Maple Glazed Pumpkin Sugar Cookies

Soft, pumpkin spice cut-out cookies that are finished with a sweet maple glaze! Perfect addition to a thanksgiving dessert platter, or as a fall treat on a chilly day.

(5 stars from 1 rating)

Maple Glazed Pumpkin Sugar Cookies

Thursday October 6, 2022

20
SHARES

17

3

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Baking Powder Butter Cinnamon Eggs Flour Ginger Heavy Cream Maple Nutmeg Powdered Sugar Pumpkin Shortening Sugar Vanilla Extract

Maple Glazed Pumpkin Sugar Cookies

Maple Glazed Pumpkin Sugar Cookies

Soft, pumpkin spice cut-out cookies that are finished with a sweet maple glaze! Perfect addition to a thanksgiving dessert platter, or as a fall treat on a chilly day.

Thursday October 6, 2022

(5 stars from 1 rating)

Baking Powder Butter Cinnamon Eggs Flour Ginger Heavy Cream Maple Nutmeg Powdered Sugar Pumpkin Shortening Sugar Vanilla Extract

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Sugar Cookies are one of my favorite things to make, especially around holidays, because they are so easy to decorate and make cute! These pumpkin sugar cookies are the perfect twist to a classic sugar cookie and they work for fall, Halloween, and even Thanksgiving!

What do these cookies taste like?

These cookies are soft sugar cookies, with a touch of pumpkin, a hint of warming spices, and finished with a sweet, maple glaze on top. Super delicious and a nice twist on the classic!

What are the ingredients in these pumpkin cookies?

These ingredients are all you need to make delicious fall cookies:

  • shortening - adds fat but reduces the spreading of the cookies
  • butter - butter based cookies taste better! I used salted butter, but you can use unsalted along with a pinch of salt if you prefer
  • sugar - for some sweetness in the cookies
  • pumpkin - they are pumpkin cookies of course!
  • egg - to add moisture and help hold the cookies together
  • flavorings - cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and vanilla extract - you can replace the spices with two teaspoons of your favorite pumpkin spice blend
  • flour - for structure
  • baking powder - adds some lift to the cookies while keeping them soft
  • powdered sugar - for the glaze
  • maple syrup - for the maple flavor in the glaze, I used dark maple syrup for a stronger taste but you can use regular as well
  • heavy cream - I like the creaminess that heavy cream adds to a glaze, but you can use milk as well
A top down view of the ingredients needed for pumpkin sugar cut-outs

How to make pumpkin sugar cookies?

these cookies are simple to make:

step one: in a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg; set aside

step two: in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter, shortening and sugar on high until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes

step three: squeeze all the moisture from the pumpkin using a coffee filter or paper towel

flour and spices in a bowl

One

the flour mixture in a bowl

Two

butter shortening and sugar in a stand mixer bowl

Three

the butter mixture after being creamed

Four

pumpkin in a coffee filter

Five

squeezed pumpkin puree

Six

step four: add the egg, vanilla extract, and squeezed pumpkin to the butter mixture and beat until smooth

step five: add the flour mixture in 2-3 smaller additions, mixing well after each

step six: wrap with plastic wrap (I like to form the dough into a disk), and allow to chill in fridge at least 2 hours

wet ingredients in the stand mixer bowl

One

wet ingredients in the stand mixer bowl after being combined

Two

flour added to wet ingredients

Three

pumpkin sugar cookie dough  in stand mixer bowl

Four

pumpkin sugar cookie dough flattened into a disk and saran wrapped

Five

step seven: now for the fun part! roll the dough out on a floured surface to about 1/4" thick, and then use cookie cutters to make shapes (pumpkin cookie cutters work really well for pumpkin cookies but you can use any!)

step eight: bake for about 10 minutes, or until golden and puffed, there should be no shininess remaining on the tops of the cookies

step nine: allow to cool on the baking sheet 5 minutes then tranfer to wire rack to cool completely

dough about to be rolled

One

raw pumpkin cookies on baking sheet

Two

cooked cookies on baking sheet

Three

cookies on wire rack

Four

step ten: prepare the glaze by mixing the powdered sugar with the maple syrup and heavy cream. You can use as much or as little heavy cream until the desired consistency is reached

step 11: decorate the cookies by piping, drizzling, or spreading the glaze over the cookies, glaze will harden in 8-12 hours

glaze ingredients in a bowl before mixing

One

glaze ingredients in a bowl after mixing

Two

cookies after glaze is added

Three

cookies after glaze is added

Four

How to squeeze the moisture from pumpkin puree

It is easy to get the excess moisture out from pumpkin puree, and it is absolutely crucial for this recipe because you want the pumpkin flavor without all the liquid. I have successfully used both paper towel and coffee filters, triple layered, to squeeze the moisture out. Coffee filters are the easier way to squeeze the moisture out since they are stronger and less likely to rip when wet, however if you are careful with the paper towel you can use that as well. You want the pumpkin to look pasty, not smooth and wet when you are done. It will decrease in volume by about 50%.

Yes! you absolutely can use any sort of cookie cutters you have on hand to make these cookies fit the theme. SOme other cute ideas would be leaves, circles, and halloween!

stacked pumpkin cookies

Can I skip the glaze?

