Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
18 3-inch cookies
Satisfy your pumpkin cravings with these delicious Pumpkin Sugar Cookies iced with a simple sweet maple glaze. These cut-out sugar cookies are shaped like pumpkins and taste like pumpkin and pumpkin spice!
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ cup canned pumpkin puree
- ⅓ cup vegetable shortening
- ⅓ cup (75g) salted butter softened to room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the icing:
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup I used dark, but regular works too
- 1-2 tablespoons heavy cream or milk
Instructions
- Gently squeeze the moisture from the pumpkin puree using a paper towel or coffee filter, discard liquid and set the puree aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg , set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the shortening, butter, and sugar on high until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add the egg, pumpkin puree and vanilla extract and mix again.
- Add the flour mixture in 2-3 smaller additional and mix well after each addition.
- Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Lightly dust a surface with flour and roll the dough until it is ¼ inch thick.
- Use cookie cutters to make shapes in the dough then carefully transfer to prepared baking sheet.
- Bake in preheated oven 10-12 minutes, or until no longer glossy on top and slightly puffed (the cook time varies baked on cookie size).
- Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Prepare the glaze by stirring together the powdered sugar, maple syrup, and cream until desired consistency is reached (I piped mine so I went for a thicker consistency, to drizzle add additional cream).
- Once cookies are completely cooled, pipe, drizzle, or spread the glaze on top
Notes
- Unsalted Butter: If unsalted butter is what you have available, you can use it and add ⅛ teaspoon of salt instead.
- Chilling is Important: These cookies will spread too much if the dough isn’t cold when you put it in the oven.
- Don't Overbake: Overbaked pumpkin sugar cookies will be too brown and dry. Pull your cookies out of the oven just as they start to get brown. They will continue to cook a bit as they cool. Also, keep in mind that the baking time varies depending on the cookie size, my cookie cutters were around 2-3 inches and took 10-12 minutes to bake.
- The icing takes about 12 hours to harden, so allow the iced cookies to sit at room temperature overnight and then store them in containers.
- Storing at Room Temp: Keep cookies without icing in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 7 days, or with icing for up to 4 days.
- Freezing: You can freeze the cookie dough before cutting, by rolling it out into a rectangle, then wrap it in saran wrap and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw before rolling out and cutting. You can also freeze baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 2 months.
Nutrition
Serving: 13-inch cookie | Calories: 205kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 59mg | Potassium: 38mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 1192IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 1mg