Pumpkin Pie Cookies have all of the luscious spiced flavors of your favorite holiday pie packed into chewy, soft cookies. Piping a basket weave topping with caramel frosting provides the finishing touch to these little faux pies!
Why you'll love this recipe
- The soft, chewy cookies have lots of spiced pumpkin flavor.
- Piping the caramel frosting to look like the top crust of a pie is easy with the step by step instructions.
- These cookies ship well and stay fresh and chewy for at least a week (longer if vacuum sealed).
- Pie cookies are a great recipe to include in a Thanksgiving care package filled with snacks that symbolize traditional Thanksgiving foods.
Adorable Pumpkin Pie Cookies are baked and frosted to look like mini pumpkin pies! You'll love the pumpkin spice cookies topped with creamy caramel frosting.
The shape comes from baking the chewy pumpkin cookies in a tartlette or cupcake pan. These pans produce thick, little cookies with slanted sides that really do look like little pies.
The faux lattice pie crust with frosting is piped onto the cookies using a Wilton #46 basket weave tip. Piping of the frosting is easy to do and goes quickly after the first few.
Ingredients
Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the recipe card below.
Cookies
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the cookie ingredients to form the dough. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until firm.
- When ready to bake: Scoop dough with 2 tablespoon cookie scoop into the cups of a 12- mold tartlette pan coated with non-stick spray. Gently press to flatten the tops of the dough balls.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown.
- Cool on baking sheet for 10-15 minutes, then invert the pan to remove the cookies and cool completely on a wire rack.
Frosting
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, cream, and brown sugar. Stir constantly until boiling. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in vanilla, pie spice, and 1 cup of the powdered sugar.
- Cool to room temperature, then add additional confectioner’s sugar slowly until the frosting is piping consistency. If you add too much sugar and the frosting is too thick, a bit of cream can be added to adjust the consistency.
Decorating
Us a #46 Wilton basket weave piping tip with the smooth edge facing up.
- Place the cookie with the top of the cookie facing up.
- Pipe three evenly spaced vertical lines.
- Turn the cookie so that the lines are horizontal and pipe three evenly spaced vertical lines over the bottom horizontal line up to the middle line.
- Pipe two additonal short vertical lines between the three vertical lines from the bottom line to the edge of the cookie.
- Rotate the cookie so that the vertical lines just piped are now at the top.
- Pipe four evenly spaced vertical lines from the top horizontal line, over the middle line, ending on the bottom horizontal line.
- Next, pipe three short vertical lines from the middle horizontal line to the bottom edge of the cookie going over the bottom horizontal line.
- Pipe two final short vertical lines between the three lines just piped from the bottom horizontal line to the edge of the cookie.
Storage
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days.
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Tips and variations
- I baked the Pumpkin Pie Cookies in a tartlette pan. The shape was perfect for little faux pies!
- When I bought the tartlette pan for baking Bosnian Butter Cookies, I thought it might be a specialty pan that wouldn’t get used much. Not true. The tartlette shape works well with a variety of recipes.
- If you don’t have a tartlette pan, a muffin pan will produce similar faux pie shapes. This recipe can also be made as regular scooped cookies and the frosting spread on top, if you are short on time and don’t want to fuss.
- If you can't find pumpkin butter in the store, you can easily make your own with this recipe for homemade pumpkin butter.
- Any fruit butter can be used with this recipe to create different pie cookie flavors.
- For any flavor of pie cookies, Penzey's sells a Pie Spice mixture that works well as a substitute for the pumpkin pie spice in this recipe.
Frequently asked questions
Pumpkin butter is like a pumpkin jam made with condensed pumpkin puree, spices, and sweetener. You can buy it seasonally at the supermarket or make your own homemade pumpkin butter.
For pie shaped cookies, this dough can also be baked in cupcake pans. You can also bake cookies on a cookie sheet as drop cookies, but they won't have the pie shape.
To save time, the caramel frosting can be spread with a knife or spatula onto the completely cooled cookies.
No, this recipe calls for the condensed flavor and reduced moisture content in pumpkin butter.
Apple butter is readily available year round and is a good substitute for the pumpkin butter in this recipe in order to make an apple pie cookie.
Related recipes
Pumpkin White Chocolate Chip Cookies are a deliciously soft and chewy cookie with the perfect amount of pumpkin spice and creamy white chocolate chips.
