Pumpkin Cookies With Orange Icing

Last October, Amy burst through the kitchen door after school and asked me the cutest question: "Mom, can we make cookies that taste like fall?" I knew exactly what she meant. She wanted something cozy, something that smelled like cinnamon and pumpkin, something that would make the whole house feel like autumn. That afternoon, we made these pumpkin cookies with orange icing together, and honestly? They've become our go-to fall cookie ever since.

These cookies are unbelievably soft and pillowy with a sweet, delicious orange icing that hardens on top. They're like little bites of fall happiness, and they're so easy to make that even busy weeknight baking feels doable. Bradley, who's usually too cool to help in the kitchen these days, still sneaks three or four of these every time I make them.

The orange icing is what makes these special. It's bright and citrusy, and it balances the warm pumpkin spices perfectly. Plus, it hardens into this beautiful smooth top that makes the cookies look bakery-perfect without any fancy decorating skills needed.

If you're looking for more fall baking inspiration, you'll love my carrot cake muffins that use similar warming spices and are perfect for breakfast or snacks.

Jump to:

• Why You'll Love These Fall Pumpkin Cookies
• Ingredients For These Soft Pumpkin Cookies
• How To Make Pumpkin Cookies With Orange Icing
• Storage Tips For These Pillowy Pumpkin Cookies
• Tips For The Best Homemade Pumpkin Cookies
• Variations For Your Pumpkin Cookie Recipe
• Frequently Asked Questions About Pumpkin Cookies With Orange Icing
• Recipes You May Like
• Why These Are The Best Pumpkin Cookies
• Pumpkin Cookies With Orange Icing

Why You'll Love These Fall Pumpkin Cookies

• Incredibly soft and pillowy texture that melts in your mouth
• Made with real canned pumpkin for authentic fall flavor
• Beautiful orange icing that hardens perfectly and looks professional
• Easy enough for weeknight baking but special enough for holiday gatherings
• Kid-approved recipe that Amy and Bradley request all season long
• Stores well for up to a week so you can make them ahead

Ingredients For These Soft Pumpkin Cookies

For the cookies:

• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup shortening
• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup canned pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling - this is important!)
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

For the orange icing:

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon thawed orange juice concentrate
• 1 ½ to 2 tablespoons milk of choice

A quick note about the pumpkin: I always use plain canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling. John learned this the hard way one year when he tried to help and grabbed the wrong can. The cookies turned out way too sweet and the spices were all wrong. We had a good laugh about it, but now he double-checks the label every time!

How To Make Pumpkin Cookies With Orange Icing

Prepare your baking setup:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper for easy clean-up. If you don't have parchment paper, don't worry - ungreased baking sheets work fine too.

Mix the dry ingredients:

3. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Give it a quick whisk to make sure everything is evenly distributed.

Cream the butter mixture:

4. In a medium bowl, beat the sugar, shortening, and butter with a mixer on medium-low speed until light and fluffy. This should take about 1 minute. I use my stand mixer for this because it makes everything so much easier, but a hand mixer works great too.

Add the wet ingredients:

5. Add the pumpkin, egg, and vanilla to the bowl with the butter mixture and beat until well incorporated. The mixture might look a little strange at this point - that's totally normal!

Combine everything:

6. Add the flour mixture in 3 batches, stirring with a spoon to incorporate with each addition. The cookie dough will be thick and slightly sticky. Don't worry if it seems too thick - that's exactly what you want.

Shape and bake:

7. Spoon the cookie dough onto the baking sheet, using about a spoonful or a heaping tablespoon for each cookie. The cookies are meant to be small, so don't make them too big.
8. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes, until puffed on top and lightly browned on the bottom. They should look set but still soft.
9. Let the cookies cool completely before topping with the icing. I know it's tempting to ice them right away, but trust me on this one. If they're even slightly warm, the icing will slide right off.

Make the orange icing:

10. Combine the powdered sugar, orange juice concentrate, and 1 tablespoon of milk in a bowl. Mix well and add another ½ to 1 tablespoon of milk as needed, but go easy. The frosting should be very thick - you should not be able to drizzle it off of your spoon.

Ice the cookies:

11. Once the cookies are completely cooled, add about a teaspoon of the icing to the top of each cookie and carefully spread it out with a spoon. The icing should be thick enough that it doesn't run off the cookies - it just hardens on top.
12. Let the icing set for about 30 minutes before serving or storing.

