The perfect fall cookie – these Pumpkin Sugar Cookies with Maple Cinnamon Buttercream are perfectly soft with just the right amount of spice. The buttercream frosting gives them the perfect sweetness.
If you are a pumpkin lover, make sure to check out all of my other pumpkin recipes, especially this Pumpkin Cake!
I remember when I first made this recipe, quite a few years ago. I love notebooks, and have about a million of them that I keep around to take notes in or make lists. One day, while looking through an old notebook, I came across a page with a bunch of ideas for pumpkin recipes. The idea for these cookies was on that page.
I love the Lofthouse cookies. A soft sugar cookie with a sweet buttercream frosting. What’s not to love, right? Well, this pumpkin version hits all the right notes and more. They are slightly spicy from the pumpkin pie spice and the maple cinnamon buttercream is a home run. Seriously – if you are a fan of maple or cinnamon, you need this buttercream in your life.
Ingredients:
- Flour: I have only tested these cookies with all-purpose flour.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: The cookies need both baking powder and soda to give them the right texture and lightness.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: I like to make my own pumpkin pie spice mixture, but you can also use store bought.
- Butter: You need butter for both the cookies and the frosting. You want to make sure it is at room temperature, but not too soft.
- Sugar: You will need granulated sugar for the cookies.
- Eggs: I use large eggs.
- Vanilla: The vanilla adds great flavor.
- Pumpkin: You can use canned pumpkin, or you can make your own pumpkin puree. If you do use homemade puree, you will probably want to drain it first so that it is not too wet.
- Maple Extract: Maple extract is a highly concentrated flavor. So while you could use maple syrup, it wouldn’t give a strong maple flavor like the extract. You can usually find it at the grocery store, but you can also buy maple extract online.
- Powdered Sugar: I don’t sift my powdered sugar – just add it in as is.
- Cinnamon: I love the cinnamon flavor in the frosting, so I will sometimes add more than is called for in the recipe.
- Salt: I like to add a little bit of salt to the frosting to balance out the sweetness.
- Cream: The cream will make the frosting silky smooth and give it some richness.
- Sprinkles: I like to add on some fall themed sprinkles, but they are totally optional.
Tips and Tricks
The biggest thing to remember about these pumpkin sugar cookies is that keeping them soft is very important. And here are all the secrets on how to do that:
- The number one thing you need to remember is to not overbake the cookies. If they are brown around the edges when you take them out of the oven, you’ve probably gone too far. The cookies need to be pale in color still and just set in the center. You don’t want them doughy in the center still, but they will continue to bake on the cookie sheet after you take them out, so remove them when they are just barely set.
- They bake super fast – I only need about 7 minutes per batch.
- Don’t overmix the dough. When you add in the dry ingredients, mix just until the dough is combined – not more.
- Refrigerate your dough. If the dough is not cold, not only will it be harder to roll out, but the cookies may spread and you’ll end up with a flat cookie.
- Since these are a rolled cookie, you’ll end up with extra dough that you’ll want to re-roll for more cookies. Just be aware that the more you handle the dough, the tougher and less soft the cookies become. The first batch is always the best. Try to re-roll as little as possible by cutting the cookies close together, utilizing as much dough as you can.
- Don’t roll the dough too thin. Thinner dough equals harder cookies.
- If not frosting right away, store the cooled cookies in an airtight container to retain softness. If frosting the cookies, store them in the refrigerator.
More favorite cookie recipes:
Peppermint Holiday Soft Sugar Cookie Recipe
Oatmeal Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Red Velvet Gooey Butter Cookies
Peanut Butter Blossoms
Frosted Chocolate Sugar Cookies
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Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
Soft Pumpkin Sugar Cookies:
- 6 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 cup butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree, store bought or homemade
Maple Cinnamon Buttercream:
- 1 cup butter, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon maple extract
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
- 6 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- Sprinkles, optional
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides as needed. Add in the vanilla and pumpkin and beat until combined. Add the flour mixture and mix until combined.
- Divide the mixture into 2 and wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.
- Lightly flour a work surface. Roll the dough to 1/4-inch thickness. The dough will be a little sticky, so use flour as needed to avoid sticking. Use a 2 to 2 1/2 inch round cookie cutter to cut out circles and transfer to the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake the cookies until just set and still pale, about 7 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack or piece of waxed paper to cool completely before frosting.
