Pumpkin Cookies with Royal Icing

These pumpkin sugar cookies are perfect for fall, with a buttery cut-out cookie base and colourful royal icing for decorating.

These pumpkin cookies are a fun fall baking project, especially if you enjoy decorating cookies for Halloween, Thanksgiving, or an autumn get-together. Made with a simple butter cookie dough that can be rolled out and cut into pumpkin shapes, they have a classic, buttery flavour and a firm surface that works well for decorating.

The cookies need a little planning because the dough must chill before rolling, and the royal icing needs several hours to dry completely. The result is a batch of festive pumpkin-shaped cookies decorated with orange, brown, and green icing. Make them for a seasonal dessert table, a Halloween party, or a cosy afternoon of baking with the family.

Tips for Best Results

• Chill the dough: Refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight so it’s firm enough to roll and cut.
• Soften before rolling: Let the dough sit at room temperature briefly if it’s too hard to work with.
• Use only a little extra flour: Lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin to prevent sticking. Too much flour can make the cookies tough.
• Roll evenly: Keeping the dough at a consistent thickness helps the cookies bake evenly.
• Check early: Bake at 325°F for about 8 minutes, then check that the cookies are baked through. Thicker cookies may need longer.
• Cool completely: Royal icing can melt or slide on warm cookies, so let them cool fully before decorating.
• Keep icing covered: Royal icing dries quickly. Cover the bowl and twist piping bags closed between uses.
• Outline, then fill: Pipe the pumpkin outline first and let it dry for at least 30 seconds before filling the centre.
• Allow time to dry: Leave decorated cookies undisturbed for about 4 hours, or until the icing is completely firm.

Ingredients and Substitutions

For the Cookies

• All-purpose flour: Gives the cookies their structure. Measure carefully and add only a little extra when rolling.
• Baking powder: Helps the cookies rise slightly.
• Salt: Balances the sweetness and enhances the buttery flavour.
• Unsalted butter: Creates a rich, buttery cookie. Soften it before mixing.
• Granulated sugar: Sweetens the dough and helps create the cookie’s texture.
• Eggs: Bind the ingredients and give the cookies structure.
• Vanilla extract: Adds flavour. The original ingredient list doesn’t include an amount, but 1 teaspoon is a reasonable starting point.

For the Royal Icing

• Egg whites: Give the icing structure so it can be piped and dry firm. Use pasteurised egg whites for a safer option, especially when serving children or anyone at higher risk from foodborne illness.
• Powdered sugar: Sweetens and thickens the icing. Add more as needed to reach a pipeable consistency.
• Cream of tartar: Helps stabilise the icing.
• Orange gel food colouring: For the pumpkin.
• Brown gel food colouring: For the stems.
• Green gel food colouring: For the leaves and decorative details.

More Fall Baking Recipes

Keep your autumn baking going with these seasonal favourites:

• Pumpkin Spice Cookies with Maple Icing – Soft pumpkin cookies finished with sweet maple icing.
• Pumpkin Scones – A cosy bake filled with pumpkin and warm spices.
• Baked Pumpkin Donuts – Easy baked donuts with pumpkin flavour and a sweet vanilla glaze.

Frequently Asked Questions

Storage Instructions

• Room temperature: Once the icing is completely dry, store the cookies in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.
• Layering: Use parchment paper between layers if you need to stack them, and make sure the icing is firm first.
• Humidity: Avoid warm or humid areas, which can soften the icing.
• Best quality: For the best texture, follow the storage guidance for your specific icing and avoid sealing the cookies before the decorations have dried.

Pumpkin Cookies

Yield: Depends on cookie cutter size | Prep time: About 45 minutes | Chill time: 6 hours or overnight | Cook time: About 8 minutes per batch | Icing drying time: About 4 hours

Ingredients

Cookies

• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1½ cups unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Royal Icing

• 2 egg whites, preferably pasteurised
• 1 cup powdered sugar, plus up to ¼ cup more as needed
• ½ tsp cream of tartar
• Orange gel food colouring
• Brown gel food colouring
• Green gel food colouring

