These Pumpkin Spice Pressed Sugar Cookies are irresistible for holiday baking! Subtly spiced, light and chewy sugar cookies frosted with a rich and creamy Browned Butter Frosting. This is a classic sugar cookie recipe with a cozy pumpkin twist, where every bite is filled with the flavors of fall!
The whole family is sure to love this fall spin on my wildly popular Pressed Sugar Cookies!
We’re deep into Pumpkin Spice season in our house. While outside our walls the debate rages as to whether this is the best spice of all time (it is), we’re firmly in the “pro” camp in this family. Feeling down? Pumpkin Spice. Feeling happy? Pumpkin Spice!
This being said, it’s no surprise that these Pumpkin Spice Pressed Sugar Cookies are, without a doubt, the perfect pumpkin cookies! With so many irresistible fall flavors in one bite, these easy holiday cookies are a warm and cozy twist on my Pressed Sugar Cookies with some extra autumn flair!
The addition of Pumpkin Spice gives these sugar cookies a festive kick, and they’re pressed flat to make space for a deliciously rich and creamy Browned Butter Frosting. The resulting sweet and spicy flavors and soft textures are simply perfection and sure to be a hit this fall! Subtly spiced, light and chewy sugar cookies – just see how long these last in your household!
What You’ll Need
Prepare yourself for a full sensory experience with these pumpkin spice sugar cookies: taste the fall flavors, smell the spiced aromas, see the golden brown coloring. Hear the crunchy outside give way to a chewy, soft inside. And above all, feel positively cozy! Here’s everything you’ll need for this soft sugar cookies recipe:
For the Sugar Cookie Dough
- Butter & Vegetable Oil: Butter for buttery flavor, and vegetable oil or Canola oil to bring an extra layer of moisture to the cookies.
- Flour: All-purpose flour will give the most consistent and reliable results.
- Sugar: Both granulated sugar and powdered sugar for these sweet cookies The addition of powdered sugar gives a melty texture!
- Eggs: Large eggs at room temperature.
- Vanilla: Pure vanilla extract for the best flavor.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: Found in the spice aisle, alternately you can make your own by combining 1 part each ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice.
- Cream of Tartar: The not-so-secret ingredient for the very best sugar cookies! Cream of tartar brings stability, smoothness, and leavening to the dough for perfectly soft and chewy cookies.
- Baking Soda
- Salt
For the Frosting
- Powdered Sugar: Smooth frosting starts with powdered a.k.a. confectioner’s sugar!
- Butter: The butter will be browned for that extra rich and deep flavor.
- Milk: For achieving a smooth icing consistency. Note that when using milk in the frosting, finished cookies are best when stored in the fridge – if storing at room temperature, swap in water in place of milk.
- Vanilla
- Orange Food Coloring & Sprinkles: Optional, but perfect for these fall-themed cookies!
This sugar cookie dough is so simple to make and then bake and press to perfection! Before starting on the dough, preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. I use a stand mixer to combine the dough ingredients, but a whisk and wooden spoon will also do the job.
Make the Dough: First you’ll cream together the butter, oil and both sugars until smooth; next beat in the eggs, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt. Beat together all the ingredients for about a minute, then slowly add in the flour, mixing until just combined.
Scoop & Bake the Dough: Using a large cookie scoop or your hands, scoop the cookie balls onto your lined baking sheet and place in the oven to bake until the edges become golden.
Press the Cookies: Remove the cookies from the oven. Using the bottom of a cup, give each sugar cookie a gentle press until they’re flat in the middle. Let the cookies cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack.
Make the Frosting: Brown the butter in a saucepan. After it’s completely cooled, the butter will need to return to a solid state in the fridge. Once set, allow it to come back to room temperature and scrape the butter into a mixing bowl to combine with the powdered sugar. Next add in the vanilla and milk and continue to mix until the frosting is smooth and creamy. Optional: Add in a few drops of orange food coloring for extra fall vibes!
Frost the Cookies: Using a spoon or rubber spatula, spread a generous tablespoon of browned butter frosting onto the top of each cookie. Garnish with sprinkles if desired, and enjoy!
