These delicious pumpkin sugar cookies are the perfect way to celebrate the fall season. They are decorated with delicious frosting and candy sprinkles, and are the perfect festive treat for Halloween, Thanksgiving, or any fall gathering.
I love baking year-round, but there’s something so special about baking during the fall. The cool weather, the changing leaves, and the fun festive looks I can make with my treats always make me so much more excited to bake this time of year than any other. I particularly love making these delicious cookies because their decorative pumpkin look makes them perfect for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and fall, in general! They’re also very easy to make, which makes it a big bonus. You’re going to love these cookies, I guarantee it.
Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
These delicious cookies start with a simple, rich sugar cookie dough. Then, I make buttercream frosting, color it, and decorate the cookies to look just like pumpkins! That’s all there is to it. The entire process is incredibly simple and straightforward, and when it’s all said and done, I have delicious, decorative cookies that everyone always loves. They’re absolutely perfect.
Why You’ll Love This Pumpkin Sugar Cookie Recipe
- They are easy to make and only use simple ingredients.
- They’re the perfect sugar cookie recipe for fall, and they’re festive and sure to please everyone who tries them.
- This sugar cookie recipe has been in the family for over 40+ years, and it is a favorite sugar cookie recipe with my family.
Pumpkin Sugar Cookies Ingredients
You’ll only need a few basic baking ingredients to make these super cute pumpkin sugar cookies. If you don’t happen to have something, you can find it in one quick trip to the grocery store.
- Butter
- Shortening
- Granulated sugar
- Large egg
- Vanilla extract
- Milk
- All purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Powdered sugar
- Orange, brown, and green food coloring
- Orange candy sprinkles
How to Make Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
Making these cookies is super easy to do. It only takes a few minutes and a few simple steps. Even frosting the cookies is simple. Anyone can make these and everyone will love them!
Step 1: Make the Cookie Dough
Mix the butter, shortening, sugar, and egg in a medium bowl. Then, add the vanilla and milk and mix again. Gradually stir in the dry ingredients until combined.
Step 2: Roll and Cut
Flour a work surface and roll out a small amount of dough to ¼-inch thickness. Then, cut out pumpkin shapes with a pumpkin-shaped cookie cutter.
Step 3: Bake
Place the cookies on a cookie sheet and bake at 325 for 10 to 12 minutes until the edges just begin to brown.
Step 4: Cool
Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet. Then, transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 5: Make the Frosting
Cream the butter, milk, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Then, gradually stir in the powdered sugar, beating until smooth and creamy. Set aside 2 small bowls of frosting. Coloring one brown and the other green. Then, add orange food coloring to the bulk of the frosting.
Step 6: Frost
Frost the tops of the cookies with the orange frosting. Add orange candy sprinkles. Then, pipe a bit of brown frosting on the stem of the cut-out cookie. Pipe green swirls just below the stem to make vines, and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Use a 50/50 mix of flour and powdered sugar when rolling out the cookie dough to avoid a floury flavor.
- Use a piping bag with a small tip to easily frost the stem and vines.
- It’s important to take the cookies out when they just being to brown. Carry-over cooking time will bake them to perfection.
- Fully cool your cookies before frosting them or the frosting will melt.
Variations
- If you like to keep things simple, just cut out circular cookies and frost them with orange frosting.
- These cookies are delicious without any frosting.
- Try adding toffee bits to the cookie dough.
What to Serve with Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
Serve these cookies with a glass of milk or a cup of coffee or tea. Lay them out alongside other decoratively frosting fall and holiday cookies for an impressive dessert spread.
Recipe FAQ
Gel food coloring is the best type to use for frosting.
In general, there’s no need to refrigerate sugar cookie dough before baking. Refrigerating dough helps keep it from spreading too fast, however, sugar cookie dough is already very thick.
You can make this dough ahead of time and refrigerate it for up to 2 days before baking.
This cookie dough freezes very well and will last for up to a month when stored correctly.
How to Store Pumpkin Cookies
Store these cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature. For longer storage, place them in single layers separated by parchment paper in an airtight, freezer-safe container and freeze for up to a month.
Try This Delicious Pumpkin Sugar Cookie Recipe Today
These pumpkin cookies are rich, sweet, buttery, and so delicious. Topped with buttercream frosting and decorated to look like pumpkins, these are the perfect sweet addition to any fall or holiday party. Give these simple cookies a try just once, and I know you’ll fall in love with them!
More Delicious Cookie Recipes You’ll Enjoy
These Cookie Bites with Pumpkin Mousse are a delicious bite-size cookie cup filled with a light and airy pumpkin mousse filling and are perfect for the holidays.
Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
For the Cookies
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup shortening
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 3 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoon milk
- 3 cups flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
For the Frosting
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- ½ cup butter, 1 stick
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 1½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Orange, brown and green food coloring
- Orange candy sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°
For the Cookies
- In a medium bowl, mix together butter, shortening, sugar and egg. Add vanilla and milk. Mix well until combined.
- Gradually stir in flour and baking powder until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
- Roll out a small amount of dough on a floured surface to about ¼″ thick and cut into shapes. Place on cookie sheets and bake until the edges just start to brown. Approximately 10-12 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let sit on cookie sheets for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. Repeat until all dough is used.
- Here’s a cookie tip for you…. When rolling out your cookie dough, mix flour and powdered sugar 50/50. Use this mixture and your cookies will taste much better and not leave a flour taste in your mouth.
For the Frosting
- In a medium bowl, cream butter, milk, and vanilla together. Gradually stir in powdered sugar and beat until smooth and creamy.
- Add a small amount of frosting in 2 small bowls, one for the brown frosting and the other for the green. Then add orange food coloring to the bulk of the frosting.
- Frost the tops of the cookies with the orange frosting. Add orange candy sprinkles. Then, pipe a bit of brown frosting on the stem of the cut-out cookie. Pipe green swirls just below the stem to make vines, and enjoy!
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