Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookies

and Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting

Sugar cookies are one of Cole’s absolute favorite desserts. He loves them so much, but I have never been a fan of them. However, this fall I had a spark of inspiration. I am crazy about all pumpkin spice desserts, and I decided that I would probably enjoy sugar cookies if they had an extra flavor boost. Because, the thing is, I enjoy the concept of sugar cookies. I think it’s fun how they can be cut into so many different shapes to work for all the holidays of the year. With pumpkin spice stuck in my brain, I began to think about the frosting. I decided to take the frosting up a notch too and flavor it with maple syrup and cinnamon. I am so thrilled with how the recipe turned out, and if you are looking for the softest sugar cookies ever, look no further!

Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookie Ingredients

4 cups Flour

1 tsp Baking Powder

1 cup Butter Flavored Shortening

½ tsp Salt

1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice

1 cup Sugar

1 tsp Baking Soda

⅓ cup Milk

1 tsp Pure Maple Syrup

½ cup Pumpkin Puree

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and use either a standing mixer or a pastry cutter dough blender to mix the flour, baking powder, shortening, salt, and pumpkin pie spice together. Keep mixing until the dough has only small pea-sized clumps of shortening in it. 

2. In another bowl combine sugar and baking soda, add in milk, maple syrup, and pumpkin puree

Kitchen Tip 1: It is essential that pure maple syrup is used in this recipe instead of pancake syrup. Pancake syrup has corn syrup added into it and a thicker consistency that would hurt the dough. 

3. Mix the two bowls together until the dough is solid enough to roll out and cut into shapes. Stop as soon as this occurs. Do not overmix.

4. Coat the counter, or a board, with a thin layer of flour, then split the dough ball into two clumps. Roll out the first ball into a ¼ inch layer and cut out with cookie cutters. Repeat this process with the second dough ball. 

5. Place the cookies on a baking stone or parchment paper lined pan. Bake for 8-10 minutes, and let cool completely before frosting. 

Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting Ingredients

2 ½ cups Powdered Sugar

1 tbsp Butter – Melted

½ tsp Pure Maple Syrup (This must be pure, not pancake syrup)

¼ cup Milk

½ tsp Cinnamon

Directions

This frosting is very easy to make up. Simply add all of the ingredients into a bowl and beat/stir until it is lump free and smooth.

Kitchen Tip 2: To finish off the dessert, flip all of the cookies upside down and frost them. It is always easiest to frost the bottom of the cookies because they are flatter.

These cookies are quite easy to make, and they are a delicious twist on the regular sugar cut out cookie. If you love pumpkin spice and are looking to change up the traditional sugar cookie, try these out!