Pumpin Decorated Sugar Cookies
These pumpkin sugar cookies are a fun and easy Halloween dessert! Made with soft cutout sugar cookie dough and simple orange and green royal icing, they’re perfect for parties or decorating with kids.
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)