Description
Pumpkin Spice Cutouts are a delightful fall treat featuring soft, spiced pumpkin cookies cut into festive shapes. These cookies combine warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves with rich pumpkin puree to create a perfect seasonal flavor. Topped with a smooth vanilla glaze and optional festive sprinkles, they are ideal for autumn celebrations and cozy gatherings.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Wet Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Optional Decoration
- Orange and black sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper to prepare for baking.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves until well combined. Set aside.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In a large bowl, use a mixer to cream the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Add Pumpkin Mixture: Add pumpkin puree, egg, and vanilla extract to the creamed mixture and beat until everything is well combined, creating a smooth batter.
- Combine Wet and Dry: Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients, stirring gently until just combined to avoid overmixing the dough.
- Roll Dough and Cut Shapes: On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to about a 1/4-inch thickness. Use pumpkin-shaped cookie cutters to cut the dough into shapes and arrange them neatly on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake Cookies: Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until the edges turn a light golden brown. Remove from oven and let cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes.
- Cool Completely: Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and allow them to cool fully before icing.
- Prepare Glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, milk (start with 2 tablespoons and add more if needed), and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy.
- Glaze and Decorate: Drizzle or spread the glaze over the cooled cookies. Add orange and black sprinkles on top if desired for a festive touch.
- Set Glaze: Allow the glaze to set completely before serving or storing the cookies in an airtight container to maintain freshness.
Notes
- Be careful not to overmix the dough to keep the cookies tender.
- Rolling the dough to an even thickness ensures uniform baking.
- The glaze consistency can be adjusted with more milk for a thinner glaze or more powdered sugar for thicker.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- For a stronger spice flavor, increase cinnamon and nutmeg slightly.
