pumpkin cookies w/ cream cheese icing
Pumpkin cookies with cream cheese icing
Yes, they are as good as they look!
I have to say before I take all the credit and give a tutorial on these cookies, that the cookie recipe was given to me by my friend Jenny H. (not Hepworth 
) and the cream cheese icing I found on a recipe site.
I did do a little tweaking to the recipe though, so I guess I can partly claim it as my own. 
Here’s how to make these delicious Pumpkin Cookies with cream cheese icing.
(I’ll re-post the full recipe at the bottom of this post for easier copying & printing)
Measure out 1 Cup of Shortening…
(This post is not sponsored by Pamered Chef or Crisco. But it should be!)
…and 3 Cups Sugar.
Combine them together in a mixing bowl
and mix.
Mix in 2 eggs
Do you like my attempt at taking a picture of an egg cracking?
Add 1 large can of pumpkin (30 ounces)
Apparently we’re in a canned pumpkin shortage right now (??) but I had absolutely no issues finding and buying the canned pumpkin.
** edited to add: Captain Oblivious here (ME!) used Canned Pumpkin Pie Mix instead of Pumpkin. OMG hahahahaha! I had a reader point this out to me.
I’m DYING laughing right now at how oblivious I am sometimes. Well, in case you are wondering, use Pumpkin, NOT Pie Mix!!
(But for the record, they tasted perfect and yummy with the pie mix as well.)
Now add 1 tsp. vanilla
If you have 11 year old vanilla that you smuggled in bought from Mexico while on vacation, it tastes even yummier!
Time to mix in 5 cups flour!
The flour really mixes a lot better if you have your scraggle-muffin-looking child mix it for you.
I don’t have the fancy crank Kitchen-aid that holds like 250 cups of flour. I just have the basic kitchen-aid, so I had to pull out all the stops and use the mixing cover thingy that came with it. Otherwise with 5 cups of flour mixing around I would have had a snow storm all over my kitchen!
Now it’s time to add all the spices!
Add 2 tsp. cinnamon, 2 tsp. nutmeg, 2 tsp. baking soda, 2 tsp. baking powder, & 1 tsp. salt (not pictured).
You can tell I’ve lived all over the place just from this one picture. I’ve got HEB sugar – HEBs are only found in Texas, & I’ve got a Shop Rite nutmeg – Shop Rite’s are only on the East Coast (we lived in New Jersey for a year). I should have added my Trader Joe’s cinnamon just so I didn’t leave California out. LoL. This picture cracks me up.
Now just mix the heck out of it
You really can’t screw this up. I guess I should say to not over-mix it, but I’m not a baker and I don’t even know if that’s true. They say it is, but whatevs. Just mix it for awhile until it’s smooth and tastes good when you lick your fingers.
YUMMY!
Be forewarned, this recipe made a ton of cookies! I didn’t count b/c I was too busy eating them as they came out of the oven (and also the batter is yummy!), but seriously, you can feed a small army with this recipe.
Now just plop the batter onto a cookie sheet and you are good to go!
I was using a cookie scoop (pictured above) but it was broken, so I tossed it and just did the rest of them the po’ mans way – with my finger.
(Don’t worry, I washed it (my batter licked finger). maybe. But even if I forgot, don’t the germs bake out anyway? At least that’s what my mom always told me. I’m still trying to figure out how the germs “bake out” of things like icing. Hmmm.)
Bake @ 350 for about 10-12 minutes.
And let cool before eating (or not, they are good warm too!).
And now for the icing!
What came first, the chicken or the egg? The icing or the cookie?
To make super yummy Cream Cheese Icing, follow these simple steps.
Plop 2 (8 ounce) packages of softened cream cheese…
(and if by “softened” the recipe means to just pull them straight from the fridge and plop them in, then they were totally softened)
…anyway, plop it in the kitchen aid bowl (unless you are old skool and just just use hand beaters. In that case, I pity you, and plop the cheese in a mixing bowl)
Mix in 1/2 cup butter, softened. I actually took this one to heart and decided to soften the butter. Let’s just say a full minute in the microwave is waaaaay too long.
It totally worked just fine though. I’m thinking the butter helped to soften the cream cheese. Win/win in my book.
