Pumpkin Sugar Cookies with Buttercream Frosting
These Pumpkin Sugar Cookies with Buttercream Frosting combine the rich sweetness of sugar cookies, pumpkin spice, and tons of rich, colorful buttercream frosting to create cookies that are perfect for any time of the season.
If you love pumpkin recipes then get ready to be amazed! Our delicious cookies are full of pumpkin spice flavor that’s perfect for any time of the fall season and a colorful swirled buttercream frosting that screams Halloween.
Table of contents
❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- You can serve them simply as a delicious, pumpkin spice treat for the fall or frost them in your color of choice.
- They look complicated, but they’re so easy.
- Pumpkin spice is a favorite during the fall.
- They make a great dessert, snack, or addition to any party.
🛒Ingredients
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For the Cookies
- Softened butter
- Sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Torani Pumpkin Spice Syrup
- Egg
- Flour
- Baking powder
- Orange food coloring gel
For the Frosting
- Softened butter
- Cream cheese
- Powdered sugar
- Lime green food coloring gel
- Purple food coloring gel
- Black food coloring gel
See the recipe card below for quantities.
🔪 How to Make Frosted Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
Making these cookies might seem daunting, but they’re actually very simple to make when you break it down. It’s so easy, even beginners can make it.
Step 1: Combine the Wet Ingredients
In a stand mixer, blend the butter, sugar, vanilla, egg, and pumpkin spice syrup with the whisk attachment until light and fluffy.
Step 2: Combine the Dry Ingredients
In a separate bowl, combine the flour and baking powder and blend well.
Step 3: Make the Sugar Cookie Dough
Add the flour a little at a time to the stand mixer while mixing on low until all the flour has been mixed in. Add the paddle attachment and continue mixing until the cookie dough is completely blended and smooth, and a ball begins to form.
Step 4: Color the Dough
Add 4 to 5 drops of orange food coloring gel to the dough and blend it. If the color isn’t bright enough, add a few more and blend again. Repeat until the dough is as vibrant as you like.
Step 5: Bake
Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and roll the cookies into small, 1-inch balls. Place the balls on the baking sheet with about 1-inch of space between them and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until the cookies start to turn a light golden brown around the edges.
Halfway through baking, check the cookies. They should have started to crack a little. Dip the bottom of a flat-bottomed glass in sugar and lightly smash the cookies to gently spread them and make them flatter, giving them a crinkled look.
Place the cookies on a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 6: Make the Frosting
While the cookies cool, add softened butter and cream cheese to a stand mixer and blend to combine. Then, add the powdered sugar, a little at a time, and blend after each addition. Do this until all the powdered sugar is incorporated and the frosting is smooth and fluffy.
Step 7: Color the Frosting
Divide the frosting evenly into 2 bowls. Remove 2 tablespoons of frosting from each bowl and reserve for the black frosting.
Add a few drops of green food coloring to one bowl and blend. Repeat until the frosting is bright lime green. If the frosting thinned a bit, add a tablespoon of powdered sugar.
Add a few drops of purple food coloring to the other bowl and blend well, again adding powdered sugar if necessary to thicken it up again.
Finally, add black food coloring to the reserved frosting in the third bowl and blend.
Step 7: Prepare to Frost
Place a 10-inch-wide piece of plastic wrap onto a work surface. Then, place the frosting down the length of the center of the plastic wrap. You should have three ribbons of frosting – green on one side, black in the center, and purple on the other side.
Roll the plastic wrap around the frosting, being careful to make it snug without blending the frosting. Clip the end off of one side of the plastic wrap tube, place it in a pastry bag, and add a large star tip to it.
Step 8: Frost the Cookies
Starting at the outside edge of the cookie, frost the entire top of the pumpkin sugar cookies in a swirling motion to cover the cookie and bring up the point of the pastry bag in the center to create a point of frosting. Repeat until all cookies are frosted and serve!
📝Variations
Do you want to change up this recipe and make it your own? Here are some ways that you can do that!
- Plain – Serve these cookies without frosting for an all-purpose, fall-themed cookie.
- Simple Frosting – Top with uncolored buttercream frosting for serving at any occasion.
- Extra Halloweeny – Add black food coloring to the cookies in place of orange for an extra “spooky” cookie.
If you want more Halloween cookie goodness, check out these Jack-O-Lantern cookies.
🥄 Equipment
You’ll only need a few basic pieces of kitchen equipment to make these delicious cookies.
