Pumpkin Pie Sugar Cookies

image of a cute pumpkin pie sugar cookie that's been decorated with royal icing to look like a slice of pumpkin pie

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5 from 1 rating

Pumpkin Pie Sugar Cookies

These pumpkin pie sugar cookies are flavored with pumpkin spice and decorated to look just like a slice of pumpkin pie.

Prep Time30

Cook Time14

Additional Time2

Total Time2 44

Course: Cookies

Cuisine: American

Servings: 36 2.5-inch cookies

Calories: 120kcal

Author: Chelsey White

Equipment

Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer
Large Baking Sheets
Silicone Mat or Parchment Paper
5- or 6-inch round cookie cutter or a similar sized plate to cut around
Sharp knife
3 large piping bags
Small French Piping Tip

Ingredients

Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookie Dough

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 170g
1/2 cup or 4 oz. full fat cream cheese, room temp 113g
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 300g
1 large egg, room temperature 56g
2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 8g
3 cups all-purpose flour 390g
1 Tbsp cornstarch 8g
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin spice, optional
1 tsp fine salt
1/2 tsp baking powder

Maple Royal Icing (adapted from Wilton)

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar 454g or a 1 lb. box
3 Tbsp meringue powder 28g
1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp water, room temp 75g
1 Tbsp vanilla extract 15g
1 tsp maple extract (optional) 5g
additional water to bring to a thick flood consistency
brown, yellow, and orange gel food coloring

Instructions

Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookies

In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat 3/4 cup butter and 1/2 cup cream cheese on medium speed with a hand mixer or whisk attachment until smooth.
Next, add 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar and mix on a medium-high speed for about a minute, until the mixture becomes lighter in color.
Add in 1 egg and 2 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract. Mix on a medium speed until incorporated.
In a separate bowl, whisk together 3 cups flour (use a scale or fluff the flour in the bag, then spoon it into the measuring cup and level it), 1 Tbsp cornstarch, 1 1/2 tsp pumpkin spice, 1 tsp fine salt, and 1/2 tsp baking powder.
Mix the dry ingredients into the butter mixture on a low speed until it is JUST incorporated. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula between additions.
At this point, the dough should still be pretty thick and sticky. Divide the dough in half and wrap each portion of dough in a piece of plastic wrap. I like to flatten the dough out into a rectangle that's about 1/2 inch thick to make it easier to roll out once it's chilled.
Chill the dough in the fridge for about 2 hours or in the freezer for 30 minutes. It can also be chilled overnight. Preheat the oven to 350°F/175C° for about 30 minutes before you plan to roll out the dough, and line two large baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Set aside.
Take one piece of dough out of the fridge, leaving the other in there to continue to chill. If you put the cookie dough in the freezer, let it sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes to soften up a bit before trying to roll it out. Unwrap the cookie dough and lay the plastic wrap out flat on your counter. We will be rolling out the cookie dough on the plastic wrap to make cleanup a breeze and make cutting out the cookies easier. Dust both sides of the cookie dough and your rolling pin with flour.
Roll the chilled dough to be 1/3 inch thick (these rolling pin rings help a ton with getting a consistent thickness) and use a 5- or 6-inch round cookie cutter to cut out a couple of large circles. If you don't have that size of cutter, you can use a plate that's similar in size as a template and cut the dough with a paring knife. Use a sharp knife to cut each circle into 6 slices (see pictures above). The cookies don't spread much as they bake, so you can place them about 1/2 inch apart.
Chill the cut-out cookies one more time in the fridge for 15 minutes or the freezer for 5 minutes to help them keep their shape as they bake.
Bake one sheet of cookies at a time for about 13-15 minutes on the middle rack of your oven (bake time can vary based on the size and thickness of the dough). Keep a close eye on the cookies and be sure to pull them out before the edges start to brown.
Let the baked cookies cool on the pan for about 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
While the first batch bakes and cools, knead together the cookie dough scraps and rewrap them in plastic wrap. Pop them back in the fridge to chill.
Pull out the 2nd chilled portion of dough and repeat the steps above. Then repeat with the chilled dough scraps.

