If I was limited to baking only one thing every fall, I would choose these cookies. They’re my all-time favorite pumpkin indulgence every autumn season! It’s also one of the recipes I share with neighbors each October to rave reviews.

These were the result of combining two recipes on a whim. The cookie itself is soft and cake-like, which makes them a cross between cupcakes and cookies. Once you top them with delicious, tart cream cheese frosting, something magical happens. The combination is pretty much life!

Bonus: both the dough and the frosting freeze very well! I almost always make a double-batch and freeze one just in case I get a hankering for pumpkin cookies in the middle of the summer. Which happens every single year. But who’s counting?

Soft Pumpkin Cookies
(Original recipe: Food.com)

1 C butter, room temperature
1/2 C granulated white sugar
1/2 C light brown sugar, packed
1 C canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 C all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and the sugars together until light and fluffy. Blend in pumpkin, egg and vanilla extract.

In separate bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Mix flour mixture into butter-sugar mixture.

Drop tablespoonfuls 3-inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes until golden around the edges. Let cookies cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting
(Original recipe: AllRecipes.com)

16 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 C butter, softened
2 C sifted confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the confectioners’ sugar. Once combined, spread generously on top of each pumpkin cookie.

BONUS: Add 1/2 tsp espresso powder or 1 TBSP of strongly brewed coffee to take your frosting to a whole new level!