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Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookies

Pumpkin spice sugar cookies with a soft, tender crumb and crisp edges, rolled to a 1/4-inch thickness and baked at 350°F. Finished with orange-tinted royal icing and fall leaf or pumpkin cutouts.
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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: 340
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Dry ingredients
  • 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
Cookie dough
  • 1 lb unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 0.25 cup pumpkin puree Blot very dry before measuring.
  • 1 egg
  • 1.5 tsp vanilla
Orange royal icing
  • 2 cup powdered sugar
  • 3 tbsp milk Add 2–3 tablespoons as needed for a pipeable consistency.
  • 0.25 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.25 tsp orange food coloring

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 stand mixer

Method
 

Make the cookie dough
  1. Beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together until smooth and lighter in color.
  2. Mix in the blotted pumpkin puree, then add the egg and vanilla and beat until fully combined.
  3. Fold in the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until no dry streaks remain.
Chill and portion
  1. Divide the dough, wrap each portion well, and refrigerate for 1 hour (the dough should feel firm enough to roll).
Roll and bake
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a sheet pan if needed.
  2. Roll the dough to a 1/4-inch thickness and cut into fall leaf or pumpkin shapes (aim for even thickness for consistent bake time).
  3. Bake for 10–12 minutes, until the edges are set and just beginning to look lightly golden.
  4. Cool the cookies completely on the pan or a rack before icing.
Decorate with orange icing
  1. Stir powdered sugar with milk and cinnamon, adding orange food coloring until you reach the desired orange tone (the icing should flow but hold lines).
  2. Decorate the cooled cookies with orange-tinted royal icing using a thick drizzle or outline style.

Notes

Pro tip: blot the pumpkin puree very dry—excess moisture can make the dough sticky and spread more during baking. Store baked, undecorated cookies airtight at room temperature for 3–4 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 7 days; decorated cookies are best eaten within 2–3 days for clean icing texture. Freeze baked cookies (without icing) up to 2 months; thaw overnight and decorate after. For a gluten-free option, swap in a 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour blend, but chill time may need an extra 15–30 minutes for rollability.