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Stand or hand mixer
- Mixing bowls
- Cling wrap
- Parchment paper
- Baking sheets
- Pastry bag with tip
🥫 Storage
You can store these cookies in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Freezing is not recommended.
💭 Tips
These easy tips will help you make these delicious cookies the best they can be with the least amount of effort.
- Be sure your butter and cream cheese are fully softened so they can incorporate entirely and with the best texture.
- Your cookies must be completely cooled before frosting, or the frosting will slide right off of them.
- Lining your baking sheet with parchment paper makes it easier to remove the cookies and limits cleanup.
⁉️ FAQ
Do you have questions about this recipe? Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions.
They’ll last for about 2 weeks in the refrigerator in an air-tight container.
The frosting is made with butter and cream cheese, so refrigeration is a must.
Sure! Simply pipe plain frosting onto the cookies for a neutral look that fits into any gathering.
🍽 More Recipes
Do you enjoy cookies? Then try these delicious recipes:
🧾Pumpkin Sugar Cookies with Buttercream Frosting
Want to make this pumpkin sugar cookies recipe? Print the recipe card below, or pin this recipe, so you can find it later.
📌 PIN IT!!
Pumpkin Sugar Cookies with Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
- 2 Sticks of Butter softened
- 1 cup Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Vanilla
- 1 teaspoon Torani Pumpkin Spice Syrup
- 1 Egg
- 3 cups Flour
- 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
- Orange Food Coloring Gel
For the frosting
- 4 Tablespoons Butter – softened
- 4 ounces Cream Cheese
- 4 cups Powdered Sugar
- Lime Green Food Coloring Gel
- Purple Food Coloring Gel
- Black Food Coloring Gel
Instructions
- In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer, using the Whisk attachment, add the Butter, Sugar, Vanilla, Pumpkin Spice Syrup, and Egg, and blend until light and fluffy.
- In a separate bowl, add the Flour, and Baking Powder, and stir well to blend.
- Add the Flour a little at a time and mix on low to blend, until all the Flour is added.
- Remove the Whisk attachment, and use the paddle.
- Continue to blend the Cookie dough until it’s completely blended and a smooth ball starts to form.
- Add several drops (4 or 5 to start) of the Orange food coloring Gel, and blend into the dough.
- If the color is not bright enough, add a couple more drops of the Orange Food Coloring Gel, and blend again, and continue until you get the desired color.
- Scrape down the mixing bowl as needed.
- Line two cookie sheets with Parchment paper, and roll the cookie dough into small balls, about 1 inch balls, and place the balls on the Parchment paper.
- Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes, or just until the cookies start to turn a light golden brown around the edges. About half way through baking the cookies, check the oven, and the cookies may have started to crack a little.
- Take a flat bottom glass, dip it in Sugar before lightly applying to each cookie – smash the cookies very gently, and slightly, making them a little flatter, and spread out a little more.
- This will give the cookies the crinkle look.
- When the cookies are done, remove from the oven to a wire rack to cool completely.
- While cookies are cooling, make the Frosting.
- In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer, add the softened Butter, and Cream Cheese, and blend to combine.
- Add the Powdered sugar a little at a time, blending after each addition, until the Frosting is smooth and fluffy.
- Divide the Frosting evenly into two bowls.
- Measure 2 Tablespoons of Icing out of each bowl, and add to a third bowl; this will be for the Black icing.
- Add a few drops of the Green Food Coloring Gel, and stir to blend until the Frosting is bright lime green.
- If the Frosting thinned a bit add a Tablespoon of Powdered Sugar, and stir to blend.
- In the other bowl, add a few drops of the Purple Food Coloring Gel, and stir to blend. If the Frosting thinned a little, add a Tablespoon of Powdered Sugar, and stir well to blend.
- In the third bowl, add a small amount of Black Food Coloring Gel, and stir until blended.
- Using Plastic wrap (Glad wrap) tear off a piece about 10 inches wide, and place the Frosting length-wise in the middle of the plastic wrap; it will look like a long ribbon of Frosting.
- Do this for the Green, Purple, and Black Frosting, placing the Black frosting in the center.
- Then, roll the plastic wrap around the Frosting, making sure to keep it long, or length-wise like a long ribbon.
- Snip the end off of the Plastic wrap, on one end only, and place it in a Pastry bag with the large Star Tip.
- Pipe the Frosting onto the cookies, using a swirl, and bring it up to a point.
- Allow the Frosting to set or firm up a bit, about 30 minutes. Serve, and Enjoy!