Now gingerly add 2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
Or just bang it all in there at once. It’s way more fun to clean up.
To finish off this masterpiece, simply mix in 1 teaspoon of amazingly strong Mexican vanilla (or just plain ol’ vanilla if you don’t have the illegal kind)
After you mix it for a bit, stop your mixer and scrape the sides really well and then mix some more.
I swear, adding the butter really makes this icing so delish.
Oh crap, I just gained 5 pounds looking at this icing.
And now it’s time to ice these bad boyz.
The cream cheese icing recipe says to referigerate after mixing, but I iced these cookies, left them out overnight, and then ate one the next afternoon. I was fine. Only a *small* stomach ache but nothing some pepto couldn’t cure.
REFERIGERATE the icing!
Okay, so about this photo. Several things come to mind…
* I only have one cookie cooking rack, so when they are cool (enough) I move them to make room for a new batch from the oven. Sometimes I use paper bags to set them on, sometimes I’ll use cookie sheets. This time I used left-over (unused) packaging paper from our recent move.
* I don’t own a cookie platter that stacks up several layers high (where on earth would I even store something like that?!). When I need to make a display for cookies (rarely because I hardly ever bake) I just use large and medium platters and inverted bowls in between each layer. In this case, I used Simple Additions platters and bowls by Pampered Chef.
Once they were all iced, I thought they needed *something* more so I added a smidge of cinnamon on top of each cookie. Nutmeg would work well too.
The tower of pumpkin cookies:!
I told Kinsey to pose with the cookies “for my blog” and this is what I got.
She did it just for you.
The cookies and the display are perfect for any Fall or Halloween party!
I bet you can’t eat just one!
And now the moment you’ve all been waiting for.
A fully intact recipe that you can copy and print!
‘Cause I’m nice like that.
Do you ever see recipes on blogs and they have all these cute pics, but then the recipe is so tangled in the post that it’s almost impossible to copy it for yourself? ya, me too. If you ever post recipes online, leave a user friendly version for us!
Pumpkin Cookies:
Combine:
1 Cup Shortening
3 Cups Sugar
Add:
2 eggs
Mix in:
1 large can pumpkin (30 ounces)
Now add:
1 tsp. vanilla
5 cups flour
And then add:
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. nutmeg
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
Now, bake @ 350 for about 10-12 minutes. Let cool & then ice using the following Cream Cheese icing.
Cream Cheese Icing:
Combine: Blend until smooth. Store in the refrigerator after use. Let me know if you end up making them and what you thought!
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2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
Gradually mix in:
2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Recipe courtesy of Allison @ www.houseofhepworths.com
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Welcome to House of Hepworths! HoH is primarily a Home Blog that specializes in DIY projects and renovations, crafts, and decorating. My name is Allison. My family and I live in Austin, Texas. I'm married to Ben and have two children, a 10 year old son and an almost-8 year old daughter. To find out more or to contact me click 
Just made these with my kids, and we all love them! Delicious!!
Thanks Allison for this great recipe and cute post of your baking process! I will be making a batch for my sugar daddy. My husband, being a youth pastor (and lover of all things pumpkin) is taking a large group of kids on a retreat this weekend. I hope the kids leave a few for him
Oh, and we will probably have to make a double batch, since it would be *sinful* not to have any left over for poor mommy and the kids, sniff sniff!
I also would like to comment, it needs to be clarified in your recipe about using the canned pumpkin pie mix. I used two cans of the pumpkin which is pureed pumpkin, Well don’t know how they will turn out, but I added pumpkin pie spices to the already cinnamon and nutmeg. I hope they turn out OK, cause it would be a shame to waste all that flour, surgar etc.
I am making these tomorrow!! Thank you!
This is a great source for Mexican Vanilla….I’m fortunate enough to be able to buy it locally, but it is DELICIOUS! I’ll never go back to ‘regular’ vanilla!
http://www.mexicanvanilla.com/
Made these today and they are delish! Added about a teaspoon of milk, a little brown sugar and nutmeg and cinnamon into the frosting though
Just made them last night (with orange cream cheese frosting courtesy of my 7 year old). They turned out light and fluffy and absolutely delicious! Thanks so much for the recipe. Loved the picture tutorial as well.
omgosh!! I have NEVER laughed at reading a recipe as I did today!! I couldn’t quit laughing .. you are hilarious!! Thanks for the laughter w tears!! Your post is awesome! …. and i’ll have to make the cookies soon! .. and bake out MY germs! hahaha!
