Pumpkin Sugar Cookies are soft and delicious with the best glaze on top. Each bite is rich and packed with pumpkin flavor.
It is incredibly easy to make this homemade cookie recipe and the entire family will enjoy them. Whether you love to make all things pumpkin for Fall or year-round, this is a great recipe to try. We also love to make Pumpkin Bars and Pumpkin cake pops.
For more Fall inspiration, try some of these Thanksgiving Apple Desserts along with Starbucks Pumpkin Scones Recipe and Rice Krispie Treat Pumpkins Recipe. The kids also help make Thanksgiving Sugar Cookies Recipe every year.
If you love sugar cookies, also try Sour Cream Sugar Cookies.
Table of contents
Why We Love This Recipe
These bite size cookies are the perfect fall dessert. They are so soft and taste amazing with the glaze topping. There is so much pumpkin flavor in these cookies that you will absolutely love them!
It is the perfect dessert for Thanksgiving, Halloween and more. Kids also love Harvest Puppy Chow Recipe.
Ingredients
For Cookies
- All Purpose Flour
- Baking Powder
- Granulated Sugar
- Butter (softened)
- Large Egg (room temperature)
- Pure Pumpkin Puree (not pie filling)
For the Glaze
- Powdered Sugar
- Milk
- Pumpkin Pie Spice
Print recipe and get the entire ingredient list at the bottom of the page.
Variations
- Homemade Pumpkin Puree. We used store bought in the recipe, but you can certainly use homemade. It is very simple to make homemade pumpkin puree and we keep some in the freezer.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice. If you do a lot of baking with pumpkin, consider making a batch of homemade pumpkin spice. It is very simple to make and goes a long way in baking.
- Drizzle the glaze. For another option, try drizzling the glaze on the cookies instead.
How to Make Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
Step 1. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Step 2. Get out a separate bowl. Beat together the butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer. You can use a handheld or stand mixer until the mixture is light and fluffy.
Step 3. Add the vanilla extract, egg and pumpkin.
Step 4. Mix until well combined.
Step 5. Lower the mixer speed. Gradually add in the dry ingredients into the butter mixture until just combined. Then cover the cookie dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Step 6. Form the cookies with a cookie scoop into dough balls. Place on a lined baking sheet with parchment paper. Next, use the bottom of a glass to press each cookie down slightly.
Step 7. Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes until the cookies start to brown slightly.
Step 8. Remove from the oven. Allow to cool on the baking sheets for 10 to 15 minutes. Then move them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 9. Stir together the glaze ingredients until smooth and combined. Spread approximately 2 teaspoons of the glaze onto each warm pumpkin cookie.
Step 10. Finally, let the glaze and cookies sit for a few hours on a cooling rack so the glaze can harden.
Storage
Store the leftover cookies in an airtight container or bag at room temperature. They will keep up to 4-5 days.
Allow the cookies to completely harden before storing or they will stick to each other. It is also suggested to place parchment paper in between the layers of cookies.
Expert Tips
- Don’t use pumpkin pie filling. The recipe is best with pure pumpkin. The pie filling variety has all the seasonings in it and you do not want that.
- Soften the butter. Allow the butter to soften at room temperature. The ingredients will come together easier and smoother.
- Spread the glaze on warm cookies. They should cool a few minutes but it’s ok for them to still be warm. You just don’s want them hot.
- Allow to set. The glaze needs time to set and harden. Then you can store them.
- Line the baking sheets. Place a silicone liner or parchment paper on the cooking sheets. This will make clean up easy and help the cookies to bake evenly.
- Don’t overbake the cookies. They will continue to cook on the pan. You don’t want to overbake them or they will be hard.
Frequently Asked Questions
Your butter might have been too softened which caused the cookies to spread too much. Another culprit is not chilling the dough before forming the balls.
It is important to chill the dough before using. If it is too sticky when you bake it, they will thin out.
Yes, you can leave the frosting off. It is so yummy with it but the cookie is equally tasty plain.
If you need a less sweet option, try serving the cookies plain. It is delicious.
More Easy Pumpkin Recipes
- Pumpkin Truffles
- Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
- Easy Pumpkin Bread Pudding
- Pumpkin Pie Cake Recipe
- The Best Pumpkin Bars
- Pumpkin No Bake Cookies
Make pumpkin sugar cookie recipe today for a fabulous fall recipe that you will want to make all the time. Please leave a star recipe rating after you try them.
Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- 3 cups All Purpose Flour
- 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1 1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 cup Butter softened
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 1 large Egg room temperature
- 3/4 cup Pure Pumpkin not pie filling
For the Glaze:
- 3 cups Powdered Sugar
- 1/4 cup Milk
- 1/2 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
Instructions
For the Cookies:
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, beat together the butter and sugar with a hand held or stand up mixer until the mixture is light and fluffy. Mix in the vanilla extract, egg and pumpkin until well combined.
- Reduce the speed on the mixer to low and gradually add in the dry ingredients into the butter mixture until just combined.
- Cover the dough and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Roll the dough into approximately 1 inch size balls. Place on a baking sheet at least 2 inches apart and use the bottom of a glass to press each cookie down slightly.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes until the cookies start to brown slightly.
- Remove from the oven. Let them cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes. Then move them to a wire rack to cool.
For the Glaze:
- Stir together the glaze ingredients until smooth and combined.
- Spread approximately 2 teaspoons of the glaze onto each warm cookie.
- Let the glaze and cookies sit for a few hours so the glaze can harden. Then the cookies are ready to serve and enjoy!
Can you freeze the dough ahead of time?
Yes, you can freeze this cookie dough. Check out our post on how to freeze cookie dough for all of our tips and tricks on freezing cookie dough.