Soft Pumpkin Ricotta Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

Why You’ll Love this Recipe

• Full of fall flavors!
• Soft cake-like texture
• Easy to make
• Flavors are mild and cohesive
• ​A fun recipe for fall cookies!

What are Pumpkin Ricotta Cookies?

Using pumpkin puree and ricotta cheese ensures a soft, moist cookie that isn’t dense at all. They have a cake/cookie consistency that remains soft when stored and are not quick to dry out at all. The pumpkin flavor is mild and the frosting takes it to a different level! We know you will love this delicious soft Italian cookie with a fall twist.

Ingredients

Here is what you need to make this recipe for Pumpkin Ricotta Cookies:

For the Cookies:

• Sugar: Plain white sugar for sweetness 
• Brown Sugar: This adds some depth to the flavor
• Butter: Unsalted butter is best to use in this recipe so that you can control the salt content in the cookies.
• Ricotta Cheese: Whole milk ricotta is used in this recipe
• Pumpkin Puree: We simply used canned pumpkin puree (not premade pumpkin pie filling). It's best to find a pumpkin puree without additives if possible.
• Eggs: Whole large eggs
• Vanilla Extract: Just a touch of pure vanilla extract brings additional flavor to the cookies
• All Purpose Flour: Use your favorite…nothing fancy required
• Baking Soda: This along with baking powder will help lighten the cookies as they bake
• Baking Powder: Works alongside the baking soda
• Pumpkin Pie Spice: Use a quality premade brand or make your own!
• Kosher Salt: Just a touch for flavor enhancement

For the Frosting:

• Butter: We again use unsalted butter here to control the salt content.
• Cream Cheese: Cream cheese adds a nice tangy flavor to the frosting. We use regular cream cheese.
• Confectioners sugar: Confectioners sugar, aka powdered sugar, provides the sweetness to the frosting and helps with the light and creamy texture.
• Vanilla Extract: A little vanilla extract gives the frosting additional flavor.
• Orange juice: Orange juice is the secret ingredient to make this frosting something special. The citrusy sweet flavors complement the creaminess of the frosting. We recommend freshly squeezed juice since bottled juices can often contain added sugar and other preservatives. 

See recipe card below for quantities.

Substitutions

Here are a couple of common substitutions for the ingredients in this recipe:

• Vanilla: You could use almond or walnut extract as well if you prefer a nutty flavor
• Sugar: We have made these with all white and all brown sugar with equally good results. The combination works the best for us but different sugar ratios will change the taste slightly
• Orange juice: ​In the frosting, you can swap out the orange juice for lemon or grapefruit juice for a unique twist on the flavor.

How to Make Pumpkin Ricotta Cookies

This is a three step batter and it comes together in no time. These soft cookies cook for 18-20 minutes and are quite simple to make!

Equipment

Here is what you need to make this dish

• Mixer (stand mixer or electric hand mixer will work just fine)
• Spatula
• Baking sheets
• Parchment paper
• Non-stick vegetable spray (preferably baking spray such as Baker's Joy)

Step-by-Step Instructions

Cream the Butter

• In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer, beat the sugars and softened butter together until they are creamed.

Incorporate the Wet Ingredients

• Add the ricotta, pumpkin puree, eggs, and vanilla extract to the butter mixture and beat until combined. 

Incorporate the Dry Ingredients

• Add the remaining ingredients and beat on low until combined without over-mixing.

Form the Pumpkin Cookies

• Line baking sheets with parchment paper and lightly spray with nonstick vegetable spray. Use a cookie scoop or spoon the dough (about 2-3 Tablespoons per cookie depending on how large you want them to be) onto the prepared baking sheet and form into the shape you wish the final cookies to look like.

Bake

• Transfer the baking sheet to your preheated oven and bake for 18-20 minutes. The cookies should have slightly darkened in color. Remove from the oven and let the baking sheet cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove the cookies from the sheet and onto the wire rack to cool completely.

Make the Frosting:

• With an electric mixer, cream the butter and cream cheese together until light and fluffy. Add the salt, then slowly add the confectioner’s sugar and continue beating until combined. Add the vanilla and orange juice and continue to mix until combined and creamy. If your frosting seems too thick, add a little bit (1 teaspoon at a time) of milk to thin it out. If the frosting seems too thin, add a little more powdered sugar.

Frost the Cookies

• Once your frosting is mixed, transfer to a piping bag (optional) to frost your cooled cookies. Sprinkle with cinnamon or a little pumpkin pie spice and serve!

Variations

Here are a couple ways to change up this recipe:

• There are a variety of frostings you could use or you can tweak this frosting in a number of ways by changing the orange citrus to lemon or grapefruit, adding pumpkin pie spice to the frosting, or browning the butter first.
• You could make a sweet potato or carrot cookie with puree from either of those vegetables.

Storage

How to store these cookies:

• Once cooled, you can store them in a cool dry place for several days or in the refrigerator for a week in a zip top bag.

Can you freeze the cookies?

• Yes! Unfrosted, freeze the cookies in a airtight container after they have completely cooled. Defrost then frost the cookies to serve.

Can you freeze the raw cookie dough?

• Yes! If you want to make the dough in advance and make the cookies fresh at a later time, you can either:
  • Roll the dough into a log, wrap with plastic wrap and freeze.
  • Scoop the cookies onto a baking sheet in a single layer, place the sheet into the freezer for 30 minutes, then transfer the frozen cookie dough to a freezer safe bag.

Troubleshooting

You shouldn't encounter any issues with the cookies or cookie dough.

For the frosting, make sure your butter and cream cheese are at room temp before attempting to mix the frosting.

Additionally, if you want your frosting to be slightly thicker, add more powdered sugar.

What To Drink with Pumpkin Ricotta Cookies

Hot cocktails like our Hazelnut Hot Buttered Rum or Amaretto and Brandy Mulled Wine are great with these cookies. But some standbys like milk or hot chocolate are also great. The best in Mark’s opinion is a cappuccino without sweetener!