Brown Sugar Pumpkin Cutout Cookies
Buttery and tender brown sugar cutout cookies flavored with cinnamon and decorated like pumpkins with swirls of orange, pink and green butter frosting. This delicious vintage Mirro recipe came from my grandmother’s cookie cutter collection.
Servings 18 cookies
Ingredients
For the Cookies
- ¾ cup salted butter, softened softened
- 1 cup lightly packed brown sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For the Butter Frosting
- ½ cup salted butter softened
- 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 6 tablespoons heavy cream
- Orange, pink and green food coloring, as desired
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar until light and creamy. Add the egg and beat until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, then finish mixing the flour into the dough by hand. Divide the dough in half and wrap each portion in parchment paper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to about ¼-inch thickness. Cut it into pumpkin shapes and place the cookies about 1 inch apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Or as an alternate method, roll cookie between two pieces of parchment paper.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the cookies are set and the edges are just beginning to turn golden. Let them cool on the cookie sheets for 2 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Beat the butter until creamy. Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and enough cream to make a pipeable frosting. Reserve a small amount and tint it green. Divide the remaining frosting between two bowls, tinting one orange and the other pink.
- Transfer the frosting to three pastry bags fitted with #21 open-star tis. Pipe curved orange or pink lines from the top to the bottom of each pumpkin. Pipe a small green stem on top. Let the frosting set before serving or storing. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If refrigerated, let them come to room temperature before serving.
- Yield: 18 cookies when using a 3½ × 2½-inch pumpkin cookie cutter. The vintage Mirro pumpkin cookie cutter I used is red plastic and measures approximately 3½ × 2½ inches.
Notes
Note: If you prefer not to pipe the frosting, simply spread it over the cookies with a small offset spatula or butter knife. In this case, you can halve the frosting recipe.
Also, if you don’t care for cinnamon, omit it and add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or ½ teaspoon almond extract to the cookie dough instead.
Also, if you don’t care for cinnamon, omit it and add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or ½ teaspoon almond extract to the cookie dough instead.