- To make the frosting: in a large bowl, beat the butter until soft and fluffy. Add in the maple extract. Add in the powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time. Beat until combined completely. Add in the cinnamon and salt and beat, then add the cream and continue to beat until light and fluffy.
- Frost each cookie with the frosting and then top with sprinkles, if desired.
Jen @ Savory Simple says
These are lovely!
Deborah says
@Jen @ Savory Simple, thanks – I really enjoyed them!
Cassie says
These are so festive! I love how adding a little fall spice can liven up a recipe!
Deborah says
@Cassie, one of the best parts of fall for me is the spice!
Heather of Kitchen Concoctions says
I made a similar soft ‘bakery style’ pumpkin cookie last year. They were a huge hit, but because I wanted a cutesy Halloweeine cookie I cut mine into pumpkin shapes and stuck with a simple buttercream tinted slightly orange. I absolutely love your idea of frosting these with Maple Cinnamon Buttercream, and will have to try that when I whip up a batch this year! A perfect way to up the fall flavor! Genius!
Deborah says
@Heather of Kitchen Concoctions, I thought of cutting mine into pumpkins, but I was too lazy!! I bet yours were super cute!
kristy says
I love how organized you are Deborah! And these cookies look to die for!
Deborah says
@kristy, haha – I’m really not that organized – although I do try!!
carrian says
Love this idea!! I have to check out those donuts too!
Deborah says
@carrian, definitely check out the donuts – they are one of my favs!
Jennifer | Mother Thyme says
Love these! The frosting is amazing! Such a perfect fall cookie! 🙂
Deborah says
@Jennifer | Mother Thyme, I’m a sucker for anything maple, so I totally loved it!
Jessica@AKitchenAddiction says
Such a great idea! I love how soft and thick they look!
Deborah says
@Jessica@AKitchenAddiction, that’s my favorite part – I love a good, soft cookie!
Karly says
I keep a list of things in my phone, but of course autocorrect butcher them and I end up with completely inedible lists of crap.
Maybe I should try it your way? These cookies look like a win!
Deborah says
@Karly, I’ve tried keeping lists on my phone, but then I end up with a ton of lists that I forget about. Oh wait – I guess the same thing happens with my notebooks!! 🙂
Barbara @ Barbara Bakes says
Love how you made them in to a great fall cookie.
Deborah says
@Barbara @ Barbara Bakes, these are perfect for fall!
shelly (cookies and cups) says
I do that too! I write things downa nd then completley forget them! When I go back through my notes, I’m all, “I’m so smart!” 🙂
Love these cookies!!
Deborah says
@shelly (cookies and cups), isn’t it the best when you come back across those ideas? And I swear they sound better the second time around!!
Becky says
Thank you, Deborah – these sound delicious! Instead of having to roll out and cut the dough, do you think it could be formed into a log, chilled and then sliced?
Deborah says
@Becky, it might work. The dough is pretty soft, so it might be hard to cut them into circles, so that would be my only worry. But it sure would make things easier! (I hate rolling out cookies!)
Leslie says
@Deborah,
Roll the dough in a log and chill. Use a string or piece of dental floss to slice.
baker street says
Replacing sour cream with pumpkin was a brilliant idea! The maple glaze sounds perfect as it pairs so well with pumpkin!
Deborah says
@baker street, I love maple, and think it goes perfectly with pumpkin. These were a favorite!!
Erin @ Texanerin Baking says
What luck with finding that page! I would have been elated. 🙂
And good call with a pumpkin version of these! I haven’t had this style of cookie in so long. Would love to make them again!
Deborah says
@Erin @ Texanerin Baking, if you are a lofthouse cookie fan, and a pumpkin fan – you should definitely try these out!!
Rosa says
Wonderful cookies! I love them when they are soft…
Cheers,
Rosa
Deborah says
@Rosa, I love soft cookies as well!
Colleen @ What's Baking in the Barbershop?! says
Now this is my kind of experiment! LOVE! 🙂
Deborah says
@Colleen @ What’s Baking in the Barbershop?!, don’t you love it when experiments go right!?!
Averie @ Averie Cooks says
Lofthouse meets pumpkin. Love it! And glad you hit up that notebook and remembered these!
Deborah says
@Averie @ Averie Cooks, I know – I need to remember to flip through that notebook more often!!