..And pumpkin season officially begins! Who's excited? I have been thinking up so many pumpkin dessert ideas for you guys, so I for one, can't wait! Today, I'm sharing a cookie that doesn't include actual pumpkin as an ingredient but it is packed with delicious pumpkin spice flavor and has a crazy good cream cheese frosting to match.
I created this cookie for OXO's Good Cookie Campaign, a campaign dedicated to raising awareness and funds for pediatric cancer research. Besides marking the start of pumpkin season, September is also Childhood Cancer Awareness month. And each year, OXO hosts a program in support of this cause. For this post you are reading and the many others you will see popping up this month, OXO will donate $100 to the non-profit organization, Cookies for Kids Cancer.
And they're not stopping there. OXO will also be donating 25 cents for every specially stickered OXO item sold, so keep a look out for a bright green sticker at participating retailers. You'll see a couple of OXO items in this post, from their medium silicone spatula that I used for gathering up my cookie dough, to their cupcake icing knife that I used for frosting the cookies.
Sugar cookies have honestly always been sort of a hit or miss for me, even though they have literally the most basic ingredients ever. The biggest tip I can give you all, is one I'm quoting from Bridget, the queen of sugar cookies herself. Don't fear the flour! Really, don't. Also, don't forget to freeze your cookies before baking. That is essential. It keeps them from spreading in the oven, which is an issue I always run into.
Just so you know, pumpkin spice cookies make your house smell like heaven when they're in the oven. And you'll most likely want to skip the decorating and just eat them all when they're nice and warm. But DON'T. The whipped cream cheese frosting makes them. If you're not a fan of royal icing, which most people aren't, this frosting will be your everything. It goes on smooth and perfect and pipes beautifully too. I used OXO's cupcake icing knife for both the swirl designs and the petal designs. You may recognize the petal technique from this cake I made last year. It came out slightly different on the cookie, but still pretty. And you only need a piping bag and spatula to make it!
For a couple of the cookies I decorated, I used a doily to create a pattern out of cinnamon. OXO's dusting wand would have been perfect for this job but I didn't have one handy! In any case, I think these cookies came out exactly the way I wanted them, and I'm so happy that I was able to have a hand in this wonderful campaign and furthermore, bake a difference in these childrens' lives!
Pumpkin Spice Cut-Out Cookies
Yield: About 2 dozen cookies
Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold, cut into chunks
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
pinch of vanilla powder (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
For the whipped cream cheese frosting:
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup powdered sugar
pinch of vanilla powder (or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract)
3/4 cup heavy cream, cold
Directions:
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, pumpkin pie spice, and baking powder to combine. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth. Add sugars and beat until well-combined and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. With mixer on low speed, gradually pour in dry ingredients and beat until just combined. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead in any extra bits of flour that didn't get incorporated. Divide the dough into two balls, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes,
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
After the dough has chilled, roll it out onto lightly floured wax or parchment paper. Cut out into desired shapes. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Before baking, freeze cut out shapes for 5 minutes. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are light golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack.
To prepare the cream cheese frosting, place softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. With mixer on medium speed, stream in heavy cream until fully incorporated and frosting thickens up.
Decorate cookies as desired.
Disclosure: I was provided with products from OXO at no cost in exchange for this post. No additional compensation was provided and all opinions, as always, are my own. Thank you for supporting brands that help make this blog possible.
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