Why You’ll Love Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookies

• Made from scratch, these pumpkin homemade sugar cookies are a no-spread cookie recipe!
• The frosting is perfectly velvety smooth and I love the fall colors we used. It is a buttercream style instead of a royal icing that would use meringue powder.
• Colorful cookies that will dress up a fall platter or a Thanksgiving dessert table.
• Simple ingredients you might already have in your kitchen.
• These are easy pumpkin spice cookies to gift to co-workers, school parties, bake sales, holiday entertaining, and more.

If you need another fall favorite dessert, these Pecan Pralines are delicious. And don’t miss these Salted Caramel Pumpkin Muffins for a sweet fall treat.

Kitchen Equipment Needed

• Stand Mixer / Handheld Electric Mixer
• Large Mixing Bowl
• Measuring Cups and Spoons
• Parchment Paper
• Rolling Pin
• Pumpkin Cookie Cutter, 2.5 inches (I’m using a pumpkin cookie cutter but you can use different cookie cutters to create different shapes)
• Cookie Sheets
• Cooling Wire Rack
• 4 Small Bowls
• Piping Bag or Ziploc Bag

Recipe Ingredients

Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookie Ingredients:

SUGAR: White granulated sugar is the base sweetener of the sugar cookies.

BUTTER: Unsalted butter, softened to room temperature.

VANILLA: Always use pure vanilla extract for the best pumpkin spice sugar cookies recipe. You can even make your own – use this simple Homemade Vanilla Extract Recipe.

PUMPKIN PIE SPICE: The spice is going to give the pumpkin cookies that fall spice flavor. Pumpkin spice doesn’t actually give these cookies a pumpkin flavor, it’s a mix of warm fall flavors such as nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, ginger and cloves. To make your own blend of spices, follow this simple recipe for Pumpkin Spice Mix.

EGG: A whole egg acts as the binder for the sugar cookie dough.

FLOUR: All-purpose flour is the base of the sugar cookies. Plus, you’ll need a little extra for lightly flouring your work surface to roll out the cookie dough.

Frosting Ingredients:

BUTTER: Ahhh… the ingredient where Buttercream frosting gets its name!

MILK: You’ll use a bit of milk to thin out the frosting to get the perfect texture.

VANILLA: Again, pure vanilla extract gives the frosting the best flavor.

SALT: A sprinkle of salt is used to enhance the flavor of the cookie frosting.

POWDERED SUGAR: Powdered sugar is going to give you a velvety smooth frosting.

FOOD COLORING: I’m using powder food coloring called Sugar Art to get these soft colors. You can also use gel food coloring to create close colors. Here are the 4 colors I’m using: Autumn Gold, Red Wood and Hawaiian Blue which you can purchase from the Sugar Art website. I’m also using a peach gel food coloring.

This package of gel food coloring on Amazon includes plenty of colors you can use. Add your coloring slowly to get the desired shade. If you want these soft colors, you’ll only need a drop or two of gel food coloring.

How to Make Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookies

Here are the step-by-step instructions for a soft and chewy pumpkin spice sugar cookie recipe:

Cookie Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and prep your cookie sheets with parchment or spray with non-stick spray. Set aside.

In the large bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter and sugar. Cream together for 2-3 minutes until smooth. I used the paddle attachment, but you can use also use a hand mixer.

Add in the pumpkin pie spice, vanilla and egg. Mix well.

Switch from the paddle attachment to the whisk attachment to add dry ingredients. Add flour a little at a time. Mix on low speed until the cookie dough combines and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Scrape sides of bowl to remove any flour mixture that is stuck to sides.

Sprinkle a little bit of flour on a clean work surface and roll out the sugar cookie dough until approximately ⅜ of an inch thick. Use more flour on your rolling pin and work surface when needed to prevent sticking.

Cut out your pumpkin shapes (or your desired shapes with cookie cutters) and transfer to you prepared baking sheets.

Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes. The edges should be set and very slightly starting to brown. Watch carefully to ensure you get soft sugar cookies. It does not take much to overbake these at which point, they will be hard and dry. We want them to have a soft bite!

Allow to cool completely on a cooling rack before decorating.

Buttercream Frosting Directions

In the bowl of a stand mixer using your paddle attachment, combine the softened butter, vanilla, and salt (about 2 minutes).

Add in the powdered sugar and mix on low speed for one minute. Careful, powdered sugar can easily fly out of the mixing bowl. Add in one tablespoon of milk at a time just until the frosting no longer looks dry. Increase to medium speed for one minute or until the frosting looks light and fluffy.

Transfer the frosting to four small bowls. One bowl needs only about ¼ or less for the brown stems. The rest can be divided equally – yellow, orange and blue. Once you’ve tinted the color tones however you’d like, transfer each of the frostings to a piping bag fitted with a star tip.

Decorating Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookies

To decorate, begin with the stem. Pipe two small lines just down the stem of the pumpkin cookie with the brown frosting.

For the main body of the pumpkin, choose one color. I began at the upper left corner of the pumpkin, then slowly and steadily pipe a continuous line from the upper left corner and zigzag up and down, making your way across the cookie a few times until it is evenly covered in buttercream frosting.

Continue until all the cookies are decorated.

How to Store Leftovers

The cookies can be stored at room temperature in a sealed container for 2-4 days. You will find that the cookies are best served within the first day or two of being made, as the frosting will begin to dry out.

If you plan to stack the cookies use wax paper or parchment paper between layers to prevent the cookies from sticking together.

You can also place cookies in a freezer friendly container, such as a freezer bag, and freeze for 3-4 months. Then when you want a cookie or two thaw on the counter and enjoy.