Directions

1. Make the dough.
   Cream the softened butter and sugar until smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla, mixing until combined.
2. Mix in the dry ingredients.
   Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Gradually add them to the butter mixture and mix until combined.
3. Chill.
   Shape the dough into a ball and wrap tightly in cling wrap. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight, until firm.
4. Roll and cut.
   Preheat the oven to 325°F. Let the dough soften slightly, then lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin. Roll the dough evenly and cut out pumpkin shapes.
5. Bake.
   Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Transfer the cookies with a metal spatula and bake for about 8 minutes, checking that they’re baked through. Cool completely on a wire rack.
6. Make the royal icing.
   Beat the egg whites, powdered sugar, and cream of tartar on medium speed for about 4 minutes. If the icing is too thin to pipe, add more powdered sugar a little at a time.
7. Colour the icing.
   Divide ¼ cup of icing into each of two small bowls, leaving the rest in the large bowl. Colour one small portion brown and the other green. Colour the larger portion orange. Spoon each colour into its own piping bag and twist the tops closed.
8. Outline the pumpkins.
   Pipe orange icing around each pumpkin, leaving the stem and leaf areas open. Let the outline dry for at least 30 seconds.
9. Fill the centres.
   Thin some orange icing with a little water, adding it gradually until it spreads easily. Fill the pumpkin centres without going beyond the outline.
10. Decorate the stems and leaves.
    Outline and fill the stems with brown icing. Use green icing to outline and fill the leaves.
11. Add the details.
    With a small piping tip, pipe four half-circle markings down the centre of each pumpkin in orange. Once dry, use green icing to add connected circular details extending from the leaf.
12. Let the icing dry.
    Leave the cookies undisturbed for about 4 hours, or until the icing is completely firm before serving or storing.

Continue to Content

Yield: 36

Pumpkin Cookies

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes

Inactive Time: 10 hours

Total Time: 10 hours 53 minutes

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Ingredients

Cookies

Toggle ingredient group

• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1½ cups unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Royal Icing

Toggle ingredient group

• 2 egg whites, preferably pasteurised
• 1 cup powdered sugar, plus up to ¼ cup more as needed
• ½ tsp cream of tartar
• Orange gel food colouring
• Brown gel food colouring
• Green gel food colouring

Instructions

1. Cream the softened butter and sugar until smooth.
2. Add the eggs and vanilla, mixing until combined.
3. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together.
4. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the butter mixture until combined.
5. Shape the dough into a ball, wrap tightly in cling wrap, and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.
6. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Let the dough soften slightly before rolling.
7. Lightly flour the work surface and rolling pin. Roll the dough evenly and cut out pumpkin shapes.
8. Transfer the cookies to a parchment-lined baking sheet using a metal spatula.
9. Bake for about 8 minutes, checking that they're baked through. Cool completely on a wire rack.
10. Beat the egg whites, powdered sugar, and cream of tartar on medium speed for about 4 minutes. Add more powdered sugar if needed to thicken.
11. Divide ¼ cup of icing into each of two small bowls, leaving the rest in the large bowl. Colour one small portion brown, the other green, and the remaining icing orange.
12. Transfer each colour to a separate piping bag fitted with a suitable tip. Twist the tops closed.
13. Pipe an orange outline around each pumpkin, leaving the stem and leaf areas open. Let dry for at least 30 seconds.
14. Thin some orange icing with a little water, adding it gradually until spreadable. Fill the pumpkin centres, keeping the icing inside the outline.
15. Outline and fill the stems with brown icing, then outline and fill the leaves with green icing.
16. Use a small piping tip to add four half-circle markings down the centre of each pumpkin with orange icing. Let the lines dry.
17. Use the green icing to add connected circular details extending from the leaf.
18. Leave the cookies undisturbed for about 4 hours, or until the icing is completely dry.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Ann Clark Jack-O-Lantern Pumpkin Cookie Cutter, Large 4” Made in USA | Celebrate Halloween, Fall & Thanksgiving, Perfect Size and Shape from America's Largest Cookie Cutter Maker
• 
  Nordic Ware Natural Aluminum Commercial Baker's Half Sheet (2 Pack)
• 
  Cuisinart SM-50BL Stand Mixer

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

36

Serving Size:

1 grams
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 198Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 41mgSodium: 105mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 0gSugar: 14gProtein: 3g

This information is provided as a courtesy and for entertainment purposes only. This information comes from online calculators. Although frugalmomeh.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.

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