Who else grew up with frosted sugar cookies?! My mom made them every year for the holidays, and this pumpkin flavored cookie is the perfect fall (or Thanksgiving!) treat. A soft, perfectly spiced pumpkin cookie topped with a traditional, super sweet spiced buttercream frosting. Layer it on thick or thin, the cookies will be delicious no matter your preference!

Once you have all of your ingredients ready, these cookies really are so simple. No chilling required. No rolling and cutting. Just simply roll the dough into balls and bake! Then once they’re cool, beat together the buttercream and frost away. And if you don’t follow a dairy-free diet, feel free to use regular butter for the frosting.

Some of the ingredients I love for this recipe:

Coconut sugar is my go-to sweetener. It’s low GI, unrefined, and doesn’t add any coconut flavor.

Cream of tartar gives these cookies lift in all the right places.

Vegan butter makes the frosting taste just like the real, butter-filled deal! I prefer using a stick version, and I’ve had a lot of luck with the Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks.

Vegetable shortening helps stiffen the vegan buttercream. I’ve found that without it, the frosting tends to be a bit melty, depending on the temperature of my home. But feel free to use more vegan butter instead.

Yield: 14 Cookies

Pumpkin Cookies with Spiced Frosting

Name: Pumpkin Cookies with Spiced Frosting
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 14
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1/2 cup coconut oil, solid; 3/4 cup coconut sugar; 1 large egg yolk, room temp; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 1/4 cup pumpkin puree; 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour; 1/2 tsp cream of tartar; 1 tsp baking soda; 1/2 tsp salt; 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon; 1/2 tsp ground ginger; 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg; 1/4 tsp ground allspice; 1/4 tsp ground cloves; 1/4 cup vegan stick butter; 2 Tbsp vegetable shortening (or more vegan butter); 1/4 tsp vanilla extract; 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar; 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon; Pinch ground ginger; Pinch ground nutmeg; Pinch ground allspice; Pinch ground cloves; 1-3 tsp plant-based milk

Soft pumpkin spice cookies topped with a sweet and creamy dairy-free spiced buttercream frosting!

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Additional Time 20 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

Pumpkin Cookies

1/2 cup coconut oil, solid
3/4 cup coconut sugar
1 large egg yolk, room temp
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground cloves

Spiced Frosting

1/4 cup vegan stick butter
2 Tbsp vegetable shortening (or more vegan butter)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch ground ginger
Pinch ground nutmeg
Pinch ground allspice
Pinch ground cloves
1-3 tsp plant-based milk

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Bring your egg to room temperature by placing it in a glass of warm water for around 10 minutes.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, sea salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves; set aside.

3. In a large bowl, beat together the solid coconut oil and coconut sugar. Beat in the egg yolk and vanilla extract until well combined. Stir in the pumpkin puree. Add in the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until just combined.

4. Roll dough into 2 Tbsp-size balls. Place six onto your parchment-lined baking sheet. Slightly press down each dough ball, reshaping as necessary (the flatter you press them, the more they will spread during baking). Bake at 350°F for 6-8 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 1 minute before moving to a cooling rack.

5. Once all of your cookies are baked and cooled, make your frosting. In a medium bowl, beat together the softened vegan butter and shortening until smooth. Beat in the vanilla extract and spices. Add the powdered sugar and beat until combined. Add plant-based milk 1 tsp at at a time until you've reached a thick but spreadable consistency. If you add too much milk, simply add more powdered sugar.

6. Frost your cookies and top with sprinkles, if desired. Store cookies in a single layer in an airtight container at room temperature.