Pumpkin Spiced Cookies with Cream Cheese Glaze
These are chewy pumpkin-spiced cookies with a cream cheese glaze and a salty pumpkin seed topping. The most important step for this recipe is blotting the pumpkin purée; getting the excess moisture out is what keeps the cookies chewy instead of cakey.
Ingredients
For the Cookie Dough
- 1/2 cup salted butter 1 stick, melted and slightly cooled
- 6 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup pumpkin purée blotted
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
For the Rolling Sugar
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the Toasted Pepitas
- 1/4 cup raw hulled pumpkin seeds pepitas
- Fine or flaky salt to taste
For the Cream Cheese Glaze
- 1/4 cup cream cheese 2 oz, softened
- 1 1/2 tablespoons salted butter softened
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar sifted
- 1 to 2 tablespoons milk or cream
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Blot pumpkin purée on paper towels to remove excess moisture.
- Whisk melted butter, sugars, pumpkin, egg yolk, and vanilla until smooth.
- Mix flour, spices, baking soda, and salt in separate bowl.
- Fold dry ingredients into wet mixture until just combined.
- Chill dough for 15 minutes.
- Mix cinnamon and sugar for rolling.
- Roll dough into balls, coat in cinnamon-sugar mixture.
- Freeze coated dough balls for 10-15 minutes.
- Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes until edges set.
- Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack.
- Toast pepitas in dry skillet for 3-4 minutes.
- Whisk cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk for glaze.
- Drizzle cooled cookies with glaze.
- Top with toasted pepitas and finishing salt.
Notes
Do not overbake; cookies will firm up while cooling.