Pumpkin Sugar Cookies with Maple Spiced Glaze
From flavor to texture to shape-ability, these pumpkin sugar cookies with maple spice glaze have it all! The perfect soft and chewy texture that’s still easy to cut is paired with real pumpkin, pumpkin spice, and maple glaze. Not only can you turn these cookies into the cutest little shapes—you’ll love eating them, too!
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Confession: I’m not usually a fan of sugar cookies. They’re either too sweet or not sweet enough and taste like a flat biscuit. And it’s hard to find the perfect chew—soft, but still able to be cut into fun shapes. Desserts often tend to be beautiful OR delicious. Having both is often elusive.
I will always go for delicious over beautiful. That’s my promise to you.
Luckily, I didn’t have to compromise on these cookies. They taste amazing and have that perfect chewy texture yet they are still easy to roll out and cut into adorable fall themed shapes! Win!
Why this recipe works
I did what I will always do for cookies: I started with the Nestle Tollhouse recipe and tweaked it. I subbed pumpkin for the eggs, baking powder for baking soda (to make up for the removal of the eggs), and added pumpkin pie spice. Super easy. The result is a cookie that puffs up just a bit without rising like a traditional chocolate chip cookie. The pumpkin especially helps create a very soft, perfectly chewy cookie.
The glaze was a bit of a whim. I decided to add just a few drops of maple extract and pumpkin pie spice and it was perfection. The combination of flavors is quintessentially fall and the textures are exactly what you want a sugar cookie to be.
Key ingredients
Flour. Always spoon it into the measuring cup then level it off with a knife or straight edge.
Baking powder. Since we’re removing the eggs, baking powder is a better choice to help add some lift.
Salt. Sea salt is ideal!
Pumpkin pie spice. My husband just bought this brand and it’s a fall baker’s dream!
Butter. Be sure it’s room temp and try to use European style, if possible, as it has less water and makes a creamier, easier to mix dough.
Sugar/brown sugar. Plain sugar creates stability while the brown sugar keeps it moist and adds to the warm, fall flavors.
Pumpkin puree. Use plain, not “pie filling.”
Vanilla. Don’t use imitation!
Powdered sugar. This is for the glaze. Sift it if you live in high humidity.
Maple extract. Don’t use syrup. A small thing of maple extract can last you for years, as you only need tiny bits in any given recipe.
Heavy whipping cream. You can sub milk, but I loved the thicker, frosting like texture of using cream.
How to make pumpkin sugar cookies with maple spiced glaze
1. Whisk together dry ingredients. Sifting is optional here.
2. Cream butter and sugars. Scrape the bowl as you do this and make sure it’s light and fluffy.
3. Add pumpkin and vanilla. Mix until well combined.
4. Add dry ingredients. Do this on low and be sure not to overmix.
5. Chill. This is key so you can roll the dough out.
6. Roll out to 1/4 inch and cut shapes. Don’t roll thinner than 1/4 inch. And be sure to use fun cookie cutters!
7. Freeze 5 minutes then bake. Freezing ensures the cookie maintains its shape when baking.
8. Make the glaze and frost cooled cookies. You can adjust the glaze to taste, but don’t let it be too thin or it will drip right off the cookies.
Enjoy!
Tips and FAQ’s for this recipe
Help! My glaze is too thin
If your glaze got too thin, let it sit for a few minutes and see if it thickens a bit. If not, or if you’re pressed for time, you can add some more powdered sugar to thicken it up. However, be sure to taste it to see if you now need another dash of pumpkin pie spice or another drop (we’re talking single drops) of maple extract since the ratios may become imbalanced.
How do I get those pumpkin lines?
I made my glaze fairly thick (almost like caramel sauce or hot fudge). I then used a butter knife to spread some onto the cookie then go back and “paint” it into place in 5 swoops: two on the outer edges, two right inside that, and one in the middle. Play around with it until you like the look—there’s no right or wrong way here.
My dough is too sticky to roll out
It either needs to chill longer or you need to add more flour. Your pumpkin may have been fairly loose, so keep sprinkling more flour and rolling just a tiny bit at a time, flipping it over frequently to get flour on all sides until it rolls out. Also, be sure to roll gently, as you don’t want to squish it down (that will cause stickiness).