It’s amazing how many of us have the outdated”illegal” Mexican vanilla. I have about 1/4 of the bottle left from like 1999 or something like that. There really is no comparison between the real deal and the IMITATION vanilla. I’m really going to miss it when its gone!
I’m making these right now – they are excellent! They’re taking longer to bake (17 mins), but they are delicious! I’m adding chocolate chips to half of the batter. Yum. Thank you!
Allison, this is a great recipe! Thanks for sharing it on your blog! These cookies were the ones I was most proud of when I made several different types yesterday. A friend came over to sample, and she ate nearly all of the pumpkin cookies I had put on a plate for her to take home (before she left!). I plan to make these at Christmas, too. They are so yummy and not too difficult for this black thumb baker!
My friend posted your recipe on facebook and I just pulled my first batch out of the oven and ate my first warm pumpkin cookie sans frosting (I may have dipped my finger in the frosting and licked it while I was eating my too-hot-to-frost cookie).
These cookies are to die. I will be blogging (and crediting you) about them later today.
Thanks!
I made these tonight…SOOO good!!! The only thing I didn’t realize was how many it was going to make…everyone at work will be glad I found this recipe! Thanks!
I just shared these on my blog, http://diaryofregularmoms.blogspot.com/2011/11/pumpkin-cookies-with-cream-cheese-icing.html! YUM! Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Last night, I searched for this recipe, and I found it!!! I got much more than I bargained for. I loved that you shared the recipe and your commentary. You truly are hysterical. Your pictures and comments made me laugh out loud.
I’m in the kitchen making these right now. I **know** they will be yummy.
Made this Thursday and took about 40 to work on Friday and they were gone in two hours! LOVE them….I used the actual pumpkin and not the.pumpkin pie filling and I had to bake longer than just 10 to 12 mins…had to leave.them in for about 15 to 18…awesome cookies!
I’m glad I’m not the only person using an illegal 11 year old bottle of vanilla
Hi! I made these for my family last week and they are AMAZING!!! Thank you for sharing the recipe! They were so good, I just did a post on them…linking back to you!
Here it is:
http://sittingatourkitchentable.blogspot.com/2011/11/pass-pumpkin.html
~Amy
Can you make these with butter instead of shortening?
Not sure. I don’t see why not but I think the shortening makes them more fluffy.
My niece madet these for thanksgiving. She actually has SO many cookies that she decided to ice the botton of them and stick 2 together bottom to bottom…made sort of a whoopie pie type thing. Anyway….they were delicious!! And she pointed me in the direction of your recipe. Just wanted to let you know that the tutorial was funny and fun to read…and Im SO gonna make the cookies!! Thanks!!
Love these! Like you, I couldn’t stop eating them as they came out of the oven. Pure deliciousness! Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Omg! You are hilarious! I so enjoyed reading this. I liters rally laughed out loud . Lol! Thanks for that. I love a ” domestic” person who is not a perfectionist. I relate to that. See typo in line above.
I just made these cookies yesterday, and they were delicious! Even though they’re pumpkin, we are making them every year as a part of Christmas cookie batch. Thanks for sharing your recipe, and I loved how you included pictures of each step! It was very helpful!
SO DELICIOUS AND SOFT AND CHEWY AND WONDERFUL.
The perfect fall or winter cookie.
Saw these on pinterest and brought back wonderful memories of my father-in-law baking them while I was pregnant with my twins. He passed his recipe on to me before his passing but he added white chocolate chips and walnuts or pecans (whatever in the pantry). LOVE these!
These were awesome! Are you supposed to refrigerate the cookies once they are frosted!
Looks amazing but send me your address so I can send you some fantastic cinnamon to go with the good vanilla. Or you could also call your local Watkins dealer.
Can the Crisco be replaced by butter? I’m not really sure what Crisco adds, but I made cookies the other day with Crisco instead of butter and I thought they tasted funny. These look delicious though!