It occurred to me that I've never shared these spiced pumpkin cut-out cookies here. WHAT? Guys, I've been making these for five years and they somehow never made it to the blog! And, you read that right, SPICED PUMPKIN, not PUMPKIN SPICE. These cut-out cookies have pumpkin in the mix!
Made with pumpkin, brown sugar, and spices, these cookies are perfect for fall. Not quite as spicy as gingerbread, but just enough to get you yearning for boots, jeans, and a visit to the pumpkin patch (cookie in hand, of course)!
The brown sugar and pumpkin make these cookies a tad softer than a typical cut-out cookie, but not so soft to make them difficult to decorate and share.
One key to the ultimate fall flavor is freshly grated nutmeg. Look for it in the spice aisle and grate it using a microplane or the smallest holes on your grater. Once you try it, you'll never go back to ground nutmeg. The scent is intoxicating and oh-so-comforting.
Unlike my no-chill, classic cut-out cookie recipe, these do need a little chill time in the fridge before rolling and cutting. The brown sugar and pumpkin make the dough a bit sticky, and the chilling time helps!
Once the cookies are baked and cooled, decorate using royal icing. I shared the simple step-by-step instructions for decorating these pumpkins over on The Pioneer Woman.
Want more decorated pumpkin cookie inspiration? Here ya go:
- little pumpkin baby shower cookies
- monogrammed pumpkin cookies
- ombre pumpkin cookies
- acorn and pumpkin cookies
- pumpkin pi cookies
- pumpkin cookies with roses and succulents
3 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 & 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon cloves
3/4 cup salted butter, cut into chunks
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
royal icing, unflavored (if using this recipe, make a 1/2 batch)
Whisk the flour, baking powder, and spices together. Set aside. Cream the butter and sugars together until light and creamy. Beat in the egg and pumpkin, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
On low speed, add the flour mixture in three additions, mixing just until combined, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
Refrigerate the dough for 20-30 minutes before rolling. The pumpkin makes it a little sticky. Preheat oven to 350. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
On a floured surface and with a floured rolling pin, roll the dough to 1/4“ thickness. Cut out the shapes, then freeze on the cookie sheet for 5-10 minutes before baking. Re-roll the scraps and continue cutting out cookies.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, depending on the size of the cookies. Let rest on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Once the cookies are cooled, decorate with royal icing.
*portions of these post appeared on The Pioneer Woman, Oct. 2015
Yay! I'm so happy I remembered to share these! Now, I'm off to bake some pumpkin cookies! How about you?