Pumpkin Biscotti are the perfect crunchy fall cookies to enjoy with tea or coffee.
Chewy, fudgy Pumpkin Brownies are an irresistible, flourless treat combining chocolate and fall spices.
Caramel Apple Cookies are soft, apple butter cookies topped with smooth caramel icing. Add a drizzle of melted caramel and some crunchy apple chips.
Apples and Honey Cookies are bursting with fall flavor. These chewy apple butter cookies have honey icing that dries soft but firm enough for shipping.
Apple Cider Stamped Cookies are the perfect fall cookie recipe to use with cookie stamps and molds.
Thanksgiving Peanut Chews Candy Pops are chocolate dipped and decorated like turkeys, pumpkins, and footballs.
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Pumpkin Pie Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
Cookies
- ¾ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup pumpkin butter
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
Caramel “Pie Crust” Frosting
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup brown sugar packed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 ½ - 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
Cookies
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream butter, brown sugar, and white sugar.
- Mix in pumpkin butter, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, salt, baking powder, and flour.
- Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until firm.
- When ready to bake: Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray a 12 cavity mini tart or cupcake pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Scoop dough with medium (2 tablespoon) cookie scoop into the cups of the pan.
- Gently press to flatten the tops of the dough balls.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown.
- Cool on baking sheet for 10-15 minutes, then invert the pan to remove the cookies and cool completely on wire racks. If the cookies don’t pop out easily, slip the tip of a knife between the cookie and the pan to lift the cookie out of the pan.
Frosting
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, cream, and brown sugar. Stir constantly until boiling.
- Remove the pan from the heat and stir in vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, and 1 cup of the confectioner’s sugar.
- Cool to room temperature, then add additional confectioner’s sugar slowly until the frosting is piping consistency. If you add too much sugar and the frosting is too thick, a bit of cream can be added to adjust the consistency.
- For easier handling, divide the frosting into two piping bags. Use a #46 Wilton basket weave piping tip with the smooth edge facing up to pipe on the frosting “lattice pie crust” .
- Place the cookie with the top of the cookie facing up.Pipe three evenly spaced vertical lines.
- Turn the cookie so that the lines are now horizontal and pipe three evenly spaced vertical lines over the bottom horizontal line up to the middle line.
- Pipe two additonal short vertical lines between the three vertical lines from the bottom line to the edge of the cookie.
- Rotate the cookie so that the vertical lines just piped are now at the top.Pipe four evenly spaced vertical lines from the top horizontal line, over the middle line, ending on the bottom horizontal line.
- Pipe three short vertical lines from the middle horizontal line to the bottom edge of the cookie going over the bottom horizontal line.
- Pipe two final short vertical lines between the three lines just piped from the bottom horizontal line to the edge of the cookie.
- Allow icing to dry completely before storing.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days.
Notes
-
- I baked the Pumpkin Pie Cookies in a Nordic Ware tartlette pan. The shape was perfect for little faux pies!
-
- If you don’t have a tartlette pan, a muffin pan will produce similar faux pie shapes. This recipe can also be made as regular scooped cookies and the frosting spread on top, if you are short on time and don’t want to fuss.
-
- If you can't find pumpkin butter in the store, you can easily make your own with this recipe for homemade pumpkin butter.
-
- Any fruit butter can be used with this recipe to create different pie cookie flavors.
-
- For any flavor of pie cookies, Penzey's sells a Pie Spice mixture that works well as a substitute for the pumpkin pie spice in this recipe.
- Wrap cookies individually in plastic wrap, then place snugly in an airtight container using wrinkled wax paper to fill any empty spaces to eliminate any wiggling while shipping.
- For longer shipping times, vacuum sealing is recommended.
Nutrition
First Published: November 20, 2016. Last Updated: September 22, 2023. Updated for additional information, improved photos, and better reader experience.
Jessica Stone
Hello, I know this recipe is an older one, but I’m curious if vacuum sealed how long they would last? I’m trying to send a care package to Japan (approximately 8 to 10 days). These are perfect, and I do have a vacuum sealer, but I wasn’t sure if that would allow the extra time for shipping. Thanks! Jessica
Wendy Sondov
Hi Jessica. Vacuum sealed, I think these cookies would travel well to Japan! They aren't a wet or moist cookie and the vacuum sealing would keep them chewy for at least 3 weeks. The pumpkin butter makes the cookies flavorful and chewy. The only thing that concerns me is whether the frosting would squoosh when the cookies are vacuum sealed. The frosting dries firm enough for stacking but I'm not sure about the pressure of vacuum sealing. Maybe if you freeze the cookies before vacuum sealing, the frosting would be harder to mush? If your sealer has a "stop" button, I would watch the vacuuming carefully and stop and proceed to seal when the plastic is touching the cookies but before they get too compressed. The cookies would still taste great, squoosh or not, but I would hate for all of your creative frosting work to go to waste. 🙂
Helen at the Lazy Gastronome
Thanks for sharing at the What's for Dinner party.
