Mini Caramel Pumpkin Cookies Crumbl Copycat Recipe

The weather has finally started cooling down after quite a warm summer in the South. The leaves are changes. The air is crisper. This only means one thing – we eat ALL THE PUMPKIN THINGS. Today, I’m sharing another delicious Crumbl Copycat recipes but this one is absolutely PERFECT FOR FALL! It’s the Caramel Pumpkin Cookies.

This is a deliciously, soft pumpkin cookie topped with a creamy, caramel, cream cheese frosting. These cookies represent everything that is good about fall!

If you haven’t tried some of the other Crumbl copycat recipes, may we suggest the Pink Confetti Cake Cookies, Galaxy Brownie Cookies, Chocolate Cake Cookies, Cookies and Cream Milkshake Cookies or the Churro Cookies?

WHY ARE CRUMBL COOKIES SO BIG?

Great question! It’s just kind of their “thing”. They are known for giant cookies. They are so big that they actually list their cookies as TWO servings when you are in the Crumbl store. That doesn’t mean you have to make your Crumbl cookies as big at home. We didn’t.

As we have done plenty of times before, we made MINI CRUMBL COOKIES!

This recipe makes 24 cookies because I recommend making them MUCH smaller than Crumbl would. Instead of a “shareable cookie” this is a bite-sized cookie that you won’t feel so guilty eating. Three bites and it’s gone. Have two or three, no one is judging! I would assume Crumbl using about 1/4 of a cup of cookie dough for each cookie and I suggest about 1 tablespoon in order to make them a more manageable size.

If you prefer GIANT cookies, make only 10-12 cookies with this recipe and they will be GIANT!! If you prefer smaller cookies, make 24 with the dough. So, you do you.

TO CHILL OR NOT TO CHILL?

That is the question! I’m not talking about the cookie dough because no chilling is necessary for the dough but how do you serve them? Chilled or warm? If you are eating them RIGHT AWAY – as in right after you frost them – then go ahead and eat them warm. They are delicious fresh out of the oven.

BUT these cookies are also super delicious served chilled. There is something about the frosting and super soft cookie that just works wonderfully if you eat them right out of the refrigerator.

Plus, I RECOMMEND storing these cookies in the refrigerator because of the cream cheese frosting. Cream cheese frosting needs to be chilled so if you don’t eat them right away, it’s time to chill them.

I have also found that all the Crumbl copycat recipes stay fresh longer if you keep them in the refrigerator. No matter what air-tight container you keep the cookies in, they don’t stay fresh as long out on the counter as they do if you put them in the fridge. So, the moral of the story is STORE THESE COOKIES IN THE FRIDGE. Sure, you can eat them cold or let them come to room temperature but you’ll thank me when you still have fresh cookies 3-4 days later.

CARAMEL PUMPKIN COOKIES INGREDIENTS

• Butter – salted or unsalted will work.
• Granulated Sugar
• Brown Sugar – dark or light brown sugar will work
• Egg Yolk
• Pumpkin Puree – I use Libby’s canned pumpkin
• Vanilla Extract – use the REAL extract and not the imitation
• Flour – all-purpose works best
• Baking Powder
• Salt
• Pumpkin Pie Spice
• Cinnamon

HOW TO MAKE CARAMEL PUMPKIN COOKIES

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Use parchment paper or a silpat mat to line a baking sheet. 

2. Cream the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar in a stand mixer until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Scrape the sides of the bowl to make sure all ingredients are blended.

3. Add in egg yolk, vanilla and pumpkin puree and beat until combined.

4. Add in flour, baking powder, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon. Mix until all combined.

5. Scoop out dough and roll into balls. Scoop out 1-2 TBSP dough for smaller cookies (or 1/4 cup dough for BIG cookies). Place dough balls on prepared pan (12 cookies to a pan if smaller cookies) and slightly flatten with your hand to about 1/2 – 1 inch thick.

6. Bake for 8-9 minutes. Cool cookies cookie sheet for 10 minutes before removing to cooling rack. NOTE: If you decide to make the bigger cookies, you’ll need to bake them for 12-13 minutes.

7. While cookies are cooling, make the frosting.

CARAMEL CREAM CHEESE FROSTING INGREDIENTS

BUTTER – Softened salted or unsalted butter

VANILLA EXTRACT – Go for the real vanilla extract and NOT the imitation.

POWDERED SUGAR

CARAMEL – I use this Caramel Sauce

CREAM CHEESE – Go for the full-fat cream cheese

PUMPKIN PIE SPICE – You just need this for sprinkling at the end

CARAMEL CREAM CHEESE FROSTING DIRECTIONS

1. In stand mixer, cream butter and cream cheese for about 2-3 minutes until smooth.

2. Add in the vanilla, powdered sugar, and caramel and mix on high for about 3 minutes until smooth.

3. Put the frosting in a piping bag with a star tip OR you can put the frosting in a gallon size Ziploc bag and cut off one corner of the bag. Use the frosting bag to pipe frosting in a spiral on top of the cooled cookies.