Iced Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies 🎃🧡 are soft, pillowy, and chock full of pumpkin spice and everything nice! The icing takes these cookies over the top, making for an EASY pumpkin oatmeal cookie recipe that does NOT require any dough chilling!
Easy Iced Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies Recipe
- Soft and pillowy, these iced pumpkin oatmeal cookies have an almost cake-like texture. They also have a bit of chewiness to them, thanks to the whole rolled oats.
- I used plenty of pumpkin spice in these cookies, as well as additional cinnamon and warming spices, to really play up the fall-themed flavor profile.
- I iced the cookies with a simple white icing, which sets up nicely atop the cookies, and the icing really takes these oatmeal pumpkin cookies to the next level.
Ingredients in Iced Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
- All-purpose flour, Old-fashioned whole rolled oats, spices, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt: These dry ingredients give the cookies structure, softness, and cozy pumpkin spice flavor. Use old-fashioned whole rolled oats only; do not use instant, steel cut, Irish, or quick-cook oats. A 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour should work if needed, and certified gluten-free oats should be fine, although I have not tested them.
- Brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg, Vanilla extract, and pumpkin puree: These keep the cookies soft, sweet, and flavorful. Dark brown sugar adds a deeper molasses flavor, but light brown sugar works too. Use pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. I have not tested this recipe with egg substitutes.
- Cookie icing: Confectioners’ sugar, milk, and Vanilla extract make the simple icing. Whole milk is best, but 2%, half-and-half, or cream will also work. Avoid skim or 1% milk if possible because the icing may be runnier and not set as well.
- Optional mix-ins: Chocolate chips, mini chocolate chips, chopped pecans, walnuts, butterscotch chips, white chocolate chips, or fall-colored mini M&M’s would all be great. Stir any add-ins in by hand at the end.
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Iced Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
- To a medium bowl, add the dry ingredients, including flour, oats, spices, baking soda and powder, cornstarch, and salt, and whisk to combine.
- To the bowl of a stand mixer or large mixing bowl and handheld electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugars before adding the remaining wet ingredients and beating them to incorporate.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet, beat until just combined, and then, using a 1 1/2 tablespoon cookie scoop, form dough mounds, place them on Silpat-lined baking mats, and bake off your cookies. If you can, baking the cookies one baking sheet at a time, in the middle rack of the oven, and rotating the baking sheet once midway through baking will yield the most optimal results.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely before icing them, or it will melt!
- To make the icing, simply whisk together the three ingredients. Sift your confectioners’ sugar first if it’s particularly lumpy.
- Then dip or spoon the icing on the tops of the cooled cookies, and set them aside to set up before digging in.
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for step-by-step photos and process shots of the cooking process.
Iced Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
Equipment
- 2 Medium Bowls
- 1 Stand Mixer Fitted with a Paddle Attachment
Ingredients
Cookies
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ cups old-fashioned whole-rolled oats, do not use instant, quick-cook, steel cut, or Irish
- 2 to 3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, to taste* (See Notes)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon, optional*
- ½ to 1 teaspoon ground ginger, optional*
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon ground cloves, optional*
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed** (See Notes)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup pure pumpkin puree
Icing
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk***, See Notes
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Cookies:
- Preheat oven to 375F. Line baking sheets with Silpats or parchment paper; set aside.
- To a medium bowl, add the the flour, oats, pumpkin spice, optional cinnamon, optional ginger, baking soda, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, optional cloves, and stir to combine; set aside.
- To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a large mixing bowl with handheld electric mixer, cream (verb meaning to beat, not the noun cream) together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar for about 2 minutes and until combined; stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the egg, vanilla, and beat momentarily until combined.
- Add the pumpkin and beat momentarily until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and mix until just combined, without dry patches; don’t overmix or the cookies will be tougher.
- Using a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop dough mounds and place them about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for about 9 to 11 minutes, until no longer glossy on top and they are puffed and set. Tip – If possible, bake cookies one sheet at a time, on the middle oven rack, rotating your pans one time midway through baking.
- Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- After the cookies have cooled completely, make the icing. Do not ice the cookies before they are fully cooled (about 30 minutes, depending on the temp of your kitchen) because the icing will melt and you’ll have a mess.
Icing:
- To a medium bowl, add the confectioners’ sugar (sift it if it’s particularly lumpy), milk, vanilla, and whisk to combine and until smooth.
- Dip the tops of the cookies in the icing and place them back on the wire rack. Allow cookies to set for about 15 minutes so the icing can set.
- I don’t mind storing iced, glazed, or frosted baked goods airtight at room temp for a few days if said icing contains milk or butter as the sugar acts as a preservative. However, store them how you are most comfortable including the fridge for up to 1 week. Note that cookies stored in the fridge will tend to dry out quicker. Unglazed cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Recipe FAQs
You can yield 48 smaller-sized pumpkin spice oatmeal cookies from this recipe. If you like bigger cookies, make your dough balls a bit bigger or double their size, and you’ll yield 24-36 cookies.
Bake longer, as necessary, until they’re done. Probably just a few minutes more.
Although I am normally a huge fan of chilling cookie dough so that the cookies don’t spread when baked, you don’t need to chill the cookie dough for these pumpkin oatmeal cookies. In general, baked goods with pumpkin puree in them bake up wonderfully full and puffy.
Pumpkin seemingly acts like an egg or baking soda or baking powder in that it helps your baked goods to really rise beautifully in the oven, which is why I have lots of naturally vegan pumpkin desserts.
For that reason, you can get away without needing to chill this dough which is a nice time saver!
Favorite Pumpkin Cookie Recipes:
If you’re a pumpkin fan, check out ALL MY PUMPKIN RECIPES!
Cooking With Pumpkin: Recipes That Go Beyond the Pie is my second cookbook and was released October, 2014. There’s over 50 pumpkin recipes including sweets, savory, drinks, and a photo for nearly every recipe. I’d be super grateful if you headed over to Amazon!
Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies — These pumpkin oatmeal cookies are bursting with chocolate chips in every bite! They’re thick, hearty, perfectly chewy, and not at all cakey.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies — Between the molasses, pumpkin pie spice, and pumpkin pie spice extract that I used, these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies beautifully showcase the flavors of fall!
Buttery Pecan Pumpkin Spice Cookies – Buttery soft dough with big chunky pecans in every bite! Salty-and-sweet and so hard to resist!
Pumpkin White Chocolate Chip Cookies — Soft, chewy, loads of white chocolate, and so much pumpkin flavor! A pinch of salt balances the sweet white chocolate for a salty-and-sweet treat!
Soft and Puffy Pumpkin Spice Honey Cookies – Super soft cookies that just melt in your mouth! You’re going to love these puffy cuties!
Pumpkin Whoopie Pies – Soft, tender cookies with a sweet buttercream filling! Easy and irresistible!
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