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Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookies

Pumpkin spice sugar cookies with a tender, spiced crumb and crisp edges, chilled for clean cutting. Rolled to 1/4-inch and baked at 350°F, then finished with orange royal icing for a fall-ready look.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Chilling 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 37 minutes
Servings: 24 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 190
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Cookies
  • 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
Icing
  • 2 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tbsp milk Add 1 tbsp more as needed to reach pipeable thickness.
  • 0.25 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.01 orange food coloring Use until the icing turns bright orange.

Equipment

  • 1 stand mixer

Method
 

Make the cookie dough
  1. Beat the softened unsalted butter with granulated sugar until smooth and slightly fluffy, using a stand mixer. Add the blotted pumpkin, then beat again until evenly combined with no streaks.
  2. Add the egg and vanilla, then beat just until the mixture looks cohesive and glossy.
  3. Fold in the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until the dough forms with no dry pockets.
  4. Divide the dough, wrap it, and refrigerate for 1 hour to firm it for rolling.
Roll, bake, and cool
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line baking sheets so the cookies bake evenly.
  2. Roll the chilled dough to 1/4-inch thickness, then cut into shapes for clean edges.
  3. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350°F, watching for lightly set tops with edges that look dry rather than browned.
  4. Cool the cookies completely on a rack so the icing doesn’t melt or run.
Decorate with orange icing
  1. Whisk powdered sugar with milk and cinnamon until smooth and thick, adding more milk by teaspoons if needed for a ribbon-like flow.
  2. Stir in orange food coloring until the icing is the desired orange shade, then decorate the cooled cookies and let the icing set.

Notes

Pro tip: blot the pumpkin puree very dry before mixing so the dough stays rollable and the baked cookies hold their shape. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or refrigerate for up to 5 days; the baked, undecorated cookies freeze for up to 2 months. For a dairy-free swap, use a 1:1 plant butter and dairy-free milk in the icing.