Try our easy pumpkin spice cut out cookies for the fall season. These sugar cookies hold their shape and are the perfect cookies to decorate for Halloween or Thanksgiving!
Halloween is almost here but you still have time to whip up the dough for these pumpkin sugar cookies. These soft cookies feature warm pumpkin spices and are a treat for kids and adults alike! Similar to my favorite Christmas sugar cookie dough, these hold their shape when baked and are fun to decorate.
Ingredients
(full printable recipe at end of this post)
You more than likely have everything you need for these pumpkin sugar cookies. Simple ingredients for a simple recipe.
Here's What You Need:
- All purpose flour (3 cups)
- Baking powder (1 ½ teaspoons)
- Unsalted butter (1 cup)
- Sugar (1 cup)
- Brown sugar (½ cup)
- Pumpkin puree (¾ cup)
- Egg (1 large)
- Vanilla extract (2 teaspoons)
- Pumpkin pie spice (1 teaspoon)
- Salt
- Icing and sprinkles for decorating
You can use homemade icing or store-bought frosting to decorate these cookies. Have fun with sprinkles, candy eyes, or other edible decorations!
How to Make Fall Cookies
These pumpkin cookies are easy to cut into festive seasonal shapes with cookie cutters. You can make pumpkins, bats, witches and cats for Halloween, or apples, leaves, squirrels and acorns for fall!
To make these cut-out cookies, cream the flour mixture and wet ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Or, you can use an electric mixer with a large mixing bowl. Then, chill the dough before spreading it with a rolling pin.
Use a spatula with a slanted blade to transfer the cut-outs to a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone liner. Depending on the size of your cookies, baking time is 10 to 12 minutes at 350°F. You know they are done when the edges start to brown.
Best Tips
- When rolling out the dough, pick a clean surface with plenty of room and use lots of flour so it doesn't stick to the counter top.
- Flip the dough over once or twice as you roll it out and sprinkle more flour on top and bottom.
- Don't roll the dough thinner than ¼ inch or your cookies will be too delicate and crispy!
- If you can't find pumpkin pie spice, you can try our homemade recipe using ginger, nutmeg cinnamon and cloves.
Icing Recipe for Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
If you want to use homemade frosting to decorate your cookies, try this easy icing recipe:
Icing Ingredients
- 5 cups powdered sugar
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoonvanilla extract
- 4 to 6 tablespoons milk
- gel food coloring, optional
Icing Instructions
- Beat all ingredients (with 4 tablespoon milk), except food coloring, until smooth.
- Add additional tablespoons of milk until reaches spreadable consistency.
- Mix with food coloring as desired.
More Sugar Cookie Recipes
- The Best Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
- Sugar Cookie Hearts with Royal Icing
- Rice Krispies Sugar Cookies
- Cinnamon Roll Sugar Cookie Bars
- Soft Frosted Sugar Cookies
- Chocolate Sugar Cookies
Made this Recipe?
Leave a star rating, take a photo and tag me on social media @seededtable so I can share it!
This recipe was originally published October 2019.
Recipe Card
Pumpkin Spice Cut Out Cookies
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- 1 cup unsalted butter , at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ¾ cup pumpkin puree
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 ¾ cups flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugars on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the pumpkin puree, then beat in the egg and vanilla.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin spice. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Stir until fully incorporated. Cover and chill the dough for at least an hour.
- Divide dough in half and shape each into a disc. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and chill in fridge for at least one hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
- Remove one chilled dough disc from fridge. On a large clean surface, roll dough to about ¼-inch thickness. Cut out shapes with cookie cutter and transfer to prepared baking sheet.
- Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until edges are just starting to brown. Remove from oven, let cool 8 minutes on cookie sheet then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.
- Decorate as desired with preferred icing and sprinkles.
Notes
- Nutrition information is an estimation only based on a yield of 24 cookies and without icing or sprinkles.
- Dough can be chilled up to 3 days.
April says
I know it says the 24 cookie yield varies based on cutter size. What size gives that yield? That way I can gustimate what I’ll get with my cutters.
Nikki Gladd says
Hi April. I would say the standard 3 inches, but it's hard to be exact since my fall and halloween cutters are all different shapes. But, I think it's safe to say they are standard size, not mini, not large. Hope that helps!
Erin says
I had trouble with this. I did everything correctly, used my kitchenaid to blend, and the dough was SUPER sticky. I added more flour, but it didn't help. So I have a feeling I won't be able to roll this dough out. I'm so sad because it smells great, but just didn't work.
Nikki Gladd says
Hi Erin,
This is a sticky dough, but after you chill it you can roll it out on a floured surface. Hope this helps!
Catherine says
Five stars!
My daughter and I made these last weekend and they were delicious! I was so excited to have sugar cookies that didn’t turn into giant blobs in the oven . I’m definitely saving this recipe— I plan to use this recipe for Christmas cookies by leaving out the pumpkin and pie spices.
Nikki Gladd says
Thanks, Catherine! I have a Christmas sugar cookie recipe here we make every year and love! 🙂 https://www.seededatthetable.com/soft-christmas-cut-out-sugar-cookies-with-easy-icing/