Best-Ever Pumpkin Cookies with Maple Icing

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If you’re looking for delicious ways to use pumpkin puree this season, then you need these Pumpkin Cookies with Maple Icing in your life.

There is something about this time of year that gets me in the baking spirit.

Maybe it’s the fact that I’m spending more time at home, so all I want to do is get cozy. Or maybe it’s because I want the house to smell as incredible as my favorite fall candles.

Whatever the case may be, there’s no denying that fall and winter are meant for baking!

From these Easy Healthy Shortbread Cookies to this Healthy Banana Bread Recipe, baking is one of my favorite ways to encapsulate the flavors that dominate this time of year.

When it comes to baked goods, Pumpkin Cookies with Maple Icing are the best of the best.

Not only do these cookies perfectly capture the best parts of the season, but they come together from start to finish in under 30 minutes.

Made with a glorious combination of pumpkin puree, butter, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and all-purpose flour, these cookies are the ultimate holiday treat.

Oh, and let’s not forget about the mouth-watering maple icing on top!

If your fridge looks like mine and is bursting with leftover pumpkin puree from a myriad of fall recipes, then this cookie recipe is about to become your saving grace.

It’s the perfect way to use up all that extra pumpkin before the season is over.

I know you’re going to love this recipe as much as I do, so try it out for yourself and let me know what you think in the comments! Now, onto the good stuff.

Key Ingredients

To make these delicious fall cookies, you will need a few key ingredients:

  • Pumpkin puree. Aside from being utterly delicious, pumpkin puree has tons of amazing health benefits like boosting your immune system and strengthening your eyesight. Make sure to use 100% pure pumpkin.
  • Butter. Butter gives these cookies a fluffy, light, and tender texture, while simultaneously helping them rise. You want it to be softened, so leave it at room temperature for a few minutes before using it.
  • Sugar. You’re going to need three types of sugar: brown sugar, granulated sugar, and powdered sugar. The first two are for the cookies, and the last one is for the decadent icing that goes on top.
  • Pumpkin pie spice. There’s no better seasoning for these pumpkin cookies than good old pumpkin pie spice. You can make your own from home by combining cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and ground cloves.
  • All-purpose flour. Feel free to swap this out for your favorite gluten-free variety, if needed.
  • Maple syrup. This will serve as the base for the delicious maple icing that tops the cookies. I always opt for pure maple syrup for the added health benefits.
  • Milk. This is what gives the maple icing its smooth and creamy texture. Any kind of milk will work, including your favorite plant-based milk.

How to Make Pumpkin Cookies with Maple Icing

These pumpkin cookies are not just incredibly tasty, they’re also super easy to make! All you have to do is follow these simple steps:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
  2. In a large bowl, combine butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Stir in the egg and mix well until combined.
  3. In the same bowl, mix in the pumpkin puree, spices, baking powder, baking soda. Then, slowly stir in the flour.
  4. Scoop the dough into balls (roughly 1½ tablespoons of batter for each) and flatten slightly on the baking sheet.
  5. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until the edges are set and the cookies are cooked through.
  6. Mix the icing ingredients together using ½ tablespoon of milk at a time until you reach the desired consistency.
  7. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool to room temperature. Then, spread the icing evenly over the cookies and add a dash of cinnamon. Enjoy!

Recipe Tips and Tricks

These pumpkin cookies make the perfect holiday treat. Here are my top tips and tricks for bringing these cookies to life:

  • Chill your dough. If you have some extra time, chilling your cookie dough in the fridge for 15-20 minutes goes a long way in creating thicker and more flavorful cookies.
  • Blot your pumpkin. I know this might sound silly, but for the best baking results, you’re going to want to blot your pumpkin puree with a paper towel to draw out some of the excess moisture.
  • Remember that cooking time is flexible. Although this recipe calls for 13-15 minutes of baking time, always go with your instincts. Cookies are done when their edges have just begun to brown and the center still looks a bit undercooked. The cookies will continue to firm up as they cool!
  • Use a cookie scoop. When I’m baking up a storm (which is often), my cookie scoop is an enormous lifesaver. It makes perfect, evenly-sized cookies every time.

How to Make Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice

I feel like I sprinkle pumpkin pie spice on nearly everything during this time of the year. It is festive, flavorful, and beyond easy to whip up, which makes it a total win in my house.

It also doesn’t hurt that it smells like my favorite fall candles!

From this Healthy Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream Recipe (Vegan) to these Browned Butter Pumpkin Cookies (Perfect for Holidays!), this fragrant spice blend is a great way of elevating all your favorite fall desserts.

To make homemade pumpkin pie spice, just combine the following spices in a bowl:

  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves

How to Store Pumpkin Cookies with Maple Icing

I’ll be totally honest here. There is nothing like homemade cookies fresh out of the oven. That being said, it’s not always a possibility to whip up a fresh batch of cookies whenever you’re in the mood for a treat!

Luckily for us all, these cookies are really easy to store.

Once your pumpkin cookies have cooled, transfer them to an airtight storage container. Then, you can store them in one of a few ways:

  • At room temperature for up to 2-3 days.
  • In the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
  • In the freezer for up to 3 months.

Want to prep cookie dough for later? Wrap it up tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for up to 3 days or freeze it for up to 3 months.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about this pumpkin cookie recipe:

How do you keep the cookies from sticking together?

If you’re nervous about your cookies sticking together when you store them, don’t be! A simple way to combat this is to line your storage container with parchment paper.

After lining your first layer of cookies inside the container, place another sheet of parchment paper on top of them.

Then, layer another layer of cookies on top of the paper. That way, you ensure that your cookies won’t stick together.

How do I prevent my cookies from spreading in the oven?

If your cookies are spreading too thin, then odds are that you aren’t using enough flour. Make sure you spoon the recommended amount of flour into a measuring cup and level it off.

On the flip side, if your cookies aren’t spreading enough, then you probably used too much flour. For this recipe, I’ve found that 1½ cups of all-purpose flour is the sweet spot.

How do I make sure my cookies aren’t hard?

Slightly undercooking is the secret to soft and tender cookies. As long as you pull your cookies out of the oven as soon as the edges start to brown, you should be golden!

More Fall Cookie Recipes

If you loved these pumpkin cookies, try these out next:

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Best-Ever Pumpkin Cookies with Maple Icing

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  • Author: Elizabeth Rider
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 18 cookies 1x
  • Category: Baking
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: American

Description

Looking for the perfect cookies for the holiday season? You’ve found it. Pumpkin Cookies with Maple Icing are easy to make, super soft, and bursting with fall flavors. They’re also ready in under 30 minutes!


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 pinch sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (or can substitute 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour)

Maple Icing:

  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1/21 tablespoons milk

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
  2. In a large bowl, combine butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Stir in the egg and mix well until combined.
  3. In the same bowl, mix in the pumpkin puree, spices, baking powder, baking soda. Then, slowly stir in the flour.
  4. Scoop the dough into balls (roughly 1½ tablespoons of batter for each) and flatten slightly on the baking sheet.
  5. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until the edges are set and the cookies are cooked through.
  6. Mix the icing ingredients together using ½ tablespoon of milk at a time until you reach the desired consistency.
  7. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool to room temperature. Then, spread the icing evenly over the cookies and add a dash of cinnamon. Enjoy!

Notes

Gluten-Free: Swap out the all-purpose flour for a gluten-free all-purpose flour.

Dairy-Free: Swap out the egg for 1/4 cup mashed banana and the milk for plant-based milk.

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Hi, I'm Elizabeth

I teach you how to be healthier without extremes, so you can live more and obsess less.

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