Pumpkin Spice Cutout Cookies with Spiced Maple Icing

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Crunchy, tender, and SO GOOD! These Pumpkin Spice Cutout Cookies with Spiced Maple Icing are like a cross between your favorite sugar cookie and a tender buttery shortbread, infused with delicious Fall spices. But the goodness doesn’t stop there! After baking, each cookie is generously frosted with a spiced maple icing. Every bite is sweet, perfectly spiced, and effortlessly pretty! It’s truly the perfect cookie to celebrate the season.

About The Recipe

I know I said this in Monday’s post, but I cannot believe that October is almost over! Just one more week until November begins, Halloween is forgotten, the Thanksgiving swing kicks in, and all things Christmas begin.

While my mom and I are not quite done with our Halloween posts, we thought we’d give you a little break today with something cute and equally sweet…spiced sugar cookies!

I mean, who doesn’t love a good cookie on a Wednesday? Sometimes, all you need to get through the week is a freshly baked cookie.

And trust me, these are the cookies you’re going to want to bake all Fall. There’s no pumpkin in this recipe, just delicious pumpkin spice…which means, these cookies are essentially a crowd pleaser!

Oh, and do you want to know the best part?

These cookies are actually SUPER simple to make! No refrigeration required, all you need to do is mix up the dough, roll it out, cut, and bake.

It’s really THAT simple and honestly, it’s super quick!

So, whether you’re in need of a cookie for Fall/Thanksgiving or simply in search of break from Halloween candy, these cookies are the perfect treat to bake today, tomorrow…whenever!

What’s The Difference Between Cut-Out Cookies and Drop Cookies?

It may not sound like there are a lot of differences between the two. They’re both made with flour, sugar, butter, eggs, and leavening. While the ingredients may be the same, they are vastly different cookies! Let’s get into it, shall we?

Drop cookies are some of the most popular cookies that we all love to eat. Think, chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal raisin cookies, soft and chewy peanut butter cookies. These are classic examples of “drop cookies”.

Drop cookies are usually made from a softer dough and get their name from “dropping” balls of dough onto your cookie sheet and baking them, while cut-out cookies are made from a much stiffer dough that’s refrigerated (usually), rolled out, and cut into shapes.

Both cookies are sweet and absolutely delicious, but completely different all at the same time. Drop cookies are soft, moist, chewy, and easier to make. Cut-out cookies are buttery, crispy, and can be cut into intricate shapes or have icing piped into beautiful designs or patterns.

Reasons You Will Love These Pumpkin Spice Cutout Cookies

• No refrigeration required!
• Made without pumpkin. Just pumpkin spice blend.
• Tender, buttery, and melt-in-your-mouth delicious!
• Finished with a maple glaze.
• Ready in less than an hour.

Equipment Needed

• Mixing Bowls
• Whisk
• Stand Mixer
• Rubber Spatula
• Rolling Pin
• Sheet Pans

Ingredients

Full ingredient amounts and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

For The Cookies:

• All-Purpose Flour – has the perfect amount of protein to add strength to the dough, creating the perfect structure.
• Pumpkin Pie Spice – adds just the right amount of spice to these cookies.
• Salt – enhances the flavor.
• Baking Powder – creates lift and gives the cookies an irresistible texture.
• Unsalted Butter – adds moisture and flavor.
• Granulated Sugar – promotes browning and keeps the cookie from spreading too much.
• Large Egg – is a binding agent that also helps the cookie structurally.
• Vanilla Extract – enhances and helps round out the flavors.

For The Icing:

• Powdered Sugar – melts smoothly and easily.
• Pumpkin Pie Spice – adds a hint of spice to compliment the cookies.
• Maple Syrup – gives this icing the perfect amount of flavor.
• Whole Milk – brings the icing together and determines consistency.

How To Make Pumpkin Spice Cutout Cookies

Step 1: Prepare cookie dough

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, spice, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.

Beat in egg and vanilla.

Stir in dry ingredients.

Step 2: Roll and cut

Turn out dough onto a nonstick surface. Roll to ⅜ inch thick.

Cut with a 2½ inch cutter, re-rolling scraps as necessary. Place cookies on prepared sheet pans.

Bake for 14-15 minutes, or until slightly colored around the edges.

Step 3: Make icing

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Whisk until smooth.

Step 4:Dip cookies

Dip tops of cooled cookies in icing. Set on a cooling rack to dry.

FAQ’s and Troubleshooting

More Ways To Decorate These Cookies

Since these cookies are so simple, there are SO many ways to dress them up. Here are a few of our favorite ways to make these cookies just a dash more festive.

• Decorative sugar – A great way to add texture and color! Feel free to use clear for some added sparkle or classic Fall colors to add some fun festive color.
• Food coloring – Another great way to add color to your cookies! Make a basic vanilla icing (powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla), then add a drop or two of food coloring to your icing and decorate as you wish.
• Pumpkin Spice Sugar – Pumpkin spice and everything nice…right? So, why not add some extra on top? Mix together 1 cup of sugar and 1 Tablespoon of pumpkin spice. Then, once you make the icing, add a thin layer of the icing to the cookies and dip the cookies into the pumpkin spice sugar mixture.
• Melted Dark Chocolate – Not only does this add flavor, but piping cute details onto these cookies is so much fun!

What To Make With Leftover Cookies

If you have any leftover cookies, there are a few delicious ways to use them up in a new and fun dessert!

• Make ice cream sandwiches!
• Chop them and fold them into brownie batter.
• Crumble them and put them in a milkshake.
• Decorate a cake with them!

How To Store

Since these cookies are iced, it’s best to keep them in an airtight container (or zip top bag) in the fridge for about 3-5 days. You can also freeze these cookies after you bake them, but before before decorating (you can also freeze the decorated cookies, if need be!). They will keep for 2-3 months, if un-iced. If iced, about a month.

You can also store the dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, in the fridge for up to 24 hours, if needed!

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Expert Tips

• Be careful not to over mix the cookie dough!
• If the cookie dough seems too soft/sticky to work with, wrap the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30-45 minutes.
• If you don’t flour your surface, you can re-roll the dough as many times as you need to without risking the cookies becoming tough. But if you choose to flour your surface, be sure to only re-roll the dough once. Any more than that and you will end up with tough, dry cookies.
• When cutting the cookies, try to get the cuts as close as you can to each other! Less excess dough means less re-rolling.
• Bake times may vary depending on the thickness you rolled your dough/the size of your cutter. The cookies should be done after about 14-15 minutes of bake time, but be sure to check on them! You can tell the cookies are done once the edges just start to brown.
• Let the cookies cool completely before icing them!

When you make these Pumpkin Spice Cutout Cookies with Spiced Maple Icing, leave a comment down below and/or give this recipe a rating! We love hearing from you and answering any questions you might have! Also, be sure to tag us on social media and hashtag it #BakersTable.

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