Iced Pumpkin Cookies
Submitted by angie1234
Soft iced pumpkin cookies with cinnamon, nutmeg, walnuts, and raisins topped with a vanilla cream icing. Cake-like fall cookies that smell like autumn in every bite.
YIELD
2 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
15 minREADY
45 minThese pumpkin cookies are soft, puffy, and cake-like, more like little spiced muffin tops than crispy cookies. Canned pumpkin in the batter gives them a tender crumb and a gorgeous orange tint, while cinnamon and freshly grated nutmeg fill the kitchen with that unmistakable fall baking smell.
The pumpkin adds so much moisture that these cookies never crisp up, which is exactly the point. They stay soft for days, making them ideal for cookie swaps, bake sales, or just having on hand when the weather turns cold.
Chopped walnuts and raisins folded into the batter add chew and crunch throughout. Every bite has a different texture: soft pumpkin cake, a crunchy walnut piece, a sweet raisin pocket.
The icing is a simple buttercream drizzled on top: powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, and cream thinned to drizzling consistency. A splash of fresh orange juice in the icing brightens the whole cookie and plays off the warm spices beautifully.
Kitchen Tips
- Use canned pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. Pie filling has sugar and spices already added and will throw off the recipe.
- Cream the butter and sugar until truly fluffy, at least 3 minutes. This is where the cookies get their lift since pumpkin batter is heavy.
- Bake until golden, about 15 minutes. These won’t look “done” the way regular cookies do. They stay pale and soft. Golden edges mean they’re ready.
- Drizzle the icing after the cookies are completely cool. Warm cookies melt the icing and it soaks in instead of sitting on top.
Variations
- Chocolate chip pumpkin: Replace the raisins with chocolate chips for a more modern, crowd-pleasing version.
- Maple icing: Swap the vanilla in the icing for maple extract and skip the orange juice for an autumnal glaze.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 350℉ (180℃).
Cream butter and sugar until fluffy.
Add pumpkin, egg and vanilla and mix well.
Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Stir into butter mixture until well blended.
Add nuts and raisins.
Drop by teaspoonful onto parchment covered baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.
Bake about 15 minutes, or until golden.
Cool.
Icing: Cream confectioners sugar and butter.
Add remaining ingredients and beat until smooth.
(If icing is too thin, add more confectioners’ sugar; if too thick, add more cream, orange juice or rum).
Drizzle over cookies.
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