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Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookies

Pumpkin spice sugar cookies made with pumpkin puree for a soft, spiced crumb and a crisp edge, then chilled for easy rolling. Cut into fall shapes and finished with orange royal icing for a bright seasonal look.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
chilling 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 37 minutes
Servings: 24 cookies
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 210
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Pumpkin spice cookie dough
  • 3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 0.5 tsp baking powder
  • 0.25 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1.5 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.25 tsp nutmeg
  • 0.25 tsp salt
  • 1 lb unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 0.25 cup pumpkin puree (blotted very dry)
  • 1 egg
  • 1.5 tsp vanilla
Orange icing
  • 2 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tbsp milk
  • 0.25 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 orange food coloring

Equipment

  • 1 stand mixer
  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Make the cookie dough
  1. Beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together until smooth, then mix in the blotted very dry pumpkin puree, the egg, and the vanilla.
  2. Fold in the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt just until no dry streaks remain.
Chill, roll, and bake
  1. Divide the dough, wrap it, and refrigerate for 1 hour until firm enough to roll.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350F, then roll the dough to 1/4-inch thickness and cut into shapes.
  3. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the cookies look set around the edges.
  4. Cool the cookies completely before decorating.
Decorate
  1. Stir powdered sugar with milk and cinnamon until you have a pipeable, spreadable icing, then tint with orange food coloring.
  2. Decorate the cooled cookies with the orange-tinted icing.

Notes

Pro tip: blotting the pumpkin puree very dry helps prevent spread and keeps the rolled dough workable after chilling. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or refrigerate up to 7 days. Freeze baked cookies for up to 2 months (freeze flat, then thaw at room temp). For a dairy-free swap, use a 1:1 plant-based butter stick and use non-dairy milk in the icing.