While you dont need to use the glaze, this cookie tastes best with some sort of frosting or glaze on it. Feel free to try royal icing, vanilla glaze, or butterceram instead though!

Tips and tricks to make the best pumpkin cut-out cookies:

  • Cream the fats and sugar really well on a high speed; the more air you introduce the less likely the cookies are to spread in the oven
  • Be careful with the amount of flour - don't scoop and pack it into the measuring cup otherwise you will have too much; spoon the flour into the measuring cup and then level it off to measure correctly
  • Try and roll the dough evenly; it matters more that your thickness is consistent within the cookies and between the cookies rather than the absolute thickness of the cookie (I use this roller and LOVE it for maintaining equal thickness)
  • Use as little flour as possible when rolling your dough; too much will make the cookies dry and pasty, and we want soft, moist cookies
  • Be sure to squeeze the moisture out from the pumpkin, this is the most important step, if not the cookie dough will be too sticky to roll nicely
  • Let the cookies cool on the tray for 5 minutes; then transfer them to a rack to finish cooling completely - do not attempt to put the glaze on them until they are completely cooled!
  • Try and use the cookie cutters as efficiently as possible. the less times you re-roll the dough the better the cookies will be (and the easier the dough is to handle!)
  • Dough will be stiff after chilling, I usually flatten it with my hands at first to help start the rolling process
  • Using a thin spatula can help lift and transfer the cookies from the floured surface to the baking sheet
  • all cookie cutters vary in size; make sure you watch your cookies closely while baking so you don't overcook (my cookie cutters are about 3-4 inches across to make very large cookies, if yours are smaller start checking for doneness around 8 minutes)
pumpkin cookies on a wire rack, with mini pumpkins and a black background

Maple Glazed Pumpkin Sugar Cookies


Soft, pumpkin spice cut-out cookies that are finished with a sweet maple glaze! Perfect addition to a thanksgiving dessert platter, or as a fall treat on a chilly day.

(5 stars from 1 rating)

Maple Glazed Pumpkin Sugar Cookies

20 SHARES

By: Natalie Kollee
Yield: 16 Cookies
Prep Time: 2 Hours 30 Minutes
Cook Time: 12 Minutes
Total Time: 2 Hours 42 Minutes
Cuisine: American

Ingredients


For the Cookie Dough:

  • ½ cup pumpkin puree
  • 2 ¼ cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
  • ⅓ cup vegetable shortening
  • ⅓ cup salted butter, softened to room temperature
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Maple Glaze:

  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1-2 tablespoons heavy cream

Directions

cookie dough:


squeezed pumpkin puree

1

Squeeze The Pumpkin

Place the pumpkin into a triple layer of coffee filters or paper towel, then gently squeeze out the excess liquid. Pumpkin will look pasty and be about half the volume when finished. Set aside until needed


flour mixture in a bowl

2

Prepare Dry Ingredients

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg until unform; set aside


creamed fats and sugar

3

Cream Butter And Sugar

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


wet ingredients in the stand mixer bowl

4

Add The Wet Ingredients

Add the egg, pumpkin puree and vanilla extract and mix again until smooth


pumpkin cookie dough

5

Add The Flour Mixture

Add the flour mixture in 2-3 smaller additions and mix well after each. Form into a disk, wrap with saran wrap, and chill in the fridge for at least two hours.


pumpkin cookies on a baking sheet

6

Cut Out The Cookies

Preheat oven to 350 F, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Roll the dough into an even 1/4" layer and use pumpkin cookie cutters to form cookies. Transfer to prepared baking sheet and bake 10-12 minutes, or until lightly golden and puffed, and no longer shiny on top. Cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet before transferring to wire rack to cool completely


Maple Glaze:


glaze in a bowl

7

Prepare The Glaze

Stir together the powdered sugar, maple syrup, and heavy cream until desired consistency is reached. I used thicker so I could pipe it, thinner will allow drizzling.


glazed pumpkin cookies on a wire rack

8

Frost The Cookies

Pipe or drizzle the glaze over the cooled cookies. Glaze will harden after 8-12 hours then cookies can be stored in an airtight container


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Here's what others said

Michelle
Sunday July 28, 2024

Hi! This sounds so delicious and can't wait to try it. I was wondering if the 1/2 cup pumpkin puree was before or after squeezing the moisture out.

Natalie
Sunday July 28, 2024

It's before! Let me know how you make out 😊

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Lynda
Saturday October 29, 2022

Perfect easy and taste good

Natalie
Saturday October 29, 2022

So glad you liked them!!

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Judy Grupp
Friday October 14, 2022

These look good. I was thinking about using around three layers of pastry cloth or using a kitchen towel. Are they acceptable substitutes for the coffee filter?

Natalie
Saturday October 15, 2022

I think a kitchen towel would work fine!!

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Natalie
Tuesday December 10, 2024

Hey there! 😊

Thanks for checking out this Cookie recipe! Did you see that there are 3 comments above waiting for you? Check it out and see what others are saying!

Plus, this post has an average rating of 5 stars, out of 5! Don't forget to leave a review after you make it

Read the Comments More Cookies