These pumpkin Halloween sugar cookies are a festive fall favorite—perfectly sweet, super cute, and easy to decorate! With a soft, buttery sugar cookie base and simple royal icing in bright orange and green, these pumpkins are a fun, low-stress way to bring a little seasonal magic to your Halloween dessert table.
They’re great for beginners or for decorating with kids, and they look adorable alongside other Halloween themed desserts like ghosts, bats, or black cats.
Let’s get baking!
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Ingredients for Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
These cookies use the same sugar cookie dough and royal icing base as all my Halloween cutouts, so you can prep one batch and make a whole spooky set if you like. (I’ll link to the full list once it’s live!)
For the sugar cookies:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the royal icing (I use this recipe for royal icing):
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons meringue powder
- 9-10 tablespoons water (plus more as needed)
- Orange and green gel food coloring
For decorating:
- Piping bags or small icing bottles with fine tips
- Toothpick or scribe tool
How to Make Pumpkin Halloween Sugar Cookies
Step 1: Make the dough.
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour and salt, then slowly add to the wet ingredients. Mix until a soft dough forms.
Step 2: Chill and roll.
Divide the dough in half and wrap in plastic. Chill for at least 1 hour. Roll the dough to about ¼ inch thick and use a pumpkin-shaped cutter to cut out cookies. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Step 3: Bake.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Bake cookies for 8–10 minutes or until the edges are just lightly golden. Let cool completely before decorating.
Step 4: Make the royal icing.
Sift together powdered sugar, meringue powder. Then, add water until smooth and slightly thick but still pourable. Divide and color most of the icing orange, and a small amount green.
Step 5: Decorate the pumpkin cookies.
You have two options for icing these cookies—both work great!
- Option 1: The Easy Way (Dipping)
Dip each cookie face-down into the black icing. Lift it out, let the excess drip off, then flip and gently shake or tap to level the surface. Use a toothpick or scribe tool to pop any bubbles. This method is fast and great for batch decorating, though a bit messier.
- Option 2: The Pretty Way (Piping)
- Transfer the orange icing to a piping bag or bottle with a small (like the one that looks too small to be true) tip and outline each pumpkin, then flood the center with more icing. Use a toothpick to help fill in gaps and pop any air bubbles.
Add the stems: Then, when the orange is mostly dry (4 hours is enough), put the green icing in a piping bottle and pipe the stem.
Pro Tips for Decorating Pumpkin Cookies
- Use gel food coloring for vibrant orange and green without thinning your icing.
- Let the orange icing dry first if you want to pipe details like a jack-o’-lantern face or section lines.
- Pop any air bubbles early with a toothpick for a smoother finish.
- Dipping works in a pinch, but piping gives you more control for crisp pumpkin edges.
- Pumpkins are super forgiving—even a little wobble just adds charm!
FAQs
Can I make the dough ahead of time?
Yes, chill it in the fridge for up to 2 days or freeze it for longer storage.
How many cookies does one batch make?
It depends on the size of your cutter. I got about 24 medium-sized pumpkins from one batch.
Will one batch of royal icing be enough?
Yes! Just be sure to set aside a bit of icing for the green stems (and any black if you want to make jack-o-lanterns) before coloring the rest orange.
Can I add faces to the pumpkins?
Absolutely! Let the orange base dry first (At least 4 hours), then use black icing or edible markers to draw on jack-o’-lantern faces.
How long does the icing take to dry?
Plan for 6 to 8 hours for them to get fully dry, or let them sit overnight.
How should I store decorated cookies?
Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week. Use parchment between layers if stacking.
These pumpkin Halloween sugar cookies are bright, festive, and perfect for any Halloween celebration. Whether you decorate them plain or spooky, they’re a fun and tasty addition to your lineup of Halloween themed desserts.
Don’t forget to check back soon for the full Halloween cookie roundup featuring bats, ghosts, cats, witch hats, and more!
Pumpin Decorated Sugar Cookies
Equipment
- piping bag with a small, round tip or piping bottle optional, but helpful
- Sifter optional, but helpful
- pumpkin-shaped cookie cutter
Ingredients
Cutout Cookie Base
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3 cups flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
Royal Icing and Decorating
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 3 Tbsp meringue powder
- 9-10 Tbsp water
- orange and green gel food coloring
Instructions
Bake the Pumpkin Cutout Cookies
- Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy.
- Add the egg and vanilla and mix until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and salt, then gradually add it to the wet ingredients. Mix until a soft dough forms.
- Divide the dough in half, flatten into disks, and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for at least an hour (definitely don't skip the chilling!).
- Once chilled, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to about ¼ inch thick. Use a pumpkin-shaped cookie cutter to cut out shapes and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Bake the cookies for 8–10 minutes, or until the edges are just beginning to turn lightly golden. Let cool completely before decorating.
Decorate Pumpkin Cookies
- In a large bowl, sift together the powdered sugar, meringue powder. Then, add water until the icing is smooth and slightly thickened but still fluid. You’re aiming for a consistency that coats the back of a spoon and slowly runs off—not too thick, not too runny.
- Divide your royal icing into 2 parts and color. Most of it will be colored orange for the pumpkin, and you only need a bit to get green for the stems.
- You have 2 options for decorating:
- Option 1: The Easy Way (Dipping)Dip each cookie face-down into the black icing. Lift it out, let the excess drip off, then flip and gently shake or tap to level the surface. Use a toothpick or scribe tool to pop any bubbles. This method is fast and great for batch decorating, though a bit messier.
- Option 2: The Pretty Way (Piping)Transfer the orange icing to a piping bag or bottle with a small round tip and outline each pumpkin, then flood the center with more icing. Use a toothpick to help fill in gaps and pop any air bubbles.
- After the orange icing sets (at least 4 hours), add your green royal icing to a piping bottle with a small round tip and pipe on the stems.
- Let the icing set at least 6-8 hours (overnight is preferable)
