In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, sea salt, baking soda and baking powder. Set aside.

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand-held mixer, cream together the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar.

Add vanilla, pumpkin puree and egg and beat until combined and light and fluffy.

Then add the dry ingredient mixture and beat until combined.

Transfer the pumpkin cookie dough to an airtight container and chill for at least 2 hours, and up to overnight.

After chilling, preheat oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease 2 large baking sheets or line them with silicone baking mats (do not use parchment paper).

Use a 1.5 to 2 Tablespoon cookie scoop to measure out portions of cookie dough, roll them into balls and place them on the prepared baking sheets, evenly spaced. Repeat until all the dough is used.

Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until cookies look set and slightly puffed.

Remove the cookie tray from the oven and tap it forcefully on the counter to release air from the cookies. This is crucial for chewy cookies.

Let the pumpkin cookies cool on the cookie sheet for 3-5 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. The cookies “deflate” as they cool and achieve the chewy texture you see pictured in this post.

Once the cookies are cooled, beat together butter and cream cheese until smooth,

Add vanilla, 1 cup powdered sugar, sea salt and cinnamon (optional) and beat until combined. Then add the remaining 1 cup of powdered sugar and beat until the mixture is smooth.

Spread about 1 to 1 ½ tablespoons of frosting on each cookie.

Then, transfer the frosted cookies to the refrigerator to chill until the frosting has hardened.

Serve slightly chilled or at room temperature.