I’m probably supposed to be cleaning or doing laundry right now but here I am, cosy on the couch and writing to you. Nothing too earth shattering, as usual, unless you think baking and decorating is in that realm of categories. Although not necessarily ground-breaking though, baking is definitely one of life’s simple pleasures for me… And if asked (Oh did you ask? Ok!), what would you be doing if you could be doing anything? (Not including if you had a bazillion dollars), besides hiking in the forest on a glorious sunshiney day, decorating cookies and eating them, is at the top of my list.
And so, I’m thrilled to be sharing with you a new cut-out cookie recipe, gasp! Truly though, it’s sweet and spicy, perfect for fall or any time really; pumpkin spice cut-out cookies.
Enjoy!
Print Recipe
Pumpkin Spice Cut Out Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
2cupsunsalted butter, room temperature454 grams
1cupgranulated sugar194 grams
1cupbrown sugar. lightly packed187 grams
1/4 cuppumpkin purée or pumpkin pie filling66 grams
2largeeggs
1tspvanilla extract
2 tspground cinnamon
1/2tspground ginger
1/8tspground nutmeg
1/2tsp all-spice
5cupsall-purpose flour754 grams
1tspsalt
Instructions
Cream the butter and 2 sugars together in the bowl of an electric mixer on low to medium speed. (Use the paddle attachment). Mix until thoroughly incorporated – for about one minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a plastic spatula and mix again for a few seconds more. Over mixing the butter and sugar in this step will cause too much air to be incorporated into the dough. If you’d like a light and fluffy cookie, that’s ideal, however the dough will spread more during baking; not ideal if you’d like the cookie to hold its shape.
Add pumpkin purée and eggs while slowly mixing. Add vanilla extract and mix. Scrape down the bowl with your spatula at least once and mix briefly again.
Sift your dry ingredients together. (Flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, all-spice and salt. I do not use baking powder in my cut-out cookies).
Add all of the flour mixture to the bowl. Place a large tea towel or two small tea towels between the edge of the bowl and the electric mixer so that the flour won’t escape. Mix on low speed for 3o seconds. Remove the tea towels and observe the dough mixing; when it clumps around the paddle attachment it’s ready. It’s also important at this stage not to over mix the dough (the glutens in the flour develop and the dough can become tough).
Roll the dough out between 2 large pieces of parchment paper. Place on a baking sheet and into the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour.
Leftover pumpkin pie filling or pumpkinpurée freezes well for future use.
I’ve been asked numerous times where I find my baking trays. I’ve bought them in different places, but my favorite source is our local restaurant supply store. If you don’t have one nearby, there are options on-line. My favorite kind is Nordic Ware’s Aluminum Commercial Baker’s Half Sheet.
You’ll notice some of the pumpkin cookies pictured are a richer, darker color than other lighter cookies (namely the foxes). I just baked the darker batch longer. Makes for a crispier cookie.
To make your cookie spicier, add more cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and all-spice.
If you’d like to see video tutorials of the decorated cookies in these photos, click on the one you’re interested in… Pumpkin Cookies or Chipmunk Cookies.
If you’re new to cookie decorating…
Cookie Decorating Basics
Here are some posts which take you through all the cookie decorating basics:
{Video} How to Outline and Flood Cookies with Royal Icing
{Video} How to Dry Cookies Decorated with Royal Icing
More Tutorials
You can find more tutorials and information on cookie decorating in the tutorial section found at the top of Sweetopia. Everything from how to store royal icing to the shelf life of cookies.
If you have any questions or comments please feel free to drop me a line below in the comment section or on social media. You can find me onFacebook,Google+,Instagram,Pinterest,TwitterandYouTube.
Pull off the top sheet of parchment, then slide the sheet of dough onto a baking sheet, then pop it in the freezer. (You can stack as many sheets of dough onto one baking sheet as you'd like.) Sandwich your dough between two sheets of parchment, roll, then freeze; it makes cut-out cookies a breeze!
If that supply cuts off before the cookies set, a soft dough will collapse in on itself. If it continues until the end, the air pockets are preserved as the cookie's crumb. Baking powder simply adds carbon dioxide to the equation, providing a more forceful pressure that encourages a dough to spread up and out.
Q: Why are my cookies so puffy and cakey? Whipping too much air into the dough. That fluffy texture you want in a cake results from beating a lot of air into the room temperature butter and sugar, and it does the same for cookies. So don't overdo it when you're creaming together the butter and sugar.
Refrigerating the dough allows the flour to fully hydrate and helps to make the cookie dough firmer. Firm dough prevents the cookies from spreading too much, which is why chilling the dough is a crucial step for cut-out and rolled cookies.
To ensure the wonderfully soft sugar cookies of your dreams, you want to roll the dough about ¼-inch thick. This may seem too thick when you are rolling and cutting, but it's absolutely vital.
Baking soda is typically used for chewy cookies, while baking powder is generally used for light and airy cookies. Since baking powder is comprised of a number of ingredients (baking soda, cream of tartar, cornstarch, etc.), using it instead of pure baking soda will affect the taste of your cookies.
Brown sugar is also hygroscopic (more so than granulated sugar) and will therefore also attract and absorb the liquid in the dough. The difference is in the molasses that makes brown sugar brown: It adds moisture and slight acidity, resulting in a moist and chewy texture.
Ideally you want to cut your cookies and then chill them with the baking sheet. that way the tray is still cool when it goes in the oven and the cookies have no time to spread before they are baked through.
Chilling is a step called for in many cookie recipes, and it isn't a place to cut corners. “When chilled cookies bake, the butter stays in a solid form longer, slowing the spread,” says Dawn.
I can't wait to read through all of the great ideas posted there! To help cookies keep their shape, freeze them! I freeze each batch of cut-out cookies for 5 to 10 minutes before baking.
Roll dough to 1/4-inch thickness on work surface. Cut out desired shapes using floured 2- to 2 1/2-inch cookie cutter. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 8 to 11 minutes or until edges are light golden brown.
Place each portion onto a piece of lightly floured parchment paper or a lightly floured silicone baking mat. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough out to about 1/4-inch thickness. Use more flour if the dough seems too sticky. The rolled-out dough can be any shape, as long as it is evenly 1/4-inch thick.
Once the edges develop a golden hue, you've gone too far. While overcooked sugar cookies are certainly still palatable, they'll be hard and crunchy, instead of soft and chewy. → Follow this tip: Pull the cookie sheet from the oven as soon as they've set and gained some color, but not too much.
To help cookies keep their shape, freeze them! I freeze each batch of cut-out cookies for 5 to 10 minutes before baking. They rise just slightly higher and keep their shape better. This really helps when using an intricate cookie cutter, but I do this even when baking circles.
Too much flour will make your cookies dry and crumbly. Too much sugar and butter can make sugar cookies spread and lose their shape when baked. This one requires a little patience because once you roll out your dough, you are ready to bake. Be patient and bake your cookies when the dough is really cold.
To prevent this make sure the baking sheets are always at least on room temperature. Ideally you want to cut your cookies and then chill them with the baking sheet. that way the tray is still cool when it goes in the oven and the cookies have no time to spread before they are baked through.
Introduction: My name is Kelle Weber, I am a magnificent, enchanting, fair, joyous, light, determined, joyous person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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