Amy (Savory Moments)
These cookies look wonderful! So pretty and what a nice care package.
The Monday Box
Thanks, Amy! The faux woven frosting "crust" is easy and effective!
Miz Helen
These Apple Pie Cookies look fantastic! Hope you are having a great week and thanks so much for sharing your awesome post with us at Full Plate Thursday!
Miz Helen
Virginia
These are so beautiful! Sound very yummy too!
Virginia | More to Mrs. E
The Monday Box
Thank you, Virginia! It's fun that these look so much like real pies, but should probably be called "faux pies" 🙂
Amy
These are so cute and sound delicious. Thank you for sharing at Best of the Weekend.
The Monday Box
Thanks, Amy!
Barrie Mooney
These are so cute!
The Monday Box
Thank you, Barrie! It was the first time I tried making a "pie crust" look with frosting and was so happy with the results!
Carrie @ Carrie's Home Cooking
These are awesome! This week you will be featured on the new Whisk It Wednesday Link Party! Thank you for sharing with us and I hope to see you stop be again soon! - Carrie @ Carrie's Home Cooking
Cap Creations
These cookies look amazing! So creative! I love that you have included them in your military care package. Nice job.
The Monday Box
Thank you! Care package cookie decorating can require some creativity, but if the results produce smiles, I am a happy baker. 🙂
shanon @ a periodic table
well, these are absolutely adorable, as usual, and i'm sure they're also quite delicious. Wendy! i don't know how you do it, but you really do have a talent for cookies. i love these. 🙂
Monica
These are fun and unexpected - they look wonderful and tasty. I was surprised they were cookies! Very creative and well done, Wendy. Hope you had a terrific Thanksgiving. Time is flying by.
The Monday Box
Thanks, Monica! I wanted to send pie to Kuwait, so faux pie cookies were the solution. 🙂 I agree, time is flying by. I feel like I am always running trying to catch up! I hope your Thanksgiving was a lovely beginning to your holiday season!
April J Harris
I am so taken by your apple pie and pumpkin pie cookies! What an amazing idea - and your tutorial is absolutely wonderful. Thank you so much for sharing these lovely, shippable treats with us at Hearth and Soul.
The Monday Box
Thanks, April! You always leave such thoughtful comments! This was the first time I tried basket weave icing and was delighted with the results. I am hoping my soldier smiled when he saw them!
Tricia @ Saving room for dessert
Oh my gosh these are fantastic! I love your little trick to give them the lattice top - just brilliant! I know your recipients must have been thrilled. Hope you and your family had a fantastic Thanksgiving!
The Monday Box
Thank you, Tricia! Though sprinkles are usually my answer when decorating, I was delighted with the faux pie crust topping. (I've mentioned hat my real pie crust making skills are non-existent!) I hope your Thanksgiving was joyful. 🙂
Pamela @ Brooklyn Farm Girl
Thanks for the DIY how to! Your cookies look so perfect but you made it look easy. Hope you and your family have a great holiday!
The Monday Box
Thanks, Pamela! This was the first time I tried the lattice look, so if I made it look easy, that HAS to be because it really was! 🙂 I hope you too had a great Thanksgiving!
saltandserenity
Wendy, I love those pie cookies. Your step by step tutorial makes it look do-able. They really look like mini pies. The turkey box is sure to put a smile on Soldier L.
Happy to have another clove hater in the universe.
Wishing you and your family a joyous Thanksgiving. Hope the significant others are able to politely eat the stuffed cabbage. Not sure I could!!
The Monday Box
Thanks so much, Cindy! The lattice top goes really quickly once you do one or two. Though we agree on the awfulness of cloves, I actually enjoy the stuffed cabbage. 🙂 My husband's recipe is the closest I have tasted to my own grandmother's recipe and it makes me nostalgic every time I eat it. We will see what the guests think! 😉