Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookies
Quick and easy Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookies are perfect when you’re craving sugar cookies with a decadent frosting loaded with pumpkin spice!
Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookies are sweet, soft sugar cookies topped with an incredible pumpkin spice frosting that will have the family going wild! These sugar cookies come together in 30 minutes using pantry staples and a buttercream frosting loaded with pumpkin and spices for a mouthwatering fall treat that everyone loves!
Pumpkin Cravings
I’m firmly in the “don’t want to wait to eat cookies” camp with the rest of you. When we crave cookies, we need them now! Thankfully, I can pull out this quick and incredible Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookie recipe and save the day by having cookies ready in about 30 minutes. The dough comes together in a snap and doesn’t need to be refrigerated or rolled out, so it’s just stir, scoop, bake, and eat! The frosting has the perfect amount of pumpkin puree and spices, so not all of it makes it to the cookies. However, once it does, we gobble the cookies up so fast that we have to make more!
Go big with more sugar cookies bursting with seasonal flavors, like Cinnamon Roll Sugar Cookies and Peppermint Sugar Cookies!
Other Recipes to Serve with Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookies
- Enjoy a delicious mug of Warm Pumpkin Spice Cocktail while making cookies and create a tasty afternoon full of amazing flavors!
- For the perfect fall party, set out a variety of mouthwatering cookies on the table, along with Spiced Pumpkin Punch!
Ingredients
Cookie Dry Ingredients: You will need all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, salt, and cream of tartar for this recipe.
Cookie Wet Ingredients: Set out eggs, unsalted butter, and sour cream to come to room temperature, along with the vanilla extract.
Frosting: To make the frosting, you will need butter, vegetable shortening, canned pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, powdered sugar, and a pinch of salt. Be sure to grab pumpkin puree at the store and not pumpkin pie filling.
How to Make Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookies
STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and set out a baking sheet. If you’d like, you can line your baking sheet with parchment paper for easy removal of the cookies. Using a stand mixer or a bowl and beaters, cream the butter, sour cream, and sugar together until smooth. Beat in the eggs followed by the vanilla.
STEP TWO: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Beat the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
STEP THREE: Scoop the dough using a cookie scoop and roll the dough into a ball. Place the dough ball on the baking sheet and press it flat using the bottom of a glass cup that has been dipped in sugar. Fill the baking sheet with cookies, leaving about 2 inches of space between them.
STEP FOUR: Bake the cookies for 10 minutes and then allow them to cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheet before carefully removing them to a wire rack to cool completely.
STEP FIVE: Combine the butter and shortening in a mixer and beat them together. Add the pumpkin puree and beat. Sprinkle in one cup of powdered sugar at a time, beating after each addition, followed by the pumpkin pie spice and salt.
STEP SIX: Transfer the frosting to a piping bag with your desired piping tip. Frost the cookies once they are completely cool. You can also spread the frosting onto the cookies with an offset spatula if you prefer.
Tips for Success
- If the frosting is too thick, add 1 tablespoon of milk or water and mix. Repeat as necessary to achieve the desired consistency. If the frosting gets too thin, you can add more powdered sugar as needed.
- Ensure the ingredients are at room temperature to facilitate easier mixing and achieve light, chewy cookies.
- You can pipe the frosting onto the cookies using a piping bag and decorative tip, or you can place the frosting into a ziplock bag with the bottom corner cut off and pipe the frosting on that way. You can also smooth the frosting onto the cookies using a butterknife or offset spatula.
- Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to a week or freeze them for up to three months.
Can you add pumpkin to a sugar cookie mix?
Pumpkin is a great ingredient to add to many baked goods, such as pumpkin bread, pumpkin cookies, and, most importantly, pumpkin pie. A simple way to create moist cookies is to add pumpkin to both homemade and pre-made cookie mixes. While you’ll be able to taste the pumpkin a little in the cookies, it’s the pumpkin spice that gives you the comforting fall flavors you’re craving. So don’t be shy about adding pumpkin to more recipes; just don’t forget the pumpkin spice!
Is pumpkin spice just cinnamon and nutmeg?
Pumpkin spice is a mixture of warm, aromatic spices that is wonderfully flavorful and is so much more than just cinnamon and nutmeg! The typical spice combination used to make pumpkin pie is cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and cloves, although some bakers swear that adding just a little black pepper makes a delicious difference! Whisk together 3 tablespoons of cinnamon, 2 teaspoons of ginger, 2 teaspoons of nutmeg, 1 teaspoon of allspice, 1 teaspoon of cloves, and an optional pinch of pepper to make a blend that you can store in a jar in your cabinet for over a year to use anytime you need pumpkin pie spice!
More Fall Cookies to Fall For!
- Pumpkin Fudge
- Pumpkin Butterscotch Cookies
- Pumpkin Crisp
- Frosted Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
- Pumpkin Cookies with Maple Frosting
- Classic Pumpkin Roll
*This post originally posted on 10/21/2015.
Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
Sugar Cookies
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
Pumpkin Spice Frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup shortening
- ¼ cup pumpkin puree
- 3 ½ cups powdered sugar plus more as needed
- ¾ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Cookies
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, sour cream, and sugar for 2 minutes until fluffy. Mix in the eggs and vanilla until smooth.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cream of tartar. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Scrape the side of the bowl as needed.
- Using a cookie scoop, portion the dough onto the prepared baking sheets 2 inches apart. With floured hands, roll each scoop into a ball. Use the bottom of a drinking glass dipped into sugar to flatten the cookies.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Do not overbake! Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining cookie dough.
Frosting
- Beat the butter and shortening together in a large mixing bowl, and then mix in the pumpkin puree. Add the powdered sugar to the bowl, one cup at a time, mixing after each addition. Mix in the pumpkin pie spice and salt. If frosting is too thick, add a little milk or water. If the frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar as needed until your desired consistency is reached.
- Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with the piping tip of your choice. Frosting the cookies once they're completely cooled.
