Pumpkin Spice Pressed Sugar Cookies

These pumpkin spice cookies, without a doubt, are the ultimate fall sugar cookies in our house. Like my pumpkin spice rice krispie treats, if there’s one way to bring a dessert into fall, it’s to add pumpkin spice! This is my original pressed sugar cookie recipe, flavored with a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice. After baking, I press the cookies flat to make room for the rich and creamy brown butter frosting.

Soft, chewy pumpkin spice sugar cookies are great for Thanksgiving, and they pair perfectly with a cozy mug of pumpkin spice hot chocolate on a chilly day.

Reasons to Fall in Love With These Pumpkin Spice Cookies

• Subtly spiced. I love a subtle hint of fall spice in these cookies. You can add a little spice, or add more to taste.
• Quick and easy. The pumpkin spice sugar cookie dough is ready to scoop and bake right away; no need to chill it first.
• Perfect for fall baking. These pumpkin spice cookies make a great addition to a Thanksgiving table, and they’re also perfect for cookie exchanges and bake sales.
• Fun to decorate. Just like classic sugar cookies, you can frost and decorate them any way you’d like!

Ingredients You’ll Need

These pumpkin spice cookies are a full sensory experience. They’re packed with fall flavor, smell incredible, and they look gorgeous on a holiday cookie platter once you’ve added the frosting. Instant festive vibes.

Here are the key ingredients. You’ll find the complete recipe with measurements in the printable recipe card below the post.

Sugar Cookie Dough

• Butter and Oil – Butter adds flavor, while vegetable oil or canola oil makes the cookies extra tender.
• Flour – All-purpose flour will give the most consistent and reliable results. Make sure to measure the flour using a scale, or spoon the loose flour into the measuring cup and level it off using a butter knife edge (rather than scooping directly from the bag).
• Sugar – I use a combination of granulated sugar and powdered sugar. The addition of powdered sugar gives the cookies a melt-in-your-mouth texture, similar to meltaway cookies.
• Eggs and Vanilla – Large eggs at room temperature.
• Vanilla – Pure vanilla extract for the best flavor.
• Pumpkin Pie Spice – You’ll find pumpkin pie spice in most grocery stores. Or, you can make your own by combining the individual spices. To make the 3 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice needed for this recipe, I’d suggest 2 ¼ teaspoons of cinnamon + ¾ teaspoon ginger, nutmeg, cloves, or allspice. Just about any mix of these spices will work.
• Cream of Tartar – Same as it does in snickerdoodle cookies, cream of tartar is the secret to soft and chewy sugar cookies.
• Baking Soda and Salt – For leavening. Check and make sure that the baking soda isn’t past its expiration date.

Brown Butter Frosting

• Powdered Sugar – Also called confectioner’s sugar.
• Browned Butter – Browning butter involves cooking melted butter until it’s darkened and nutty. It’s an easy way to add depth of flavor and richness to the frosting. I use this same technique for my brown butter chocolate chip cookies.
• Milk – For achieving a smooth icing consistency. Note that when using milk in the frosting, finished cookies are best stored in the fridge. If you’re planning to store these pumpkin spice cookies at room temperature, swap the milk for water instead.
• Food Coloring and Sprinkles – Optional, but perfect for these fall-themed cookies!

How to Make Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookies

Follow the steps below to mix the dough and then bake and press your pumpkin spice cookies. You can make the dough using your stand mixer or hand mixer, or by hand in one bowl!

1. Mix the sugar cookie dough. Cream the butter, oil, and sugar together. Next, beat in the eggs, vanilla, spice, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add the flour, mixing until the dough comes together.
2. Scoop and bake. Using a large cookie scoop (or your hands), scoop the dough into balls and place them onto a lined baking sheet. Bake at 350ºF for 10-12 minutes, just until they’re golden at the edges.
3. Press the cookies. Right when you take the cookies out of the oven, use the flat bottom of a glass to gently press down on the cookies so they’re slightly flattened. Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet afterward, then move the cookies to a wire rack.

Frost and Decorate the Cookies

1. Make the frosting. First, you’ll brown the butter following the directions in the recipe card. Once the browned butter cools and becomes solid again, add it to your mixer. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk, and beat the frosting until it’s smooth and creamy. If you’d like, you can color the frosting with orange food coloring, like I did here, or any color you’d like.
2. Frost the cookies. Using a spoon or a rubber spatula, spread a generous tablespoon of browned butter frosting on top of each cooled cookie. Decorate with sprinkles, and enjoy!

Recipe Tips

• Measure your ingredients correctly. Too much flour will make the cookies crumbly and dry. To avoid overpacking the flour, use a kitchen scale, or try the scoop and sweep method described in the Ingredients section earlier.
• Don’t overmix the cookie dough. This is a good rule of thumb for baking in general, but beat your dough together until the flour is just combined. Overmixing the dough will result in tougher cookies.
• Add extra pumpkin spice. If you find the flavor too subtle as-is, amp up the pumpkin spice in the dough or give the frosted sugar cookies a light dusting of spice.

How to Store Frosted Pumpkin Spice Cookies

• Keep the frosted cookies in the fridge. Frosted pumpkin spice sugar cookies stay soft when stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. They’re delicious when chilled! Unfrosted cookies can be stored airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days.
• Freeze the baked cookies. Leave the baked cookies on a baking sheet to cool completely, then place the whole sheet in the freezer to “pre-freeze”. Transfer the cookies to a freezer-safe, resealable bag with parchment paper between the layers and freeze for up to 3 months. To thaw, leave the cookies in the fridge overnight or at room temperature until unfrozen.
• Freeze the unbaked cookie dough. Roll the uncooked cookie dough into balls and place them in a freezer bag. When you’re ready to bake, remove the cookie balls from the freezer bag and bake from frozen, adding a few extra minutes of baking time.

More Pumpkin Recipes

• Easy Pumpkin Roll
• Pumpkin Blondies
• Pumpkin Cake
• Apple Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal