Pumpkin season is too short to settle for plain. These Crumbl Caramel-Pumpkin Cookies are oversized, soft, and full of warm spice, then topped with a swirl of caramel cream cheese frosting that makes them bakery-quality without leaving your kitchen. If you’ve ever had the pumpkin cookies from Crumbl, you know why people line up for them, this recipe brings that same cozy flavor right to your kitchen.
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Baking in the fall always feels more inviting with the scent of pumpkin spice drifting from the oven. These cookies check every box: tender, sweet, and finished with just enough frosting to make them indulgent. Perfect for a weekend gathering, packed for school, or kept on hand as a seasonal pick-me-up.
And the best part? You don’t need a bakery case or fancy equipment to make them. With a few pantry staples and a little patience while they cool, you can have bakery-sized pumpkin cookies ready to frost. Waiting to add the frosting might be the hardest step, but it’s worth it for that perfect swirl.
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- Unsalted butter – Salted butter works too; just skip the extra pinch of salt in the dough.
- White sugar
- Brown sugar – No need to pack it tightly. The cookies are plenty sweet.
- Egg – Extra large is fine if that’s what you have.
- Pumpkin puree – Only pure pumpkin, not pie filling. Freeze leftovers for soups or bread.
- Vanilla – I usually use artificial vanilla extract, it works well.
- Flour – No sifting needed, just level it off.
- Salt
- Baking powder – Use fresh baking powder or your cookies won’t rise right.
- Pumpkin pie spice – Fresh spice blend makes the flavor pop.
- Ground cinnamon
For the frosting:
- Salted butter – Very soft is best, but not melted.
- Cream cheese – A short microwave soften works, just don’t let it melt.
- Caramel sauce – Ice cream caramel topping works perfectly.
- Vanilla
- Powdered sugar – Don’t worry about small lumps, they’ll mix out.
- Pumpkin pie spice – For finishing.
How to Make Crumbl Caramel-Pumpkin Cookies
Scroll down for the full recipe card with exact measurements and printable instructions.
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. I like using a heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet because it bakes evenly and prevents dark spots around the edges.
Cream the butter, sugar, and brown sugar together in a stand mixer until smooth. I lean on my stand mixer here because it saves my arms from all that mixing, though a hand mixer works too. A silicone spatula is perfect for scraping down the sides so nothing gets left behind.
Beat in the egg, pumpkin puree, and vanilla until the mixture turns light and fluffy. A flex-edge beater makes this step easier since it scrapes while mixing, keeping everything incorporated.
Add the flour, salt, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon. Mix just until blended. I always measure flour with a stainless steel measuring cup to keep the amount accurate, which makes all the difference for the cookie’s texture.
Scoop the dough into large mounds using a #16 cookie scoop (about ¼ cup each) and drop them onto the prepared sheets, leaving space between so they don’t bake into each other.
Bake for 10–12 minutes, until the edges look lightly golden. I rotate the pans halfway through for even results.
Cool completely on a wire cooling rack. It’s worth the wait, frosting warm cookies will just make a mess.
Beat the butter and cream cheese together in a stand mixer until silky smooth.
Add the caramel, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Start on low, then switch to medium until fluffy. If the powdered sugar looks clumpy, I run it through a fine-mesh sieve first to smooth it out.
Transfer the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip. A zip-top bag with the corner snipped will do, but a piping bag gives you that clean bakery swirl.
Pipe frosting spirals onto the cooled cookies, then finish with a light dusting of pumpkin pie spice using a small spice shaker for the final touch.
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- A large cookie scoop makes the cookies look bakery-sized and uniform.
- If the dough is sticky, a quick 20-minute chill helps them bake evenly.
- Warm the caramel slightly before mixing it into frosting so it blends smoothly.
- No piping bag? A zip-top bag with the corner snipped does the trick.
- Don’t crowd the baking sheet, these cookies need space to spread properly.
Recommendation
Serving Suggestions
Crumbl Caramel-Pumpkin Cookies are like cupcakes in cookie form. I love serving them with spiced cider, hot coffee, or on a dessert platter with nuts, apples, and fudge. If you’re baking for a group, make a double batch—they never last long.
Storage
Store frosted cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week. For longer storage, freeze the cookies unfrosted for up to two months, then thaw and frost before serving.
Crumbl Caramel-Pumpkin Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ⅔ cup white sugar
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1 egg large
- ⅓ cup pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 ¾ cups flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the frosting:
- ½ cup salted butter softened
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- ⅓ cup caramel sauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- Pumpkin pie spice for decorating
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Cream together the butter, sugar, and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer until smooth and light. Scrape the sides as needed so everything blends evenly.
- Beat in the egg, pumpkin puree, and vanilla. Keep mixing until the batter looks fluffy and fully combined.
- Add the flour, salt, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon. Stir until just blended. Don’t overmix.
- Scoop the dough using a cookie scoop and place them on the prepared baking sheets, leaving enough space for them to spread.
- Bake the cookies for 10–12 minutes, until the edges are just starting to turn golden brown. They should be set in the middle but still soft. Rotate the pans halfway through for even baking.
- Cool the cookies completely on a wire rack. Hold off on frosting until they’re fully cooled or the frosting will melt.
- Beat the softened butter and cream cheese together in a stand mixer until smooth and creamy.
- Add the caramel sauce, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Start mixing slowly, then increase to medium speed until the frosting is fluffy and spreadable.
- Pipe the frosting onto each cooled cookie in a spiral pattern using a piping bag with a large round tip.
- Dust the tops lightly with pumpkin pie spice for that bakery-style finish.
Notes
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- A large cookie scoop makes the cookies look bakery-sized and uniform.
- If the dough is sticky, a quick 20-minute chill helps them bake evenly.
- Warm the caramel slightly before mixing it into frosting so it blends smoothly.
- No piping bag? A zip-top bag with the corner snipped does the trick.
- Don’t crowd the baking sheet, these cookies need space to spread properly.