Maple Royal Icing

While the cookies cool, make the royal icing. This can be made a few hours in advance or potentially the night before, but the icing can separate as it sits, so I don't recommend making it any further ahead of time.
Whisk together 3 1/2 cups of powdered sugar and 3 Tbsp of meringue powder in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.
Add 1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp water, 1 Tbsp vanilla extract, and 1 tsp maple extract (optional). Mix on a low speed with a stand mixer and paddle attachment or hand mixer to incorporate the liquid, then increase to a medium speed and mix until stiff peaks form (see picture above). It's ok to stop the mixer and check the stiffness! I usually check a few times before it's ready. This usually takes me about 3 minutes with a hand mixer or 2 minutes with a stand mixer. Scrape around the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to ensure everything is properly mixed together.
We will be using this stiff peak consistency for both the whipped cream decoration on top of the cookie and the crust. Scoop 1/2 cup of stiff peaked white icing into a large piping bag fitted with a small French piping tip. Seal the top of the bag with a rubber band or clip and set aside.
Scoop another 1/2 cup of icing into a small bowl and color it a light tan color with a small drop of both brown and yellow gel food coloring. Remember, you can always add more food coloring, but you can't take it back! Start with a little, and add more until you get the color you're after. Scoop the icing into a piping bag fitted with a small round tip, like a Wilton 5. You can also just cut a small, 1/2 cm opening at the base of the bag if you don't have that size of piping tip. Set aside.
Next, mix in additional water 1 tsp at a time into the remaining icing until a thick flood consistency is reached. It sounds silly to add it by the teaspoon, but it really helps you get the consistency just right, and you'll thank yourself for that when it's time to ice the cookies. I usually use 2-5 tsp of water, but it can vary from batch to batch. To test the consistency, count how many seconds it takes for a drizzle of icing to settle and become smooth. A good thick flood consistency usually takes between 10 and 15 seconds to settle. If the icing settles too quickly (under 10 seconds), it's too thin. If it takes longer than 15 seconds or falls off the spatula in a clump, it's too thick.
Once the icing is thinned to this consistency, add a generous squirt of orange gel food coloring and mix until the icing is evenly colored. Pour it into a large piping bag and seal the top. We will eventually cut an 1/8 inch opening at the base of the bag, but wait to do this until you're ready to ice the cookies. Set aside.

Decorating These Sugar Cookies (Look inspired by The Graceful Baker)

When you're ready to decorate the cookies, cut the tip of the piping bag with orange icing to create a small opening (about 1/8 of an inch). You can always cut the opening wider, but you can't make it smaller once you cut it. I find it's a lot easier to control the icing as you decorate the cookies if you have a small opening.
Pipe an outline along the edges of the cookie with orange icing, and leave about a 1 cm border on the rounded edge (see pictures above). Repeat this on all the cookies. By the time you've finished, the icing on the first cookie should have hardened.
Next, fill the inside of each triangle with orange icing. I like to start piping around the outside edge, then slowly work my way in.
Let the orange icing sit for about 30 minutes to firm up, then use the tan icing to pipe a squiggly border above the orange icing. Pipe it so that it slightly overlaps the orange icing to look like a pie crust. I like to make mine look kind of whimsical by piping it like an uppercase M, if that makes sense! Then pipe a dollop of white icing on top of the orange icing to look like a dollop of whipped cream.
Let the cookies dry for a few hours or overnight until the icing is firm to the touch. These cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to two weeks at room temperature or up to 3 months in the freezer.

Video

Notes

Substitutions and Swaps

Please refer to the substitutions and swaps section in the post above for all the ingredient variations that can be used in this recipe.

How Many Cookies Does This Recipe Make?

This recipe can be used to make about 36 2.5-inch cookies. The yield and bake time will vary based on the size of the cookie cutter(s) you use and the thickness of the dough.

This recipe can be halved to make fewer cookies (use half a scrambled egg in the dough), but I don't recommend doubling it unless you have a commercial (8 qt.) stand mixer.

Making These Pumpkin Pie Sugar Cookies in Advance and Storage Tips

You can store decorated cookies in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks at room temperature or for up to 3 months in the freezer. If you freeze the iced cookies, store them in an airtight container and let them thaw to room temperature completely in the airtight container before opening the container. This will prevent the icing from bleeding due to condensation.

If you want to stack the cookies on top of one another, I recommend adding a layer of parchment paper between them.

This cookie dough can also be frozen for up to 1 month if wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and stored in an airtight container. I like to move the cookie dough to the fridge the night before I plan to roll it out and bake the cookies.

Baked, un-iced cookies can also be frozen! These cookies last for up to a month if frozen in an airtight container. I recommend waiting to decorate them until they’ve thawed to room temperature.

Move them to the fridge the day before you plan to eat them, then let them sit out at room temperature for a few hours before icing them.

Tips for Making the Best Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies

Really cream together the butter, cream cheese, and granulated sugar in the first step of this recipe. It helps incorporate air into the dough, which makes tender and soft cookies.
Don’t overwork the cookie dough! It can overwork the gluten and result in tough, dense cookies.
Roll the cookie dough out to a consistent thickness of 1/3 inch. If some are thicker or thinner than others, they may over- or under-bake in the oven.
Take the time to chill the cookie dough. It helps prevent your cookies from spreading while they bake and helps them bake up with a soft texture.
Don’t overbake your cookies. Err on the side of underbaking your cookies, and remember that the cookies continue to bake for a few minutes once they’re out of the oven.
Avoid leaving the icing uncovered for long periods of time, or it will crust! Either immediately place it in piping bags or cover it with plastic wrap.
Make and color the icing right before you plan to decorate the cookies. Otherwise, the icing can separate.

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