Roly Poly Pumpkin Cookies with Cinnamon Maple Frosting
Festive, easy, and cute. Fun to bake, delicious to eat, these pumpkin-shaped cookies make a great homemade gift!
Servings: 16 pumpkin cookies
Calories: 395kcal
Ingredients
- 2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1-2 teaspoons orange food coloring see notes
Frosting
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1/2– 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Add the egg and beat until combined. Add the flour, and salt, beat until combined and the dough begins to form a ball.3. Remove 1/2 cup of the dough and set aside. With the remaining dough, add in 1 teaspoon orange food coloring, adding more if needed for better color. Keep in mind that the color will darken over time. If the dough is feeling wet, add 2-3 tablespoons flour. 4. From the orange cookie dough, make 5 (1 teaspoon size) balls. From the plain cookie dough, make 1 (1/2 teaspoon size) ball. 5. On the prepared baking sheet, roll the orange balls into rounded ovals, kind of the shape of an eggplant, fatter at the bottom and skinnier up on top. Arrange the pieces side by side, making a rough pumpkin shape. Next, attach the plain dough ball at the top, shaping the dough upward as a stem. Repeat with remaining dough. Arrange the cookies 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. If desired, you can take a similar size pumpkin cookie cutter and fit your cookie inside the cutter to help form a better pumpkin shape (see above photos). 6. Freeze 10 minutes. Bake the pumpkins for 12-15 minutes, until lightly golden.7. To make the frosting. Melt together the butter and maple syrup in a small pot over medium heat. Remove from the heat and whisk in the powdered sugar and cinnamon.8. To decorate. Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a small tip. Or, take a ziplock bag and snip a very small portion of the corner off the bag. Decorate as desired.
Notes
Orange Food Coloring: To make orange food coloring, mix 25 drops of red food coloring and 8 drops yellow food coloring.
Storing: the frosting will set up, but it's best to store these cookies in a single layer in an airtight container. If using these cookies to fill a cookie box, place a piece of wax or parchment paper between each cookie to help protect them, then carefully stack the cookies, or line them up side by side.
Freezing: unfrosted cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw, then decorate as directed.
Nutrition
Calories: 395kcal