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These Crumbl caramel pumpkin cookies are my copycat of the famous fall cookie: a thick, soft pumpkin cookie topped with a fluffy caramel cream cheese frosting and a dusting of pumpkin pie spice. If you’ve been hunting for a Crumbl pumpkin cookie recipe that actually tastes like the bakery version, this is it!! There’s no dough to chill, the recipe makes eight big bakery-size cookies, and they bake in just 13 minutes. These copycat Crumbl pumpkin cookies taste just like the real thing.
Quick Look: Crumbl Caramel Pumpkin Cookies
- 🍪 What it is: A thick, soft pumpkin cookie with caramel cream cheese frosting and pumpkin pie spice on top.
- ⭐ Why it works: One egg yolk instead of a whole egg balances out the moisture from the pumpkin puree.
- 💛 Why you’ll love it: No dough chilling, so you go straight from mixing bowl to oven.
- ⚠️ What to watch for: Let the cookies cool completely before frosting, or the frosting melts right off.
- 🍳 Pan notes: Parchment-lined baking sheet and a large cookie scoop for 8 even cookies, flattened to 1 inch.
- ❄️ Make ahead: Freeze the cookies and frosting separately, then thaw and frost when you’re ready.
Why This Recipe Works
Every September, the pumpkin Crumbl cookie is the one I get asked about the most, so I made sure this pumpkin Crumbl cookie recipe nails it: the same soft, thick base, that warm pumpkin spice Crumbl cookie flavor, and the pumpkin cookies with caramel frosting everyone lines up for.
- No chilling needed: the dough is thick enough to scoop and bake right away
- Thick, soft, and chewy, a lot like my Crumbl snickerdoodle cupcake cookies but made for fall
- A caramel cream cheese frosting that tastes just like the bakery’s
- Eight big bakery-style cookies, or 16 mini catering-size ones
- One of my all-time favorite fall Crumbl cookies (find the rest in my Crumbl copycat recipes collection)
Table of Contents
Key Ingredients
- Egg yolk: Instead of a whole egg, this recipe uses just the yolk. It removes some of the moisture and balances out the pumpkin puree so the cookies stay thick.
- Pumpkin puree: Make sure it’s 100% pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling, which is already sweetened and spiced.
- Brown sugar + granulated sugar: Brown sugar keeps the cookies extra soft, and granulated sugar gives them slightly crisp edges.
- Pumpkin pie spice + cinnamon: The warm fall flavor in every bite, plus a little extra pumpkin pie spice for dusting on top.
- Full-fat cream cheese: Use full fat for a frosting that whips up thick and fluffy.
- Caramel: Use my homemade caramel sauce or store-bought caramel. Either one works in the frosting for these pumpkin caramel cookies.
- Caramel extract (optional): Just a little gives the frosting a stronger caramel flavor.
Full ingredient amounts are in the recipe card below.
Substitutions and Additions
- Butter: Salted or unsalted both work in the cookie dough.
- Salted caramel: Swap in a salted caramel sauce for salted caramel pumpkin cookies.
- Stiffer frosting: One reader added extra powdered sugar (up to 1 ¾ cups total) for a thicker frosting that holds its shape.
- No caramel on hand: Another reader skipped it and loved the plain cream cheese frosting. It’s a different flavor, but still delicious.
How to Make Crumbl Caramel Pumpkin Cookies
- Cream the butter and sugars. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cream the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until smooth.
- Make the dough. Mix in the egg yolk, pumpkin puree, and vanilla. Add the flour, salt, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon, and mix just until the flour disappears.
- Scoop and flatten. Scoop 8 equal dough balls with a large cookie scoop, set them on the baking sheet, and gently flatten each one to about 1 inch thick.
- Bake and cool. Bake for 13 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 20 minutes, then move them to a rack and let them cool completely.
- Make the frosting and pipe. Whip the butter and cream cheese for 3 minutes, then add the vanilla, caramel, powdered sugar, and caramel extract if using. Whip 3 to 4 minutes until fluffy and pipe onto the cooled cookies.
- Dust and serve. Dust each cookie with a little pumpkin pie spice and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Don’t overmix. Once the flour goes in, stop as soon as it disappears so the cookies stay soft.
- Use a large cookie scoop. Eight equal dough balls bake evenly into big, bakery-size pumpkin Crumbl cookies.
- Want them extra soft? One reader pulled hers slightly underbaked, the way Crumbl does, and said the texture was unreal.
- Cool completely before frosting. Even slightly warm cookies will melt cream cheese frosting.
- Whip the frosting the full time. Those 3 to 4 minutes are what make it light and fluffy like the bakery’s.
This recipe only uses ¼ cup of pumpkin puree, so you’ll have plenty left over. Use the rest for my pumpkin banana bread, a single-serve pumpkin mug cake, a batch of soft pumpkin cinnamon rolls, or an easy homemade pumpkin pie.
Crumbl Caramel Pumpkin Cookies FAQs
No! The dough for these Crumbl caramel pumpkin cookies needs no chilling at all, so you can scoop and bake right after mixing.
No. Use 100% pumpkin puree for Crumbl caramel pumpkin cookies. Pumpkin pie filling is already sweetened and spiced, so it throws off the flavor and texture.
Yes! Split each dough ball in half to make 16 mini catering-size Crumbl caramel pumpkin cookies, and bake them for 9 to 10 minutes instead of 13.
Store frosted Crumbl caramel pumpkin cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 to 5 days, since the frosting has cream cheese. If you’d rather keep them at room temperature, store them unfrosted and frost them right before serving.
Yes. Freeze the unfrosted Crumbl caramel pumpkin cookies and the frosting in separate airtight containers. Thaw both in the fridge overnight, re-whip the frosting, then pipe and enjoy.
More Pumpkin Desserts
If you tried these Crumbl Caramel Pumpkin Cookies or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments! I love hearing from you!
Crumbl Caramel Pumpkin Cookies
Ingredients
Pumpkin cookie
- 1/2 cup Butter salted or unsalted, softened
- 1/2 cup Granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup Brown sugar
- 1 Egg yolk
- 1/4 cup Pumpkin puree 100% pumpkin, not pie filling
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1 & 2/3 cup AP flour
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- 1 & 1/2 tsp Pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 tsp Cinnamon
Caramel cream cheese frosting
- 5 oz Cream cheese full fat, softened
- 4 tbsp Butter unsalted, softened
- 3 tbsp Caramel homemade or store-bought
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup Powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp Caramel extract optional, for stronger caramel flavor
- Pumpkin pie spice for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cream the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together until smooth. Add the egg yolk, pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract and mix again to combine.1/2 cup Butter, 1/2 cup Granulated sugar, 1/3 cup Brown sugar, 1 Egg yolk, 1/4 cup Pumpkin puree, 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- Add the flour, salt, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon, and mix just until the flour disappears. Don’t overmix.1 & 2/3 cup AP flour, 1/4 tsp Salt, 1 tsp Baking powder, 1 & 1/2 tsp Pumpkin pie spice, 1/4 tsp Cinnamon
- Using a large cookie scoop, scoop 8 equal dough balls onto the baking sheet and gently flatten each one to about 1 inch thick. Bake for 13 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 20 minutes, then move them to a cooling rack and let them cool completely before frosting.
Make the caramel cream cheese frosting
- Beat the butter and cream cheese with the whisk attachment for 3 minutes, until smooth.5 oz Cream cheese, 4 tbsp Butter
- Add the vanilla, caramel, powdered sugar, and caramel extract (if using). Whip for another 3 to 4 minutes, until light and fluffy.3 tbsp Caramel, 1 tsp Vanilla extract, 3/4 cup Powdered sugar, 1/2 tsp Caramel extract
- Pipe the frosting onto each cooled cookie with a piping bag (or a zip-top bag with the corner snipped off), dust with pumpkin pie spice, and enjoy!Pumpkin pie spice
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Absolutely delicious! Almost impossible to mess up! For the frosting I ended up using about 1 and 3/4 cups of powdered sugar and it worked perfectly!
I’m so glad to hear that you liked it!
so soft and chewy and good
Thank you so much!
Hello! May I ask you what is the difference between this cookies and the pumpkin chocolate chip cookies (https://lifestyleofafoodie.com/crumbl-pumpkin-chocolate-chip-cookies/), since the base recipe of the 2 is different? For example in one you only use 1 yolk and less pumpkin puree, and in this one an entire egg and more pumpkin puree 🙂
Thanks!
Hello! May I ask you what is the difference between this cookies and the pumpkin chocolate chip cookies (https://lifestyleofafoodie.com/crumbl-pumpkin-chocolate-chip-cookies/), since the base recipe of the 2 is different? For example in one you only use 1 yolk and less pumpkin puree, and in this one an entire egg and more pumpkin puree 🙂
Thanks!
These are so good! You could probably cut the frosting recipe in half though, i still have enough to frost another batch
I make the big batch for the sake of making it look like Crumbl’s, but I agree it can be a bit much. I’m glad you still enjoyed them 🙂
I can’t find a place to make my own comment, so I’m “replying” instead. These cookies are INCREDIBLE! I slightly underbaked them like Crumbl does, and man… the texture of the cookie and frosting together is to die for! I will say that I did not have caramel sauce, and did not feel like making it, so I left it out. The frosting is delicious without, but obviously an entire different flavor profile. This is the first of your cookies I’ve made, and I’ve got my eye in the gingerbread cookie for next time!
Thank you so much for the kind words! I’m so glad to hear you loved the cookies. The slightly under baked trick is a great move for that soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture! I totally agree, the frosting is amazing on its own too, but I’m excited for you to try the full version next time. The gingerbread cookies are a great choice, I hope they turn out just as delicious for you. Thanks again for sharing your experience!
My family loves Crumble cookies, but they are so expensive! I decided to give these a try. We love pumpkin! They were surprisingly easy to make and so delicious! I can’t wait to try some other crumble recipes!😋
I’m thrilled to hear that your family enjoyed the homemade pumpkin cookies! It’s fantastic that they were both easy to make and delicious. Exploring more Crumble recipes sounds like a great plan—wishing you many more delightful baking adventures!
these are SOOOOO GOOD!!
Thank you!
I just made these cookies and they are SO GOOD! Unfortunately, my frosting is VERY soft and kinda just melts together, almost drips off the cookie. What did I do wrong? and how can I fix it?
If the frosting is too soft, the butter or cream cheese may have been too warm, or the caramel added extra moisture. Next time, make sure both are just softened, not melty. You can also sift in an extra 2–3 tablespoons of powdered sugar to firm it up. You can also chill the frosting for 15–20 minutes before piping to help it hold its shape.
What is 3 & 2 cups?
For what part of the recipe?
If you’re using 3x recipe under US Customary, it says 3 and 2 cups AP flour. I can’t decipher what that’s supposed to mean either.
That’s just a thing that happens with the automated feature of the recipe card. Because the normal recipe calls for 1 and 2/3 cups flour, it multiplies each part by 3 instead of putting it altogether. So 1 and 2/3 cups multiplied by 3 equals 5 cups, which it writes as 3 and 2 cups. But I would suggest using the metric measurements when making a recipe that large so you have better accuracy.
These cookies were unbelievably delicious. My icing was really liquidy. Not sure what I did wrong.
Sometimes when the icing has too much liquid in it just add some powdered sugar to thicken it up!