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Pumpkin Sugar Cookies

Pumpkin sugar cookies with a tender cut-out dough and bright orange cream cheese frosting. Chill the dough for clean shapes, bake until just set at the edges, then frost after cooling for neat swirls.
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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
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Pumpkin sugar cookie dough
  • 3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 0.5 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp baking soda
  • 1.5 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.25 tsp salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 0.25 cup pumpkin puree (blotted very dry)
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla
Orange cream cheese frosting
  • 8 oz cream cheese
  • 0.25 cup butter
  • 3 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 orange food coloring

Equipment

  • 1 stand mixer

Method
 

Make the dough
  1. Beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together until smooth, then add the blotted pumpkin puree, egg, and vanilla and mix until incorporated.
  2. Fold in the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and salt until a cohesive dough forms.
Chill and cut
  1. Divide the dough and refrigerate for 1 hour to firm up for cutting.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350F, then roll the dough to 1/4 inch thick and cut into circles or pumpkin shapes.
Bake and finish
  1. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the cookies are just set at the edges.
  2. Cool the cookies completely before frosting.
  3. Beat the cream cheese frosting with the orange food coloring until smooth, then frost the cooled cookies and decorate.

Notes

Pro tip: blotting the pumpkin puree very dry keeps the dough from spreading, so your cut-out shapes stay crisp. Store cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days; freeze unfrosted cookies for up to 2 months and thaw before frosting. For a lighter option, swap part of the butter in the frosting for a high-quality cream cheese spread (texture will be slightly softer).