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Cinnamon spiced sugar cookies with browned butter frosting…shaped like cute little pumpkins, because it’s basically October and time for all things pumpkin.
Happy Friday everyone!! Hoping you’ve all had a great week. I had an interesting day on Wednesday. I went down to Denver late in the afternoon to fly out to LA to film for Hallmark Home and Family and ended up back at home that same night. Let me explain, we were about to leave the gate when we were told there were mechanical issues and the plane could not fly. Totally not fun, but better known on the ground than in the air!
I made a call to the super nice people at Hallmark to explain the situation and they were so sweet about my travel mishaps. They offered to simply Facetime the interview, and even agreed to reschedule a live interview when I’m in town in mid October. I had such a fun time doing the Facebook interview (it airs this morning, so tune in to Hallmark!), and am feeling just so grateful for all these amazing opportunities.
WATCH HOW-TO VIDEO:
Okay, on to these cookies, they are basically fall in a cookie…well, almost. There’s no actual pumpkin in these cookies. One, I have so many pumpkin recipes coming up that I didn’t feel as though these cookies needed to have pumpkin included in the them. Two, I also didn’t want to start in on the pumpkin recipes too early. Personally, I can start to get a little bit of a pumpkin overdose before Thanksgiving is even over, and I’ve decided I’m not letting that happen this year.
So long story short, I’m trying to pace myself with the pumpkin recipes this year. I’m going to try to slowly roll them out…but don’t worry, I have one all set for you guys next week!
ps. I just realized, I already cheated with this pumpkin beer broccoli cheddar soup from earlier this week…
Anyway, I made these cookies, kind of on a whim, last week. Normally I try to have my blog recipes pretty planned out, but sometimes an idea comes to mind that either sounds so good or so fun to create that I just have to do it that very day.
That’s what happened with these cookies. It was kind of a dreary, moody day…and very Halloweeny. I just felt like making something cute and pumpkin shaped was appropriate. I’ve already shared my very favorite sugar cookies with you guys, but then I thought about making more of an autumn style sugar cookie, and these cinnamon spiced sugar cookies immediately came to mind.
Of course, I had to make them in the shape of pumpkins.
Like my favorite sugar cookie recipe, these are extremely easy to make. The only real difference is the addition of cinnamon and nutmeg. Adding cinnamon to a sugar cookie might not sound all that amazing, but trust me it is so good. It’s basically like cinnamon toast, but in a buttery, soft sugar cookie form.
And, as if the cookie alone was not enough, I went ahead and added a browned butter frosting. And then, to really seal the deal, I added the lightest dusting of cinnamon sugar. In full disclosure I added the cinnamon sugar more for a glittery look on my cookies, but I’m not going to lie, it was pretty delicious.
OKAY, now here’s the thing. I am no professional cookie decorator. I may or may not have worked hours (seriously hours) on trying to make these cookies look like cute pumpkins, but the funny thing is, the look of the cookies you see here is not originally what I was going for at all. Nope, I was actually trying to make them look like real pumpkins. But you know what? Turns out that I love how these cookies ended up. I didn’t use any food dye and this simple design only takes minutes to create. It’s natural, rustic, and very me. Yes, kind of loving them.
Also, the frosting…oh my gosh…THE BEST. And yes, that needed to be in all caps. The cookies are truly amazing on their own. They’re soft, sweet, and loaded with cinnamon flavor. But let’s be real, what is a sugar cookie without frosting, you know?
The frosting adds that special final touch, and well, it’s just delicious. The toasted brown butter and extra pinch of cinnamon just screams fall. Meaning you need to make these cookies this weekend and then every weekend from now until December. Oh, and when December hits, turn them into christmas shaped cookies! YES. DO THAT.
Cinnamon Spiced Sugar Cookies with Browned Butter Frosting
Servings: 60 cookies
Calories Per Serving: 129 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Browned Butter Frosting
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) salted butter
- 2 cups confectioners sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- cinnamon sugar, for sprinkling
Instructions
- 1. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix until evenly combined. Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt, beating until combined and the dough forms a ball.2. Generously flour your work surface. Divide the dough in half and flatten each half into a disk. Roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Make sure you are using enough flour or your dough will stick. Cut out the cookies into your desired shapes. Carefully transfer the cookies to a parchment lined baking sheet. Cover the baking sheet and place the sheet in the freezer, freeze until very firm, about 15-20 minutes. Roll out the leftover scraps, and repeat with the remaining disk of dough.3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake the cookies on the middle rack of the oven for 8-12 minutes (for soft cookies) or until just lightly golden brown. Do not over bake. Cool on the baking sheet five minutes and then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.4. To make the frosting. Add the butter to medium pot. Allow the butter to brown lightly until it smells toasted, about 2-3 minutes. Stir often. Remove from the heat and let cool 5 minutes. Whisk in the powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons water, the vanilla, and cinnamon until smooth, adding 1 tablespoon of water to think the frosting as needed. If the frosting gets too thin, just add a little more sugar and if it gets too thick, add a splash of water. The frosting should be thin enough to drizzle, but think enough to hold it's shape.5. Frost each cooled cookie. If making pumpkins, I used melted chocolate to draw on the pumpkin "leaves". Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon sugar. Keep cookies covered in an air tight container for up to 4 days.
