Ready to make all the pumpkin everything? Let’s go! Try these Pumpkin Snickerdoodles, this Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecake, this Pumpkin Pie, or these Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls.   This recipe I’m sharing today is the absolute best way to commence my annual fall baking addiction and welcome pumpkin season. This pumpkin cookies recipe is the ultimate when it comes to pumpkin cookies. I never thought I’d love a pumpkin cookie without chocolate chips this much, but these little beauties have absolutely stolen my pumpkin-cookie-loving heart with their perfectly soft, not-too-cakey texture and just the right amount of pumpkin pie spice. And that frosting…ohmagosh the frosting – life. changing.

Why This Recipe Works

Brown sugar frosting – My newest, latest, and greatest obsession is this brown sugar frosting. Good heavens people, who knew I was missing something so tremendously important in my life? If you’ve never had brown sugar frosting, I promise you, you will be eating it on every dessert (and maybe just by itself by the spoonful). So fast – These beauties can be yours in just 30 tiny minutes, and that includes baking time. Heck, it takes me that long to help my kids locate their shoes and patiently watch them tie the laces 10 times. 30 minutes is practically instant gratification when we’re talking cookies.  Universally loved – Okay maybe I haven’t had everyone in the universe try these cookies, but I’ll tell ya what, even people who promise me they don’t like anything pumpkin come around after one bite of these easy, soft pumpkin cookies.  Perfect for bake sales – I have made these for my kids’ bake sales for a couple years in a row now and they sell like hotcakes, er…like pumpkin cookies? Either way, you get the point, they are the first item to go on the tables, even over the chocolate cupcakes!

Here’s How You Make It

Ready to make the easiest, tastiest soft pumpkin cookies with brown sugar icing? Let’s go! Making the cookies Making the brown sugar frosting

Brown Sugar Substitutes

No brown sugar? Here are acceptable brown sugar substitutes that will work just as well for these cookies:

Try using white sugar and adding some molasses to it. To do this, you’ll add 1 tablespoon of molasses for every cup of white sugar. So for this recipe, you’ll need to use a 1-to-1 ratio.  No molasses? Use maple syrup instead at the same ratios. Bonus if you’re a maple syrup fan like I am!  Coconut sugar is another brown sugar substitute and can be swapped at a 1-to-1 ratio as well. It is a pretty dry sugar and doesn’t hold moisture as well so if the coconut sugar isn’t melting as well as you’d like it to in the sauce pan, you can add a little bit more milk (teaspoon at a time) until you reach the desired consistency.  Try raw sugars like turbinado or demerara in evenly proportioned swaps. The textures of raw sugars are coarser than brown sugar so while these sugars will still be delicious, you might notice that you can still feel a grainy texture when you bite into the cookie. 

Expert Tips

The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Some ways to customize these easy pumpkin cookies is to add mini chocolate chips to the batter or sometimes I like to top the brown sugar frosting with a sprinkle of chopped walnuts or pecans. 

More Fall Desserts

Baked Apples with Apple Crisp Topping Super Soft Peanut Butter Cookies Carrot Cake Cupcakes Easy Homemade Cinnamon Rolls Best Easy Homemade Pumpkin Pie

Did you try these incredibly soft and delicious Pumpkin Cookie with Brown Sugar Frosting?? YAY! Please rate the recipe below!

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