Sweet Potato Cookies

If you aren’t baking with sweet potatoes, what are you waiting for? These Sweet Potato Cookies are pillowy soft and naturally sweet, with warm spices and real cream cheese frosting. You might want to make a double batch, because they disappear fast!

Table of Contents

• Soft, Frosted Sweet Potato Cookies – Perfect for Fall!
• Are Canned Sweet Potatoes Just as Good as Fresh?
• Ingredients
• Let’s Make Sweet Potato Cookies!
• Do You Need to Refrigerate Cream Cheese Frosting?
• Tips and Variations
• How to Store Sweet Potato Cookies
• Can I Freeze Sweet Potato Cookies?
• Get the Recipe
• More Cookie Recipes for Fall

Soft, Frosted Sweet Potato Cookies – Perfect for Fall!

As much as I love a crisp cookie (so perfect for dunking in milk or coffee), sometimes you just want a cakey, soft cookie… especially with rich, decadent frosting. Think Lofthouse Cookies, think Whoopie Pies, and definitely think about these easy sweet potato cookies. They’re super fluffy, beautifully soft, and loaded with fall flavor.

The sweet potatoes also go a long way toward making the cookies flavorful and naturally sweet. Honestly, sweet potatoes are so under-utilized in desserts – they are just as good as pumpkin, and maybe even better in some recipes! They have a gorgeous color, mild, sweet taste, and silky texture.

Are Canned Sweet Potatoes Just as Good as Fresh?

For this recipe, canned sweet potatoes are definitely just as good as fresh, and much easier to use. You just open the can, drain the syrup, and mash the sweet potatoes with a fork. But if you want to bake whole sweet potatoes and mash those instead, or use leftover baked sweet potatoes, that will work just fine as well.

Ingredients

So what will you need to make these cookies in your own kitchen? Let’s take a look. You probably already have most of these ingredients on hand!

For the Cookies

• Flour: Plain, all-purpose flour – no need for self-rising flour or cake flour here.
• Cornstarch: Just a bit of cornstarch makes for extra-soft, smooth cookies.
• Baking Powder and Baking Soda: You will need both rising agents for this recipe. One activates in the batter, and one activates in the oven, to keep the cookies from being dense.
• Spices: Ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg.
• Sweet Potatoes: One cup of canned sweet potatoes, drained and mashed. I used Bruce’s Yams Cut Sweet Potatoes in Syrup. However you can also use mashed sweet potatoes.
• Butter: Salted butter, melted.
• Sugar: Granulated sugar is fine. You could also use light brown sugar, for a hint of molasses flavor.
• Egg: One large, whole egg.
• Vanilla: Pure vanilla extract gives the cookies a sweet, bakery-style depth.

For the Frosting

• Cream Cheese: Let the cream cheese soften at room temperature before you use it in this recipe. That way, it will whip up nicely.
• Butter: Salted butter, also softened to room temperature.
• Vanilla
• Cinnamon: Some for the frosting, plus more for garnish, if desired.
• Powdered Sugar: You will need several cups – the exact amount depends on how firm you want the frosting to be.

Let’s Make Sweet Potato Cookies!

These sweet potato cookies with cream cheese frosting may sound hard to make, but I promise they are very easy. The hardest part about this recipe is waiting an hour while the dough chills in the fridge!

• Mix the Dry Ingredients Together. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together your flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set this aside.
• Mix the Wet Ingredients. Next, in a large bowl, whisk together your mashed sweet potatoes, melted butter, and sugar. Add the egg and vanilla extract, and whisk again.

• Combine Both Mixtures. Beat the flour mixture into the sweet potato mixture to make a smooth, thick cookie dough/batter. 
• Chill. Cover the bowl with foil or parchment paper, and refrigerate for one hour or overnight to firm up the cookie dough.

• Shape the Sweet Potato Cookies. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper, and use a medium cookie scoop to drop the dough onto the prepared cookie sheets. Grease the bottom of a drinking glass with butter, and gently flatten the cookies into rounds about 1/2 inch thick.
• Bake! Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the tops of the cookies are set. Transfer to wire racks to cool.

• Make the Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting. Beat together the cream cheese, butter, cinnamon, and vanilla until well-combined. Add the cups of powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Continue beating in sugar (up to one extra cup) if you want firmer frosting.
• Frost the Cookies. Once the cookies are completely cool, generously frost the top of each cookie. Dust with extra cinnamon if you like.
• Enjoy! Serve the cookies immediately, or store them in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve.

Do You Need to Refrigerate Cream Cheese Frosting?

Yes, and no. I usually recommend keeping anything frosted with cream cheese frosting in the refrigerator, and it’s a good way to keep your frosted items fresh for longer.

However, if you’re going to serve and eat the cookies within a few hours, you can keep them at room temperature instead. In fact, if your house stays cool (under 70°F), you can keep cream cheese frosting at room temperature for up to two days, according to Cooking Light!

Tips and Variations

Looking for ways to change things up? These cookies are also super adaptable, so you can use this recipe as a base and go from there. Here are just a few ways to customize it:

• Butter: If you use unsalted butter in this recipe, you will need to add 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the cookie dough.
• Add Nuts: Sprinkle chopped walnuts or pecans into the cookie batter before chilling it for a lovely crunch.
• Pie Spice: Cinnamon and nutmeg make a simple spice profile for this recipe, but feel free to substitute pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice instead for a more complex flavor.
• Frosting: Sweet potato cookies can also be topped with a simple, crisp glaze (try the glaze from my Old Fashioned Iced Oatmeal Cookies). Let the glaze dry and they are good to go – and easier to store, too.
• Marshmallows: Take a cue from your favorite candied yams recipe, and add some marshmallows to your sweet potato cookies. Press a few mini marshmallows into the batter before baking, and allow to cool before serving. Or frost your cookies with marshmallow fluff!

How to Store Sweet Potato Cookies

For maximum freshness, arrange these cookies in a single layer in shallow, airtight containers. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days. If your house stays under 70°F, you may store sweet potato cookies at room temperature for 1 – 2 days. Either way, make sure the cookies are tightly covered.

Can I Freeze Sweet Potato Cookies?

Yes! Store the cookies unfrosted in airtight containers for up to three months. I recommend separating layers of cookies with parchment or wax paper before freezing, so that they don’t stick to each other. Thaw to room temperature and frost before serving.

Continue to Content

Yield: 36 Cookies

Sweet Potato Cookies with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Print

These decadent Sweet Potato Cookies are pillowy soft, spiced sweet potato cookies frosted with a rich, sweet cinnamon cream cheese icing!

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Additional Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

Sweet Potato Cookies:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup drained and mashed Bruce’s Yams Cut Sweet Potatoes in Syrup
• 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, melted
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 4 tablespoons salted butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon, plus more for garnish, if desired
• 3 to 4 cups powdered sugar (add until desired consistency/firmness)

Instructions

1. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl whisk together sweet potatoes, butter and granulated sugar. Add egg and vanilla extract.
3. Beat in flour mixture until well combined. Cover bowl with foil or parchment paper and refrigerate for one hour or overnight.
4. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
5. Using a medium cookie scoop, drop dough by onto prepared cookie sheets. Grease the bottom of a flat glass with butter and gently press cookie dough into flat disks about 1/2 inch thick.
6. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until tops are set. Transfer to wire racks to cool.
7. For Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting: Beat together cream cheese, butter, cinnamon and vanilla until well combined. Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth.
8. Generously frost on top of each cookie and dust with extra cinnamon if desired. Serve immediately and store any leftovers in the refrigerator.

Notes

Storage: Refrigerate sweet potato cookies for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Butter: If you use unsalted butter in this recipe, you will need to add 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the cookie dough.

Add Nuts: Sprinkle chopped walnuts or pecans into the cookie batter before chilling it for a lovely crunch.

Pie Spice: Cinnamon and nutmeg make a simple spice profile for this recipe, but feel free to substitute pumpkin pie spice instead for a more complex flavor.

Frosting: Sweet potato cookies can also be topped with a simple, crisp glaze (try the glaze from my Old Fashioned Iced Oatmeal Cookies). Let the glaze dry and they are good to go - and easier to store, too.

Marshmallows: Take a cue from your favorite candied yams recipe, and add some marshmallows to your sweet potato cookies. Press a few mini marshmallows into the batter before baking, and allow to cool before serving. Or you can frost them with marshmallow fluff.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

36

Serving Size:

1 cookie
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 256Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 87mgCarbohydrates: 54gFiber: 1gSugar: 43gProtein: 2g

More Cookie Recipes for Fall

• Pumpkin Pie Cookies
• Maple Snickerdoodles (Mapledoodles)
• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Mini Apple Pie Cookie Cups
• Best Pumpkin Cookies
• Molasses Cookies
• Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
• Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

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