Tips for Success
Accurately Measure the Ingredients: Sometimes the reason for imperfect cookies is because too much flour was added to the dough! To avoid overpacking the flour, use a kitchen scale, or try the scoop and sweep method; spoon the loose flour into the measuring cup and level it off using a butter knife edge.
Don’t Overmix the 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 flavors too subtle, amp up the pumpkin spice in the dough or give the frosted sugar cookies a light dusting of spice.
Frosted sugar cookies will stay soft when stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week – sugar cookies are delicious when chilled! Unfrosted cookies can be stored airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Can I Freeze These?
You can freeze the raw cookie dough or baked cookies for up to 3 months. Here’s how to do it:
How to Freeze 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. To thaw, leave the cookies in the fridge overnight or at room temperature until unfrozen.
How to Freeze Cookie Dough: Roll the uncooked cookie dough into balls and place in a freezer safe resealable bag. To reheat and bake the dough, just remove the cookie balls from the freezer bag and bake as normal, adding a few extra minutes of baking time.
More Pumpkin Dessert Ideas
- Pumpkin Cookies
- Pumpkin Spice Krispie Treats
- Easy Pumpkin Roll
- Pumpkin Blondies
- Pumpkin Cake with Maple Frosting
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 24 large cookies 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
Pumpkin Spice Pressed Sugar Cookies are irresistible for holiday baking! Subtly spiced, light and chewy sugar cookies frosted with a rich and creamy Browned Butter Frosting. Your family is sure to love this cozy pumpkin twist on classic sugar cookies. Every bite is filled with the flavors of fall!
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1 cup butter, room temperature
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 3/4 cups flour
Frosting
- ½ cup butter
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon milk
- orange food coloring
- optional – fall colored sprinkles
Instructions
Cookies
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the butter, oil and both sugars until smooth on medium speed. Beat in the eggs, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt and mix for 1 minute, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Turn the mixer to low and add in flour, mixing until combined.
- Using a large cookie scoop (3 tablespoons) dough onto the lined baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes until edges just start to golden. Immediately press the cookies gently, using the bottom of a cup until they are flat in the middle.
- Allow to cool for 3 minutes on baking sheet and transfer to wire rack to finish cooling.
Frosting
- In a medium sauce pan ver medium-low heat melt the butter and bring it to a boil. Constantly swirl the pan and allow the butter to brown. Once it has reached an amber color remove from the heat and cool completely. Place the pan in the refrigerator and allow the butter to return to a solid state.Once it’s firm, remove the pan from the refrigerator and allow it to come back to room temperature.
- Place the butter (making sure to scrape up all of the brown bits) in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add in the powdered sugar and mix on medium speed until combined. Add in the vanilla and milk and mix until smooth and creamy, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Mix a few drops of the food coloring into the frosting and stir until combined.
- Spread a tablespoon of frosting onto each cookie and garnish with sprinkles if desired.
Notes
Store airtight for up to 3 days
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 299
- Sugar: 20.7 g
- Sodium: 217.9 mg
- Fat: 15.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 38.3 g
- Protein: 3.8 g
- Cholesterol: 15.5 mg
Hi just wanted to share that it states above “ Make the Dough: First you’ll cream together the butter, oil and both brown and white sugars until smooth” but no brown sugar is listed in the ingredient list? Was this a typo or can you share the amount. Thank You!
Thanks for the note… yes that was a typo! All fixed! The recipe card at the bottom is correct 🙂
How many cookies will a batch yield?
you’ll get about 24 large cookies!
Hi! It looks like you added some seasoning to the frosting as well. Pumpkin pie spice? If so, how much? Thanks!
Nope! That’s just the browned butter frosting with the bits of browned butter 😉
I made these to share at work on Halloween. They were so delicious! They are on the almost too-sweet and sugary side, and I might have gorged myself by eating too many and giving myself a stomachache, but I have no regrets. They were delicious and soft and wonderful and I will be making these again! Thank you for the recipe! 🙂
I Love Pumpkin! I will Defefentky try this Cake at my Home! Thank you!
Today is my husbands birthday. I didn’t even get him a cake. His mom did, but that’s not quite the same. I’m making these for him!