Pumpkin Roll Cookies

a close up shot of Pumpkin Spice Roll Cookies with one having a bite taken out of it

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Soft, tender pumpkin cookies with a brown sugar and spice swirl rolled right through the middle. Make the dough log ahead, then slice and bake whenever you're ready.

Prep Time20

Cook Time12

Chill Time2

Total Time2 32

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: pumpkin roll cookies

Servings:

Calories: 242kcal

Ingredients

Dough

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice blend
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
2 ounces cream cheese softened to room temperature
¾ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup pure pumpkin purée — not pumpkin pie filling I use Libby's
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Filling

3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled
½ cup light brown sugar
1½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice blend

Icing

1 cup powdered sugar sifted
2 tablespoons milk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon unsalted butter melted and cooled

Instructions

Whisk the flour, pumpkin pie spice, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
Beat the butter and cream cheese on low with a hand mixer until smooth, about 1 to 2 minutes, with no lumps remaining.
Add the granulated sugar, pumpkin purée, and vanilla. Beat another 1 to 2 minutes, until the mixture gathers into a rough ball.
Add the reserved flour mixture and mix just until it's incorporated. Stopping here keeps the cookies tender.
Turn the dough onto parchment, shape it into a rough rectangle, and roll it out to about 10×12 inches, a quarter inch thick.
Stir the cooled melted butter, brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice together in a small bowl, then spread it evenly over the dough.
Roll the dough into a log from the long edge, keeping your fingertips underneath and pinching closed any spots that split.
Wrap the log in plastic and chill for 2 hours, or up to 2 days.
Heat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment.
Slice the chilled log into rounds ½ to ¾ inch thick — 16 to 18 in all. Trimming the ends gives you a tidier set.
Place 5 or 6 on the sheet with space between them, and bake 12 to 14 minutes, until the edges are just barely golden.
Rest the cookies on the sheet 2 to 3 minutes, then move them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Whisk the sifted powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and cooled melted butter into a smooth icing. Thin with milk ½ teaspoon at a time, or thicken with powdered sugar a tablespoon at a time.
Drizzle over the fully cooled cookies and let the icing set before storing.

Notes

Be sure you buy pure pumpkin purée rather than pumpkin pie filling.
If you're using homemade or organic purée, these tend to hold more water than canned. Set the purée in a coffee filter inside a mesh strainer and let it drain for about 20 minutes before measuring, so the dough stays firm enough to roll comfortably.
Room temperature matters for the butter and cream cheese to blend smoothly
Every extra bit of flour that's worked into the surface dries the dough slightly and makes it more likely to split as you roll it. Rolling on parchment means you don't need any flour, but if you must use it, keep it to a couple of tablespoons.
For the cleanest slices, two hours in the fridge is enough. If you have time, another 30 to 45 minutes in the freezer gives an even sharper cut. A sharp knife and one gentle downward press works better than sawing, which drags the filling sideways.
Slice as you bake. Cookies that go in the oven cold hold their shape best. We slice just what fits on the sheet going into the oven and leave the rest in the fridge.
Ovens vary. They drift over time and benefit from occasional recalibration, so it's worth checking your cookies at the earlier end of the range.
The wrapped dough log keeps in the fridge up to 2 days, or in the freezer up to 3 months (thaw overnight in the fridge before slicing). Baked cookies keep about 4 days in an airtight container once the icing has fully set.

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