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Pumpkin-Shaped Cookies Recipe

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3.9 from 11 reviews

Delightfully cute pumpkin-shaped cookies that are soft, chewy, and bursting with warm pumpkin spice flavor. These charming treats don’t require special cutters and feature vibrant orange, brown, and green colors to resemble mini pumpkins with stems and leaves. Perfect for autumn celebrations and Halloween!

  • Author: Zara
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 13 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 13 minutes
  • Yield: 36 cookies
  • Category: Cookies
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Pumpkin-Shaped Cookies

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature (113g)
  • 1/4 cup (2 oz) full-fat cream cheese, room temperature (56g)
  • 1 cup granulated sugar (200g)
  • 1 large egg yolk (20g)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste (5g)
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour (260g)
  • 2 tsp cornstarch (5g)
  • 1 tsp pumpkin spice
  • 1/2 tsp fine salt
  • 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • Orange, brown, and neon green gel food coloring

Instructions

  1. Beat Butter and Cream Cheese: In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat unsalted butter and cream cheese on medium speed until smooth and creamy.
  2. Add Sugar: Add the granulated sugar and mix on medium-high speed for a couple of minutes until the mixture lightens in color and becomes fluffy.
  3. Mix Egg Yolk and Vanilla: Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste. Mix on medium speed until fully incorporated and scrape the bowl sides as needed.
  4. Add Dry Ingredients: Low-speed mix flour, cornstarch, pumpkin spice, salt, and baking powder into the wet mixture until just combined. Scrape bowl sides to ensure even mixing. The dough will be sticky at this point.
  5. Divide and Color Dough: Scoop about 3 tablespoons of dough into separate bowls and color one green, one brown, and the remaining dough orange using gel food coloring. Optionally, you can leave part of the dough uncolored for white pumpkins.
  6. Chill Dough: Wrap each color of dough in plastic wrap, flatten into rectangles about 1/3 inch thick, and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes (or in the freezer for 10 minutes) to firm up.
  7. Prepare Oven and Baking Sheets: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) for about 30 minutes. Line two large baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.
  8. Shape Cookies: Unwrap dough portions. Scoop orange dough with 1 Tbsp measure and shape into flattened ovals. Use a small spoon or toothpick to add pumpkin panel lines. Use 1/4 tsp measure to shape brown dough into stems and green dough into leaves, adding texture with a toothpick. Attach stems and leaves gently onto the orange base to form pumpkins.
  9. Chill Shaped Cookies: Place shaped cookies on baking sheets about 2 inches apart and chill (with pans) in the fridge for 15 minutes or freezer for 5 minutes to help them hold their shape while baking.
  10. Bake Cookies: Bake one baking sheet at a time on the middle oven rack for 12-14 minutes. Rotate the pan halfway through baking for even cooking. Remove when edges are slightly firm but before browning, testing doneness by gently poking the cookie’s surface—cookies should be soft but no longer doughy.
  11. Cool and Serve: Let cookies cool completely on the pans; they will firm up as they cool. Enjoy your festive pumpkin-shaped cookies!

Notes

  • Use gel food coloring for vibrant colors that don’t alter dough consistency.
  • Chilling dough and shaped cookies helps maintain the pumpkin shape during baking.
  • Do not overbake; cookies should remain soft with a light crust.
  • Test doneness by gently poking; cookies continue to firm as they cool on the pan.
  • You can omit coloring part of the dough for natural colored 'white' pumpkins.

Find it online: https://zaracooking.com/pumpkin-shaped-cookies-recipe/