These Pumpkin Spice Cutout Cookies have a soft and chewy texture just like your favorite cutout cookies, but with the rich flavors of fall mixed in! They come together with just 10 simple ingredients, and it’s a no-chill recipe that holds its shape in the oven!
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Come late September, we’re in fall baking mode, and these cutout cookies are perfect. They’re cozy and have a beautiful warm spiced flavor. And the best part, we go straight from mixing to rolling and baking to decorating without the wait (which makes my little helpers very happy!).
These pumpkin rollout cookies are a variation of my favorite funfetti cutout cookies. Pumpkin puree and homemade pumpkin pie spice transform the classic, and yet they’re not overwhelmingly sweet. Just enough to pair perfectly with your favorite icing!
Why You'll Love These Pumpkin Spice Cutout Cookies
- No fancy ingredients or fussy directions: These really are fun to make, and all you need are basic baking staples. You can make the dough ahead of time, then bake and decorate later—lots of options and nothing complicated.
- You only need a small amount of pumpkin puree: All you need is a ¼ cup (I like using the leftovers to make my pumpkin Nutella muffins). If you prefer to skip the pumpkin puree and just stick with the spices, you can easily omit it.
- These cookies are delicious with/without icing: My kids love decorating these cookies with royal icing and sprinkles for a festive look. But you can certainly enjoy these without icing for a delicious treat.
Ingredient Notes
- Butter - We’re using unsalted butter that’s been softened to room temperature. I like to set my butter out about 30 minutes before using. If you prefer salted butter, you can omit the salt in the recipe.
- Eggs - Be sure to also bring your eggs to room temperature. If you forget to set them out, a quick trick is to set them in a bowl of warm water for about 10 minutes.
- Pumpkin - Look for pure pumpkin puree, you don’t want to use pumpkin pie filling for these cookies.
- Pumpkin pie spice - A homemade mix gives you the best flavor (and aroma too!). I always make a batch at the beginning of September to last me through the fall baking season.
Please see the recipe card for the complete list of ingredients and measurements.
How to Make This Recipe
Cream butter and sugar: Start by beating the butter and sugars together until creamy and combined. This should take about 1-2 minutes at medium-high speed.
Add pumpkin and eggs: Mix in the pumpkin, then add the eggs one at a time. Use a spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl and then mix in the vanilla.
Whisk dry ingredients: Combine the dry ingredients in a medium bowl and then add to the butter mixture with your mixer on low speed. Mix just until combined.
Roll and cut your dough: Start with about half of your dough and roll it out to ¼ inch thick. Use your favorite cookie cutters to cut out the shapes. Make sure to lightly flour your surface. Transfer your cookies to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake and enjoy: Bake for about 10 minutes, then let cool for 5 minutes on the hot sheet pan before transferring to a wire rack.
Tips for Success
- Weigh your ingredients: You’ll find that the most consistent results come from using a kitchen scale to measure ingredients, especially flour. If you don’t have one, use a spoon to fluff your flour and spoon it into your measuring cup. You can level it off with the back of a knife (never scoop straight into your bag of flour!).
- Don’t over soften your butter: It’s always best to set your butter out on the counter to soften, especially for cut-out cookies. I don’t recommend microwaving the butter, which can soften it too much and cause your cookies to spread.
- Make your cuts close: Try to cut your shapes out as close as possible to minimize the amount of scraps you’re left with. You can definitely re-roll the dough to make more cookies, but the more times you re-roll it, the denser the cookies will turn out.
- Look for light golden edges: Depending on your oven, 10 minutes is the sweet spot for baking 3-inch cookies. You can check for very light golden edges for the perfect baked cookie!
Make Ahead Options
This dough is so versatile, and you can easily prep it ahead of time in a couple of ways. Here’s how:
- Once you mix the dough, divide it into two equal pieces and shape each piece into a disc-like shape. Cover the dough with plastic wrap, and you can refrigerate it for up to 2 days before baking.
- If you’d like to bake a lot of pumpkin spice cutout cookies for the season but don’t want to decorate them immediately, you can freeze them for up to 2 months. Keep the baked cookies stored in an airtight container and layer with parchment or wax paper! When you’re ready to decorate them, set the frozen cookies out on the counter overnight to bring them to room temperature before decorating with your favorite icing!
FAQs
You can lightly dust your rolling pin and the top of the dough with flour to keep from sticking.
As you roll the dough, any flour you lightly dust on your counter will get absorbed. So I like to roll my dough and shift it between rolls to make sure it’s not sticking. If it starts to stick, add a little more flour (a light dusting!).
I recommend anywhere from ¼ to ⅜ inch thick. Anything thinner will turn out crispy. I love using a rolling pin with guides for a consistent thickness.
Incorporating too much air into the dough, especially from re-rolling it multiple times, can cause this to happen. Once you pull the cookies from the oven, gently press down the bubbles with a spatula to flatten.
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Pumpkin Spice Cutout Cookies
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 2-2.5 dozen cookies 1x
Description
These Pumpkin Spice Cutout Cookies have a soft and chewy texture just like your favorite cutout cookies, but with the rich flavors of fall mixed in! They come together with just 10 simple ingredients, and it’s a no-chill recipe that holds its shape in the oven!
Ingredients
- 226 g (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 150 g (¾ cup) light brown sugar
- 100 g (½ cup) granulated sugar
- 60 g (¼ cup) pure pumpkin puree
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 455 g (3 ½ cups) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until completely smooth and creamy. Add the sugars and mix on medium speed until fluffy and light in color. Add the pumpkin and mix until combined.
- Mix in eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl after each addition. Mix in vanilla.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. On low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture just until combined.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll half of the dough to ¼-inch thickness and cut into shapes using cookie cutters. Re-roll the remaining dough and continue cutting until all is used. Repeat with the second piece of dough.
- Arrange the cookies on prepared baking sheets 2-3 inches apart. Bake for 9-11 minutes. Allow to rest 2 minutes on the hot baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to completely cool.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
Nicole says
Can you send me your icing recipe for these cookies? I have tried so many with no luck and love all of your food!!