thickens into a thick paste consistency and there is no shine left, about 10-12 minutes. Mine reduced to ⅓ cup. Set aside and let fully cool before adding to the mixing bowl in the next step.
- In a stand mixer or a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream together butter and both sugars. Mix in egg, vanilla, and pumpkin puree.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the mixing bowl and mix until combined.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Using a 1.5-tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop dough into mounds onto the baking sheet.
- Place the cookie sheet in the refrigerator for 1 hour. This helps the cookies keep their shape while they bake.
- After an hour, preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the cookies directly in the oven from the fridge so that they keep their shape while baking. Bake the cookies for 9-12 minutes, until the tops are set and the centers are still slightly underdone. Let the cookies fully cool before frosting.
Whipped Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
- To frost, use a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop or spoon to add a dollop of frosting to each cookie. Sprinkle frosting with ground cinnamon.
- Add butter and cream cheese to a stand mixer with a whisk attachment and whip until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add vanilla. Slowly add the powdered sugar and mix well. Add cinnamon and milk. I like to whisk the frosting on high speed at the end to whip it again and give it more structure.
- If your frosting is too thin, add a little powdered sugar. If it’s too thick, add a little milk.
Toppings
- A light dusting of cinnamon or chai spice on top of the frosting
- A drizzle of caramel and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt
- Toasted pecans or walnuts
FAQ & Tips
Think warm, cozy flavors of fall.
Chai spices have their roots in India, where the drink was originally used medicinally (for more history, visit Boulder House Tea). It was served in spiced black tea with milk. The traditional blend featured cardamom, ginger, cloves, and black pepper.
As chai made its way west, cinnamon and nutmeg joined the mix. Today, chai spices have become a fall baking staple, appearing in everything from lattes to muffins to cookies. Star anise, allspice, and vanilla are often added to give a warm flavor. They go very well with fall favorites like pumpkin, apple, and sweet potato.
Pre-made chai spice blends vary wildly in their amounts of each individual spice, which can change the strength you taste drastically. I personally prefer adding my own amounts of each spice, but if you have a tried-and-true spice blend that you love, go for it. Adjust as needed!
Pumpkin puree is needed for this particular recipe because it is 100% pumpkin with no added flavors. Pumpkin pie filling, on the other hand, has added sugar, spices, and other ingredients. It would be hard to gauge how much additional sugar and spices are needed, and it can have extra moisture that will cause the cookies to spread as they bake.
In this recipe, it’s important to get the cookies to stay in mounds with all of their shape. Removing moisture from the pumpkin puree is necessary to keep the cookies from spreading or being too cakey. To do so, it’s important to reduce the puree in a saucepan so that it gets to a paste consistency.
Using a cookie scoop gets those craggy edges and rustic look. If this look isn’t for you, or you don’t have a scoop, use a spoon to drop them onto the pan. An ice cream scoop could work, but it will make larger cookies (I used a 1.5-tablespoon cookie scoop), so you will need to adjust the baking time.
Chill the dough for an hour. Pumpkin dough is sticky, and cold dough holds its shape while it bakes.
When the cookies are done, they’ll look underdone in the center when they come out, but they firm up as they cool. The tops should be crisp.
Once frosted, I recommend refrigerating due to the cream cheese. They will last 3-4 days in the fridge if stored in an airtight container. If you want to make them last longer, you can store the cookies and frosting separately for up to a week and frost them as needed.
Frosted cookies freeze well for up to 3 months. I recommend flash-freezing them on a pan in a single layer, then you can stagger them in a container more easily with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
Recommended Recipes
- 29 Best Frosted Drop Cookies
- Apple Pie Drop Cookies
- Biscoff Butter Cookies
- Caramel Apple Drop Cookies
- Carrot Cake Drop Cookies
- Gingerbread Man Cookies (Holding Teddy Grahams!)
- Mini Pumpkin Pies
- Peanut Butter Drop Cookies
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Drop Cookies
- Pumpkin Spice Cake Balls
- Sheet Pan Pumpkin Bars
Pumpkin Spice Drop Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
Pumpkin Chai Drop Cookies
- ½ cup Pumpkin Puree
- ½ cup Butter room temperature
- ½ cup Light Brown Sugar packed
- ¼ cup White Granulated Sugar
- 1 Large Egg
- 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
- 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 ½ tablespoons Cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
- ¾ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Ground Ginger
- ¼ teaspoon Cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon Ground Cloves
- ½ teaspoon Salt
Whipped Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
- 7 tablespoons Butter room temperature
- 3 tablespoons Cream Cheese room temperature
- 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1⅔ cups Powdered Sugar
- ½ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 1-2 tablespoons Milk
Instructions
Pumpkin Chai Drop Cookies
- In a small saucepan, add pumpkin puree and bring to a simmer to remove moisture from the puree. Continuously stir until it thickens into a thick paste consistency and there is no shine left, about 10-12 minutes. Mine reduced to ⅓ cup. Set aside and let fully cool before adding to the mixing bowl in the next step.
- In a stand mixer or a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream together butter and both sugars. Mix in egg, vanilla, and pumpkin puree.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the mixing bowl and mix until combined.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Using a 1.5-tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop dough into mounds onto the baking sheet.
- Place the cookie sheet in the refrigerator for 1 hour. This helps the cookies keep their shape while they bake.
- After an hour, preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the cookies directly in the oven from the fridge so that they keep their shape while baking. Bake the cookies for 9-12 minutes, until the tops are set and the centers are still slightly underdone. Let the cookies fully cool before frosting.
Whipped Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
- Add butter and cream cheese to a stand mixer with a whisk attachment and whip until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add vanilla. Slowly add powdered sugar and mix well. Add cinnamon and milk. I like to whisk the frosting on high speed at the end to whip it again and give it more structure.
- If your frosting is too thin, add a little powdered sugar. If it's too thick, add a little milk.
- To frost, use a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop or spoon to add a dollop of frosting to each cookie. Sprinkle the frosting with ground cinnamon.
Leave a Reply