Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookies
Nothing says fall quite like these Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookies! Loaded with pumpkin-y flavor and warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom, these flavorful cookies are the perfect seasonal treat. In a lunchbox or with a cup of coffee, these cookies are pretty nearly perfect!
I love cookies – they’re the perfect bite-sized dessert, and as soon as the weather starts to cool down, I start craving these Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookies. They’re quite easy to make, and with all the fall flavors I love, they’re delicious!
Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookies
Sugar cookies are a timeless cookie, but I’ve modernized an age-old recipe to include fall flavors. Bursting with pumpkin and warm spices, these tasty cookies are a must-bake each fall.
These cookies are easy to make, and this recipe makes about 2 dozen cookies so you won’t be swimming in cookies. If you need more, just double the recipe! It’s that easy!
With a lovely crunch and a sweet maple frosting, these are the cookies that fall dreams are made of!
Why I love this recipe
- The maple and pumpkin pie spice frosting puts these cookies over the top!
- These Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookies have a nice crunch to them and so much flavor!
- This recipe makes about 2 dozen cookies but is easy to double if you need more.
Gather these ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Pumpkin pie spice – Fresh spice makes all the difference; ensure your spices ar fresh!
- Ground cardamom
- Unsalted butter – Softened.
- Powdered sugar
- Eggs – Large eggs; 1 whole egg, 1 yolk.
- Vanilla extract – Pure or artificial vanilla extract.
- Maple syrup
How to make the best Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookies
- Combine the all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and cardamom in a large bowl. Set this aside.
- Cream the butter and 1 ¾ cups of the powdered sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer or with a hand mixer until light and fluffy; about 2 minutes.
- Whisk the whole egg and egg yolk and vanilla together in a small bowl, then add it to the creamed butter mixture and beat on high for 2-3 minutes or until well-combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Slowly add the flour to the creamed butter and egg mixture with the mixer on low speed until you have a sticky and tacky dough.
- Form the dough into a ball and allow it to rest while you preheat your oven to 400-F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Cut the dough ball into 4 equal pieces.
- Roll each dough section to ¼-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface, then use a cookie cutter to cut out the sugar cookies and transfer them to the parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.
- Continue with the remaining sections and reroll the scraps until it’s all been used up.
- Bake the cookies for about 4-7 minutes or until they are puffy and the edges start to brown.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and cool for 5 minutes before transferring the cookies to a cooling rack.
- Make the frosting by whisking together the remaining powdered sugar with the remaining pumpkin pie spice, water, and maple syrup.
- Frost the cookies when cool, and enjoy!
Tips & substitutions
- If your cookie dough is too wet or too sticky, you can add a tablespoon of flour at a time until the dough reaches a tacky texture.
- Lightly flour the rolling pin and counter before rolling the cookies, and repeat as needed to keep the cookies from sticking.
- Use fun fall-themed cookie cutters for a seasonal treat.
- To transfer the cookies to the cookie sheet, use a very thin spatula to lift the cookies from the floured counter to the sheets.
- Cooking times will vary depending on the size and thickness of the cookie. For a crunchier cookie, bake them an extra minute and let them brown a bit more.
- Glaze the cookies when they’re very cool, or the glaze will be runny and drippy.
Serving suggestions
I love putting out a plate of these Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookies at the end of a meal or whenever friends drop by. They’re the perfect finish to meals of Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili or a hearty casserole. I also love adding these cookies to dessert boards, and friends love it when I bring a box of these cookies when we’re invited to visit.
Storage
Once frosted, enjoy these cookies right away. Unfrosted, the cookies will keep in an airtight container on the counter for 3-4 days. You can also freeze the unfrosted cookies in an airtight freezer-safe container for up to 5 months.
Check out these awesome cookie recipes while you’re here
- The Best Snickerdoodles Ever!
- Peanut Butter-Nutella Cookies
- Almond-Cranberry Crunch Cookies
- Brown Butter Sugar Cookies
Get the Recipe:
Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp cardamom
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temp and softened
- 1 ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 2 large eggs, 1 whole egg, 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Frosting:
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- ¼ tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 2 Tbsp warm water
- ½ Tbsp maple syrup
Instructions
Make the cookie dough:
- Mix together in a medium bowl the 2 ¾ cups flour, baking powder, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and cardamom. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and powdered sugar until fluffy, for about 2 minutes.
- In a small bowl, whisk the eggs (1 whole egg, 1 egg yolk) and vanilla together, and then add it to the creamed butter mixture. Beat on high for 2-3 minutes.
- Slowly add in the flour mixture to the dry ingredients, mixing on slow, until you have sticky and tacky dough.
- TIP: If the dough is too sticky, you can add a tiny bit more flour. Too much flour will make harder, denser cookies.
- Form the dough into a ball and allow to rest for 5 minutes while you preheat the oven to 400ºF and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Cut the dough into 4 pieces.
- Roll each piece of dough to 1/4” thickness on a lightly floured surface. TIP: You can use four or powdered sugar for rolling the dough to prevent it from sticking.
- Using a cookie cutter (pumpkin shaped or any fall or Halloween shaped cookie cutters), cut the dough into desired shapes.
- Transfer the pumpkin shaped dough onto the baking sheets.
- Keep re-rolling the dough until you’ve used it up.
- Depending on the size of the cookie cutter, bake the cookies anywhere from 4-7 minutes, until they are puffy, and edges barely start to brown. Too brown of cookies will be dry and crunchy.
- Remove from the oven for 5 minutes before transferring to wire rack.
- To make the frosting, in a medium bowl add the powdered sugar, pumpkin pie spice, water, and maple syrup. Whisk together.
- Decorate or frost the cookies when they are cool.
Notes
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
