Description
Delight in the autumn flavors with these Pumpkin Spice Cutout cookies, featuring a tender pumpkin-spiced dough perfectly complemented by a smooth, sweet icing. Ideal for seasonal celebrations or cozy moments with a cup of tea, these cookies capture the essence of fall with ginger, cinnamon, and molasses notes.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup canned pumpkin pie mix
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Icing
- 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1/3 cup butter, softened
- 3 to 4 tablespoons 2% milk
- Food coloring, optional
Instructions
- Creaming: Cream the shortening and sugar together until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 5 to 7 minutes. This process aerates the dough for a tender texture.
- Add Pumpkin and Molasses: Beat in the canned pumpkin pie mix and molasses thoroughly until well combined, infusing the dough with moist pumpkin flavor and rich sweetness.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, baking powder, and salt to evenly distribute the leavening agents and spices.
- Combine Dry and Wet: Gradually beat the dry ingredient mixture into the creamed pumpkin mixture, forming a cohesive dough.
- Chill Dough: Divide the dough into two equal parts, shape each into a disk, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for several hours until firm enough to roll out without sticking.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Dough: Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). On a lightly floured surface, roll each dough disk out to 1/4-inch thickness to ensure even baking and ideal cookie texture.
- Cut Shapes: Using a floured 2-1/2-inch pumpkin-shaped cookie cutter, cut out cookies and place them 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets to allow room for spreading.
- Bake Cookies: Bake in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until the edges are firm, indicating the cookies are cooked through.
- Cool: Remove cookies from the baking sheets and transfer to wire racks to cool completely before decorating to prevent icing from melting.
- Prepare Icing: Beat the confectioners’ sugar, softened butter, and 3 to 4 tablespoons of 2% milk together until the icing reaches a smooth, spreadable consistency; adjust milk quantity as necessary.
- Color and Decorate: Optionally, tint the icing with food coloring to enhance holiday or seasonal themes. Decorate the cooled cookies as desired for a festive finish.
Notes
- Ensure the dough is well chilled before rolling to prevent sticking and make cutting shapes easier.
- Use pumpkin pie mix for added spices and flavor instead of plain canned pumpkin.
- If the dough becomes too soft while rolling, refrigerate again briefly.
- Store decorated cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
- Food coloring in the icing is optional but adds fun, festive colors to the cookies.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 130
- Sugar: 10g
- Sodium: 120mg
- Fat: 6g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 18g
- Fiber: 0.5g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 5mg
