Iced Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

Indulge in the flavors of the fall with these Iced Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies. They're soft, chewy, and packed with warm spices and hearty texture, and they'll make your kitchen smell divine!

The perfect autumn pumpkin treat

It's that time again! What time you ask? Pumpkin time! The outdoors are starting to feel breezy, the leaves are changing colors, and there is excitement in the air. Though summer is a great time of year, it's always exciting when the fall begins to approach. You simply can't beat the coziness or the flavors that come back into rotation!

These iced pumpkin oatmeal cookies are the perfect treats to make this fall season. Made with oats, pumpkin pie spice, brown sugar, and pumpkin puree, they're loaded with autumn ingredients for a cozy taste in every bite. Plus, the pumpkin icing can't be beat! With the first batch, you'll see why this is one of my favorite cookie recipes.

Ingredients in these easy fall iced pumpkin oatmeal cookies

Before you get started, let’s take a look at what you’ll need to make these cozy iced pumpkin oatmeal cookies. The ingredient list is simple and made up of pantry staples, with just enough pumpkin puree and warm spice to give the cookies a classic fall flavor. The easy pumpkin pie spice icing will tie everything together!

Cookie dough

• Oats: First up for the ingredients will be 2 cups of oats. These are going to contribute to the texture of the cookies and help them achieve a chewy consistency.
• Flour: All purpose flour helps create the base of the dough. Use 2 cups.
• Baking soda: Next, 1 teaspoon of baking soda makes the cookies perfectly fluffy.
• Pumpkin pie spice: 2 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice does exactly what you'd expect — it adds that nice fall flavor! It achieves this by bringing in hints of cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove.
• Salt: Salt is a must in these cookies! Use ½ tsp.
• Butter: Next up is the butter! Use 1 cup, softened (2 sticks).
• Sugar: Sweeten up these cookies with ½ cup of granulated sugar and ¾ cup of brown sugar. The combination of the two sugars helps the cookies become crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.
• Eggs: 2 large eggs will bind the dough together and provide moisture to the batter.
• Pumpkin puree: Add more pumpkin flavor with ⅓ cup of pumpkin puree!
• Vanilla extract: Last but not least, finish off the dough with 2 teaspoon of vanilla extract.

Icing

• Butter: First up for the frosting, 2 tablespoon of softened butter creates a nice icing base.
• Powdered sugar: Then, 1.5 cups of powdered sugar adds the sweet flavor!
• Pumpkin spice: 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice helps the icing compliment the cookie.
• Milk: Finish off the icing with 3 tablespoon of milk. Any type of milk is fine!

Tools used to make pumpkin oatmeal cookies with icing

I recommend gathering all of the required kitchen tools before you begin. Below is everything you'll need:

• Baking sheet
• Parchment paper
• Large mixing bowl
• Stirring utensil
• Stand mixer or hand mixer
• Cookie scoop
• Small mixing bowl

To measure out ingredients, you'll need the following sized measuring cups: ½ tsp, 1 tsp, 1 tbsp, ⅓ cup, ½ cup, ¾ cup, and 1 cup.

How to make iced pumpkin oatmeal cookies

Let's get to baking! These iced pumpkin cookies come together in just a few simple steps.

First, preheat the oven to 350°F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Then, grab a large bowl and stir together the oats, flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.

Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat together the softened butter and both sugars until smooth. Add the eggs, pumpkin puree, and vanilla and beat until creamy. 

Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet and whisk until everything is combined and a dough forms. 

Then, use a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop the dough onto the baking sheet. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until slightly golden. 

While the cookies are baking and cooling, use a stand mixer or hand mixer to beat all of the icing ingredients together until creamy.

When the cookies have totally cooled, dip each cookie top into the icing. Let set before putting away.

Store leftovers in an airtight container and keep at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

In addition to the mouth watering pumpkin flavor, another great thing about these chewy pumpkin oatmeal cookies is that the recipe is quite flexible! If you have some different ingredients to use or you're missing an item or two, here are a couple of easy swaps that you can make.

Oats
Old-fashioned rolled oats are recommended for this recipe, but you can use quick oats if that's what you have! The cookies will turn out a bit softer.

Butter & milk
If you're looking for a dairy-free cookie, you can swap the butter for a plant-based version and use oat or almond milk instead of dairy.

Eggs
The easiest way to replace eggs is with applesauce. You can use ¼ cup of applesauce per egg (so ½ cup total for this recipe). You can also make flax seed eggs by combining 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed and 3 tablespoon of water. Let it sit, and once it's reached an egg yolk consistency, add it to the batter (about 5 minutes).

Are oatmeal cookies healthier than regular cookies?

That varies per recipe. However, when it comes to these cookies, we used oats to sneak in some extra nutrients, such as protein!

Can I make the cookies dairy-free or vegan?

Yes. Swap the butter for a plant-based alternative and use a non-dairy milk for the icing. To make them vegan, replace the eggs with apple sauce or flax seed (see above for measurements).

Can I adjust the sweetness of the icing?

Yes, you can reduce the powdered sugar slightly for a less sweet glaze, or add a teaspoon of maple syrup or honey for extra flavor.

Can I add mix-ins?

Definitely! Raisins, dried cranberries, or nuts like chopped pecans and walnuts are all great options. Chocolate chips are also delicious if you want a sweet twist.

If you liked this recipe, you'll want to try these!

Looking for some more fall treats? Here are some favorites! And if you want even more options, check out my dessert recipes.

• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
• Best Apple Crumble Recipe
• Simple Pecan Pie Recipe
• Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Balls

Recipe by Erin Antoniak and Photos by Bake and Bacon