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The most amazing Pumpkin Cookies with Caramel Frosting that will melt in your mouth! If I could only choose one cookie to bake this fall, this would be it!
Pumpkin Cookies with Caramel Frosting
These delicious cookies are a spin-off of my (previous) all time favorite Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies. Pumpkin Chocolate Chippers have not just been my favorite “Fall” cookies, they've always been my favorite ALL-TIME cookies….until I made this version with the caramel frosting. WOW.
These cookies are seriously amazing. After I snuck a taste tester I couldn't wait for Jeff to get home to try them because I knew he'd love them SOO much.
The real magic is in the caramel frosting, which may sound complicated but is SO easy to make. The frosting makes these pumpkin cookies melt in your mouth!
How to store Pumpkin Cookies:
SOME OF MY FAVORITE PUMPKIN RECIPES INCLUDE:
- Pumpkin Pancakes with Cinnamon Cream Syrup
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
- Classic Pumpkin Roll
- Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
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Pumpkin Cookies with Caramel Frosting
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup oil, (vegetable or canola oil)
- 1 teaspoon milk
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup canned pumpkin
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Caramel Frosting
- 3 Tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, , packed
- pinch of salt
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- With an electric mixer, beat together sugar and oil.
- Add egg, milk, canned pumpkin and vanilla and blend well.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix, just until incorporated.
- Drop batter by spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees F for 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool before frosting.
For the frosting
- In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, cream, brown sugar and salt, and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil.
- Remove from the heat and stir in vanilla and 1 cup powdered sugar. Let the frosting cool to room temperature and then stir in enough additional powdered sugar to make a good frosting consistency (you may not use the whole extra cup.)
- Spread the frosting over the cooled cookies.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Have you tried this recipe?!
RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.
*I first shared this recipe August 2014. Updated October 2018.
What do you consider heavy cream?Is it whipping cream?
Hi Penny, yes whipping cream
Does it matter if you use light or dark brown sugar? You say light?
Hi Wendy, I usually use light brown sugar
Laura, I love pumpkin recipes, but I am Lactose Intolerant so I always try to sub out coconut milk (all fat or low-fat) for heavy cream. I make whipped cream this way successfully. Silly that I married a Cheesehead, too. I know he would love this recipe and he does not mind me subbing dairy out so that I won’t get sick. Any ideas or have you heard someone successfully making these pumpkin cookies and the caramel frosting dairy-free? Thanks for sharing.
Hi Caroline, I haven’t tried any dairy-free substitutions, but I don’t see what coconut milk wouldn’t work! Let me know if you try it and how you like it!
I make a banana cake using the same frosting. I use Almond milk…
Heavy cream does not have lactose in it: lactose is the sugar found in the non-cream part of milk (food substances ending in .”…ose” indicate sugars such as glucose, fructose, dextrose, lactose, etc) . If you check the label on high quality heavy whipping cream you will see it is all fat and has 0 sugar. Most lactose intolerant people can deal with cream….so, you might be alright with this lovely recipe as written except for that 1teaspoon of milk…
I see that this comment was made almost a year ago, but I couldn’t let this pass, and I hope this will help prevent someone else from having a bad experience. I am lactose intolerant, and I can assure you that heavy cream would definitely be a problem for me. For more information from an authoritative source:
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases_conditions/hic_Lactose_Intolerance
I have never made a cookie with oil…usually butter? could you sub butter? why oil? does this make them more cake like…?
I have everything I need for these, so I’m making them today. I have a caramel loving husband who will probably love them. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
That’s awesome Leslie! Let me know how you like them!
Yum!! Going to make these for my hubby’s birthday next week. Thank you for sharing!:)
Does it matter if I use skim milk and sea salt? (I really am not a baker, I have to follow a recipe to the T!)
Hi Kayann, what a perfect birthday treat! You can use skim milk, but if you use sea salt you’ll only want to add half as much as the recipe calls for. Let me know how you like them!
What kind of flour do you use? Is it plain flour?
Yes, I use all-purpose flour
Love the frosting! Yay for fall pumpkin recipes!
Thanks Amber! Bring on fall baking!
You’re amazing! I’m getting fat just looking at these!
Haha Thanks Courtney 🙂 You’ve gotta try them!
Oh my. That caramel frosting sounds fabulous! These look like a perfect fall treat. Can’t wait to give them a try!
They are so perfect for fall! Hope you get a chance to make them soon!
If I put choc cops in these, will I need to alert the recipe or baking time?
No you can add chocolate chips and keep everything the same–same baking time etc!
Wow these look perfect. That caramel frosting sounds amazing!
Thanks Aimee, The caramel frosting is to die for!
If you don’t have heavy cream can you use something else?
H Nancy, you could use evaporated milk as a substitute!
Wonder if gluten free flour would work???
What size can of pumpkin for that yummy sounding cookie recipe, please.
Hi Joan, if you buy a 15oz can of pumpkin you will end up using about half of the can to get 1 cup.
You can use 1/2 of a 16 oz. can OR double the recipe and use it all.
These are amazing…I should’ve taken your advice and doubled the recipe!