My dough stuck to the rolling mat
Be sure to sprinkle the mat (or counter) well with flour. Then, be sure to follow my instructions to rotate and flip the dough as you go, adding more flour as necessary. This is one of my key tips with rolling out any dough—cookie, pie, etc. It prevents the bottom absorbing all of the flour and sticking to the mat without you realizing.
How do I know when the cookies are baked?
This is a bit more difficult, as they don’t rise or spread out and they’re already brown to begin with. The color will deepen around the edges slightly, but it’s sometimes hard to tell with an oven light. What I suggest is watching to make sure the center of each cookie is fully matte in appearance. If you are using a larger cookie cutter, those may take longer to bake. If you’re using a variety of sizes, place the largest ones along the edges and the smallest ones in the center, so they bake at roughly the same speed.
How do I know if my pumpkin puree is too loose?
If your pumpkin puree is more like applesauce than mashed potatoes, it’s too thin. You can either blot it with paper towels until it holds its shape a little when scooped (like mashed potatoes) or you can add 2 tablespoons flour to the dough.
My cookie tools
Here are my must-have tools I use for making these cookies. Affiliate links provided.
Pumpkin cookie cutters (or this collection of fall cutters)
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Pumpkin Sugar Cookies with Maple Spiced Glaze
- prep time: 15-20 minutes
- chill time: 1 hour
- bake time: 10-12 minutes
- total time: 1 hour, 32 minutes
servings: about 48
Ingredients:
for the pumpkin sugar cookies
- 2 ¼ cups (306g) flour, spooned then leveled, plus more for rolling
- 1 teaspoon (5g) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (3g) sea salt
- 1 tablespoon (6g) pumpkin pie spice
- ¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter, softened*
- ½ cup (122g) plain pumpkin puree*
- ¾ cup (133g) packed light brown sugar
- ¾ cup (133g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon (13g) pure vanilla extract
for the maple spiced glaze
- 2 cups (400g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon (2g) pumpkin pie spice
- 4-6 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- up to ⅛ teaspoon maple extract (not syrup)
Instructions:
- Make the cookie dough. First, whisk together your flour, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large bowl, using a hand mixer), beat the butter on high until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.
- Add the sugars and beat on high for at least 3 minutes, until light and fluffy and only slightly grainy. Scrape the bowl as needed, at least once during this 3 minutes.
- Add the pumpkin puree and vanilla and mix until well blended, at least 1 minute.
- Add the flour mixture and beat on low just until combined. Don’t worry if there are some streaks of flour, as rolling it out takes care of that.
- Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 325F/165C. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a reusable baking mat.
- Sprinkle a clean work surface or baking mat with flour. Take about half of the dough and roll out on the mat, sprinkling more flour as needed and flipping and rotating the dough to prevent sticking and also ensure you roll it evenly. Roll to about ¼ inch thick (don’t roll too thin or the cookies will break in half once baked). Cut out in whatever shape desired, like these pumpkins or these fall shapes! Use a spatula to carefully transfer cut out cookies to your lined baking sheet.
- Freeze the tray for 5 minutes then place it directly in the oven for 10-12 minutes, until the cookie appear set (the edges will darken some and the cookies will no longer be shiny).
- Let cool on the pan 5-10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- While the cookies cool, make the glaze. Whisk everything together in a bowl until well blended, using just a handful of drops of maple extract if possible (it can be strong, so start small). Adjust to taste and desired consistency, adding more heavy cream if needed or adding more spices or maple extract, as desired. Don’t let it be so runny that it won’t stay on the cookies as it dries. I went for a thicker glaze that I spread on like butter to create a pumpkin look.
- Spread the glaze over cooled cookies and add sprinkles, as desired. My daughter insisted on using these and they were so fun!
Enjoy!
Cookies will last in an airtight container for 3-5 days (or more...they’re usually gone by this point in our house!).
*European butter is best! It has less water and makes a better cookie, in my opinion. And make sure it isn’t so soft that it’s shiny or oily. There should be a little resistance when you press your finger into it, so if it’s fully soft, put it back in the fridge for 5-10 minutes.
**If your pumpkin puree is on the loose side (more like applesauce than mashed potatoes), add 2 tablespoons flour. You could also blot it with paper towels until it holds its shape a little when scooped (like mashed potatoes).