A soft, cakey, pillowy pumpkin cookie crammed with pumpkin and fall spices, and slathered with an amazing butter pecan topping — a rich, buttery icing, and crunchy toasted pecans. These Butter Pecan Pumpkin Cookies are a fresh twist on a simple classic pumpkin cookie recipe.
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My favorite pumpkin cookie recipe is back. The bones of these pumpkin cookies is not new… you’ve seen these pumpkin cookies a number of times now! I first shared them as Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing. That’s the way I make these most often — with brown butter frosting or icing.
But y’all have heard this all before, I know. As an aside, my friend from work just made those brown butter-iced cookies a few weeks ago, and loved them. She’d never browned butter until trying those, and her life is changed forever now. That is how I felt about trying brown butter too.
You’ve also seen these pumpkin cookies in previous years as Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting, Maple Frosted ones, and White Chocolate Cranberry Pecan Pumpkin Cookies. This year I made Butterscotch Pecan Pumpkin Cookies and ones with Orange Icing.
I believe this is the last version I will have, but you guys really love these too, so I like to make different variations. I sometimes feel like it’s overkill to have too many options, but I have had comments from readers that they really appreciate a variety on the same recipe because they might not ordinarily think of certain flavor ideas otherwise.
I’m glad to hear that feedback because I enjoy tweaking a recipe that I know really well and coming up with a different take on it, but you tell me when you’re tapped out.
Anyway, I’ve been making these pumpkin cookies for a few decades now, and not a holiday season goes by where I don’t make at least two batches. In our household, fall and the holidays are not the same without a few rounds of these cookies in some way, shape, or form.
Today’s Butter Pecan Pumpkin Cookies are a bit of a mash-up.
My Butter Pecan Amish Sugar Cookies were a hit, and since you all love these pumpkin cookies, I thought that Butter Pecan Pumpkin Cookies also sounded pretty dang delightful. I crossed the two, and here’s what we have.
Reminder: these pumpkin cookies are cakey!
If you want chewy, go here to these Soft & Chewy Pumpkin Snickerdoodles, these Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, or these Pumpkin Spice Latte Cookies. 
But if you like a cakey pumpkin cookie, stay put. These are really soft and pillowy. They’re pretty thick and puffy, and while they are not really a chewy cookie, they still have a bit of chew to them that is quite satisfying. On the whole though, they’re soft.
They are an extremely moist cookie too, and are not prone to drying out or getting crumbly. They stay wonderful for a solid week or so. I have tremendous success with freezing these too — frosted or not.
In these Butter Pecan Pumpkin Cookies, what really seals the deal for me is the butter icing. HELLO. It is pretty insane. It’s basically just a regular ol’ vanilla icing, nothing extraordinary until….. butter extract. That is some magical stuff.
When you’re in the baking aisle and you’re poking around at the spices and extracts, maybe just perusing as one does in the baking aisle (normal, right??), do not pass over the butter extract.
It inexplicably does more to the cookie and the icing than just add butter flavor. It also manages not to be notably artificial-tasting. It borders on being rummy, but pulls back just enough to be more buttery than anything.
It does add a flavor reminiscent of Butter Rum Lifesavers though!
If you like pumpkin cookies, and you’re looking for a different take, I think you’ll really enjoy the combination here in these Butter Pecan Pumpkin Cookies.
I am a big fan of splitting up batches, so if you want more variety out of one batch of pumpkin cookies, you could make half of them with the butter pecan topping. Just a thought.
If you decide to give these Butter Pecan Pumpkin Cookies a whirl, please let me know how you do!
Butter Pecan Pumpkin Cookies recipe
Ingredients
For pumpkin cookies:
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 tsp. ginger
- 1/4 tsp. clove
For butter pecan icing:
- 4 tbsp. butter melted
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. butter extract
- 1/4 cup + 1 - 2 tbsp. heavy cream or milk
- 4 - 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 - 2 drops yellow food coloring optional
- 1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans garnish
Instructions
For pumpkin cookies:
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugars.
- Add pumpkin, egg, and vanilla, beating until combined.
- In another large bowl, combine remaining ingredients (all the dry cookie ingredients).
- Add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture and beat until just combined.
- Drop on parchment paper or silicone mat-lined cookie sheets by tablespoonfuls.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned.
- Remove cookies to a wire rack. Cool completely.
For butter pecan icing:
- In a large mixing bowl, combine butter, vanilla extract, butter extract, and 1/4 cup milk or cream.
- Gradually add 4 cups powdered sugar, mixing until smooth.
- Add additional milk or powdered sugar, as needed, to achieve a thick, but spreadable consistency. It should be thicker than a glaze, and it shouldn't run off the cookie, but should be easily spreadable. It's an icing that sets, so if it's getting too thick as it sits, or you notice it's becoming harder to spread, you can pop it in the microwave for 5-6 seconds - that's ALL it takes - a few seconds will thin it back out again.
- Add food coloring, if desired.
- Ice the cookies generously, sprinkle with pecans for garnish, and allow to set.
- Store cookies in airtight containers in a cool, dry place. Stack cookies with parchment paper or foil in-between layers. Cookies will keep for about a week.
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