Cookies today…tomorrow we kick off “spooky” cocktail Saturday!
These literally are my new favorite! Love the light spiced cookie with the sweet and nutty frosting!
Hey there,
Happy Wednesday! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xxT
I found them a bit bland. I doubled the amount of spices after tasting the dough, but I still found them too bland for me.
Hey there,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear they were not enjoyed! xT
Sugar cookie dough generally should taste bland…its all about the frosting with sugar cookies.
Where is the video? It says that it does not exist. These cookies look delicious!
Hi Lila,
So sorry, I no longer have access to this video. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
I made these over the holidays, and they were a fan favorite that were loved by all! Def love the spice flavor from the cinnamon and nutmeg, which makes it an exceptional cookie. I decided not to do the glaze just because we tend to not like frosting on things, but I may try it the next time I make them, as there WILL BE a next time for these cookies in my house!
Hi Nadia,
Awesome! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thank you for making it! xxT
Does the cookie spread?
Hey Renee,
You really don’t want these to spread much so they can hold their shape:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
2 fairly important things are missing from this recipe. First, is the size of the cookie cutters I apparently used ones that were too big as I only got 24 cookies out of a recipe that promises 60. Second is the temperature that you brown the butter at. The cookies were delicious and I usually love the recipes on this site but a read through would have probably been a good idea before posting.
2 fairly important things are missing from this recipe. First, is the size of the cookie cutters I apparently used ones that were too big as I only got 24 cookies out of a recipe that promises 60. Second is the temperature that you brown the butter at. The cookies were delicious and I usually love the recipes on this site but a read through would have probably been a good idea before posting.
Ohhhhh my GOOOODNESS THESE ARE THE BEST!!
I will definitely be adding this to my FALL COLLECTION of cookies to have for Thanksgiving. The cookie by itself is WONDERFUL, then you add the icing….. I THINK I COULD LITERALLY EAT EVERY SINGLE ONE AT ONE SETTING AND NEVER FEEL GUILTY….
Thank you for sharing…
Hi Sheila,
Awesome!! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! Have a great weekend:) xTieghan
These turned out pretty good! I didn’t brown the butter for the frosting but still used the same recipe. The only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars was the lack of metric measurements. It was a little hard to figure out how much butter was needed as I halved the recipe and grams would have been more user friendly. I ended up using 150gm for the cookies and 50gm for the frosting.
Hi! I am sorry about that! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you, Keerthani! xTieghan
Will this frosting harden, or does it stay soft? I’d like to try these for Christmas and I’m wondering if they will stack up well.
They look sooo good.
Hi Sara,
The frosting is soft, but you could layer your cookies with wax paper. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Can you freeze these
Hi Breanne,
Sure, I don’t see why that wouldn’t work for you! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
Delicious! Made these yesterday and was surprised at how flavorful and different these tasted! The cookies were soft and delicious and the icing was to die for, although mine turned out a lot darker than the image here. Will be making these again during the Christmas season with a holiday twist! thank you!
Thank you so much Victoria!! xTieghan
My dough was really soft when I tried to roll it out – any tips??
Hey Jessica,
So sorry you had issues with the dough. Can you tell me if you adjusted the recipe at all? You can always pop in the fridge for a bit. Let me know how I can help:) xTieghan
I made these and they were amazing! It took me a little bit to get the frosting right ( I accidentally had the butter warm when I mixed it and everything kind of curdled), but it was worth it in the end! I used little bat and coffin cookie cutters. I can’t wait to make again!
So cute!! I am so happy these turned out so well for you, Sofia! Thank you! xTieghan
Hi! I tried to look through the comments to see if this was already asked but didn’t find anything – do you think you could add food coloring to the icing and it would still be good? TIA – can’t wait to make these!
Hey Yvette,
Yes I think adding food coloring would be totally fine. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I Loved These!!!! Would you be able to make this dough and freeze it? If so how long would you freeze it?
Hi Saf! Yes, of course you can do that! I would freeze for up to 3 months or so. I hope you enjoy these cookies! Please let me know how they turn out for you! xTieghan
Made them for Christmas, without the icing, and they were delicious! I can’t wait try other cookies recipes!
I hope you love them all Camille!! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas! xTieghan
I am SO IMPRESSED with this recipe! The browned butter icing turned out to be one of the most delicious icings I’ve had, ever! If you’re on the fence about making these, DO IT. You will find yourself with a new favorite cookie.
I am so glad you loved this recipe Grace! Thank you so much for trying it! xTieghan