Pumpkin Spice Cookies with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

 

These cookies are fall perfection - they're spicy & pumpkin-y in all the right ways! I am so excited to share the recipe with you today & I hope you have the chance to make these before fall comes to an end! (pssst there are 60 days until Christmas!!!!) The original recipe is from Two Sister's Crafting and you can find it HERE. 

I had a little helper as I was making these and I thought it would be fun to write out the recipe for her and make it festive! So, before we got started I used some markers to write out the recipe and this definitely captured her attention! I highly recommend making recipes visual for littles in the kitchen! 

Start by creaming 1/2 cup of butter and 1 cup of sugar in a medium mixing bowl.

Add in 2 eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each addition.

Then, add 1 cup of pumpkin puree.

In a separate, small mixing bowl, mix together 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 4 teaspoons of baking powder, 1 teaspoon of salt, 2 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon of powdered ginger.

Gradually add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture, mixing well between each addition. At this point you can add 1 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans - we chose to leave that step out but we will definitely give it a try in the future!

Use a spoon to drop batter about 1 1/2 - 2 inches apart along a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. I used a heaping tablespoon for each cookie :) These cookies did not spread a lot, if at all.

Bake the cookies at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.

While the cookies are cooling, whip together the frosting with an electric mixer. I halved the original recipe and had the perfect amount of frosting! In a small bowl mix 1/4 cup of softened butter, 1/4 cup of cream cheese together. When the butter and cream cheese are well combined, add in 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. Finally, gradually mix in 2 cups of icing sugar.

When the cookies are completely cool, use a butter knife to spread icing over the top of the cookies. After frosting, sprinkle a little cinnamon or nutmeg  (or both!) on the cookies.

PUMPKIN SPICE COOKIES WITH CINNAMON CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
yield: 28 cookies
Ingredients
pumpkin spice cookies...
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped (optional)

cinnamon cream cheese frosting... (I halved this recipe!)
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup cream cheese
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
4 cups icing sugar

Directions
1. Cream butter and sugar together in a medium mixing bowl. Beat in eggs, one at a time. mix in pumpkin.
2. In a separate, small mixing bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger.
3. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture, mixing well between each addition.
4. Mix in walnuts or pecans (you can leave out this step).
5. Drop spoonfuls of dough about 1 1/2 - 2 inches apart along a baking sheet lined with parchment paper - I used a heaping tablespoon for each cookie.
6. Bake the cookies at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.
7. Remove the cookies from the oven and transfer them to a wire rack to cool.
8. While the cookies are cooling, whip up the icing in a small bowl with an electric mixer. Mix together butter and cream cheese until well combined, add in the vanilla and cinnamon. Finally gradually add in the icing sugar and mix until the icing is smooth and light.
9. When the cookies are completely cool, use a butter knife to spread icing on them and sprinkle a little bit of cinnamon or nutmeg over the tops of the cookies.

Thanks for stopping by!