Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cookies with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
Fall baking doesn't get much better than these Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cookies with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting! They're pillowy soft, lightly spiced, and so tender they practically melt in your mouth with every bite. Then they're topped with a creamy cinnamon cream cheese frosting that takes them completely over the top. These pumpkin cookies are super easy to make in 15 minutes, which is exactly what I want when I'm craving something cozy and homemade without spending all afternoon in the kitchen. They're naturally gluten-free and can easily be made dairy-free with a few simple swaps.
Ingredients
Cookies:
- 1/2 cup butter, softened at room temperature (dairy-free works too, see notes)
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
- 2 cups gluten-free flour (we use Pamelas or King Arthur)
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 2 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
Frosting:
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened at room temperature (dairy-free works too, see notes)
- 1 tbsp butter, softened at room temperature (dairy-free works too, see notes)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
Cookies:
- Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a cookie sheet or baking stone.
- In a large mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar together until well combined. Then, add the eggs and pumpkin puree and mix well.
- Next, add the gluten-free flour, baking powder, salt, & spices and mix until well combined.
- Drop a spoonful onto the prepared greased pan. Bake for about 15 minutes and cool on a wire rack.
Frosting:
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the cream cheese & butter together until well combined. Then add the vanilla, powdered sugar, and cinnamon.
- Allow cookies to cool completely & then frost the cookies. I usually just use a spoon and drop frosting on the cookie, then use the back of the spoon to spread the frosting around. If needed, refrigerate frosted cookies to set the frosting.
Notes
Dairy-Free?
Just swap the butter and cream cheese for dairy-free butter and dairy-free cream cheese. We love using Earth Balance dairy-free butter and Daiya or Philadelphia dairy-free cream cheese. The cookies still turn out soft, fluffy, and absolutely delicious.
Storage:
After cookies are frosted, store in a sealable container in the refrigerator.
If these cookies aren't easy enough already, just wait until I drop this piece of news with you! You can freeze these cookies!! Just allow them to cool completely and freeze in a freezer-safe sealed container or Ziploc bag, WITHOUT frosting. When ready to serve, thaw cookies then frost them.
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