Here's something I learned after making these cookies dozens of times: if your icing is too thin, it will slide right off the cookies and make a mess. If it's too thick, it won't spread smoothly. The perfect consistency is when you can barely drizzle it but it still spreads easily with the back of a spoon.

Storage Tips For These Pillowy Pumpkin Cookies

Store your finished cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. It really helps to layer the cookies between wax paper so they don't stick together or pull the icing off of the other cookies.

I usually make a big batch on Sunday afternoons, and they last us through the week. Bradley packs them in his lunch, and Amy loves having one as an after-school snack.

If you want to freeze these cookies, freeze them unfrosted in an airtight container for up to 3 months. When you're ready to serve them, thaw completely at room temperature before adding the orange icing.

The icing hardens beautifully, which means these cookies travel well too. I've brought them to church potlucks, school events, and neighbor gatherings, and they always arrive looking perfect.

Tips For The Best Homemade Pumpkin Cookies

Don't skip the shortening. I know it seems old-fashioned, but the combination of shortening and butter is what makes these cookies so incredibly soft. The shortening keeps them tender while the butter adds flavor.

Make sure your butter is softened. Cold butter won't cream properly with the sugar, and your cookies won't have that light, fluffy texture. I usually leave my butter on the counter for about 30 minutes before I start baking.

Use fresh baking powder. Old baking powder won't give you that beautiful puffed top. If your baking powder is more than 6 months old, it's time to replace it.

Keep the cookies small. These are meant to be little two-bite cookies, not giant bakery-style cookies. Keeping them small helps them bake evenly and stay soft.

Be patient with the icing consistency. Add the milk slowly when you're making the icing. You can always add more, but you can't take it out. Amy learned this lesson when she added too much milk once, and we had to add more powdered sugar to thicken it back up.

Let the cookies cool completely. I can't stress this enough! Warm cookies will make the icing slide right off. I usually let mine cool for at least 30 minutes.

Want to make these extra special? Try adding a tiny pinch of orange zest to the icing. It adds the most beautiful citrus flavor and makes the orange taste even brighter.

Variations For Your Pumpkin Cookie Recipe

These soft pumpkin cookies are amazing as written, but here are some fun ways to change them up:

Add chocolate chips. Fold in ½ cup of mini chocolate chips to the cookie dough before baking. The combination of pumpkin, chocolate, and orange is incredible.

Try cream cheese frosting instead. If you're not a fan of orange, you can make a simple cream cheese frosting with cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla. It's delicious and still complements the pumpkin flavor.

Make them more spiced. Add ½ teaspoon of nutmeg and ¼ teaspoon of ground ginger to the dry ingredients for extra fall spice.

Use lemon icing. Substitute lemon juice concentrate for the orange juice concentrate if you prefer a different citrus flavor.

Add chopped pecans. Fold in ½ cup of finely chopped pecans to the cookie dough for extra texture and flavor.

Frequently Asked Questions About Pumpkin Cookies With Orange Icing

Recipes You May Like

• Pecan Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars - Another delicious pumpkin dessert that's perfect for fall gatherings
• Yuzu Lemon Crinkle Cookies - If you love the citrus icing on these pumpkin cookies, you'll love these bright, tangy cookies
• Fudgy Peppermint Brownie Cookies - Another fun iced cookie recipe that's perfect for holiday baking

Why These Are The Best Pumpkin Cookies

After making these pumpkin cookies with orange icing probably a hundred times over the years, I can tell you that they never get old. There's something special about the way the soft, cake-like cookie pairs with the sweet, tangy icing. Every bite tastes like fall.

These cookies make the house smell amazing while they're baking. John always knows when I'm making them because the scent of cinnamon and pumpkin fills every room. Bradley's friends have started asking if I'm making "those orange pumpkin cookies" whenever they come over.

I love that these are simple enough to make on a busy Tuesday afternoon but special enough to bring to Thanksgiving dinner. They're the kind of recipe that makes you look like you spent hours in the kitchen when really, they come together in about 30 minutes.

So grab a can of pumpkin and give these a try. Make them with your kids, share them with your neighbors, or just keep them all to yourself with a cup of coffee on a cool fall morning. However you enjoy them, I think you're going to love them as much as we do.

Don't forget to save this recipe to Pinterest so you can make these soft pumpkin cookies again and again all season long!

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