Are you looking for a fun, festive, and absolutely delicious baking project to create with your family this Thanksgiving season? These incredible Spiced Thanksgiving Sugar Cookies, with their perfect, no-spread texture and easy, professional-quality royal icing, are the perfect answer! They are a wonderful way to fill your home with the cozy aromas of fall and create a new, sweet tradition.
This isn’t just a recipe; it’s your ultimate guide to mastering the art of the perfect holiday cut-out cookie. We’ll show you the simple, foolproof secrets to a sugar cookie dough that holds its shape beautifully, and how to make a classic royal icing that is perfect for decorating. This is a fun, creative, and rewarding project for bakers of all ages and a wonderful treat to share with friends and family.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Recipe Overview: The Perfect Holiday Baking Project
What makes these Thanksgiving Sugar Cookies so special is their wonderful, warm spice flavor and their perfect texture for decorating. The cookie dough is infused with a classic pumpkin pie spice blend, and it’s a fantastic “no-spread” recipe, meaning your beautiful leaf and pumpkin shapes will come out of the oven just as sharp as when they went in. The easy, meringue-powder-based royal icing is the perfect, smooth canvas for all your creative decorating ideas.
| Metric | Time / Level |
| Total Time | 2 hours 30 minutes (includes chilling) |
| Active Prep Time | 45 minutes |
| Difficulty Level | Easy |
| Servings | About 3 dozen cookies |
The Essential Ingredients for These Festive Cookies
This recipe is made from two simple, from-scratch components.
- The “No-Spread” Spiced Sugar Cookie Dough:
- Cold Butter: Unlike many cookie recipes, this one starts with cold butter, which is a key secret to a dough that doesn’t spread in the oven. The food processor cuts the cold butter into the flour, creating a tender, almost shortbread-like texture.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: A classic, cozy blend of warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves that instantly gives the cookies a signature, irresistible “fall” flavor.
- The Binders (Egg & Vanilla): These classic ingredients add richness and flavor to the dough.
- The Perfect Royal Icing for Decorating: This is the classic, professional-style icing that dries to a hard, matte finish, making it perfect for detailed decorating, packaging, and stacking.
- Meringue Powder: This is the key ingredient for a safe and easy royal icing. Meringue powder is a fine, white powder made from dried, pasteurized egg whites, sugar, and stabilizers. It’s a fantastic, shelf-stable substitute for raw egg whites and it creates a very stable, reliable icing. You can find it in the baking aisle of most major grocery stores or at a craft store.
- Confectioners’ Sugar: Also known as powdered sugar, this is the base of our icing. Sifting it is a key step for a perfectly smooth result.
Step-by-Step to the Perfect Thanksgiving Cookies
This is a fun and rewarding baking project. Let’s break it down into simple, manageable parts.
Part 1: Make and Chill the Spiced Sugar Cookie Dough
Step 1: In the bowl of a food processor, add the 1 cup of granulated sugar and pulse a few times to grind it into a finer texture. Add the 2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour, the 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice, the 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder, and the 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Pulse just to combine.
Step 2: Add the cold, cubed butter and pulse until all the butter is incorporated into the flour and the mixture has a sandy texture.
Step 3: Add the beaten egg and the 1 teaspoon of vanilla and pulse until the dough begins to come together in large clumps.
Step 4: Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and knead it just a few times to form a smooth ball. Divide the dough in half, pat each half into a 1/4-inch thick disc, wrap them in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, for at least 1 hour.
Pro Tip: This chilling step is non-negotiable! It is the number one secret to a “no-spread” cut-out cookie. It allows the butter to re-solidify and the gluten to relax.
Part 2: Roll, Cut, and Bake the Cookies
Step 1: Position an oven rack in the middle of your oven and preheat to 350°F (175°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Step 2: Let one of your chilled dough discs sit at room temperature for a few minutes to make it slightly easier to roll.
Step 3: Place the disc of dough between two large pieces of parchment paper and roll it out to a uniform 1/8-inch thickness.
Pro Tip: Rolling the dough between parchment paper is a brilliant, no-mess trick that prevents the dough from sticking to your rolling pin and eliminates the need to add extra flour, which can make your cookies tough.
Step 4: Using your desired, fall-themed cookie cutters (like leaves, pumpkins, or acorns), cut out your shapes and arrange them on one of the prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart.
Step 5: Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the bottoms of the cookies are a light golden brown. The tops should still be pale.
Step 6: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes until they are firm enough to transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat the rolling, cutting, and baking process with the remaining disc of dough. You can gently gather any scraps, press them back into a disc, and chill and re-roll them once.
Part 3: The Perfect Royal Icing for Decorating
In a large bowl, sift together the 2 tablespoons of meringue powder and the 1-pound box of confectioners’ sugar.
Add 6 tablespoons of water. Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the mixture for 3 to 4 minutes, until it is very glossy and soft peaks form.
If you are using food coloring, you can now divide the icing into several small bowls and color each batch with your desired shades of fall colors (like orange, red, yellow, and brown).
Part 4: Decorate Your Thanksgiving Masterpieces!
This is the most fun part, and it’s a perfect activity to do with kids!
Once your cookies are completely cool, you can decorate them as you desire. You can use a small offset spatula to spread the icing on top, or you can transfer the icing to piping bags to create more detailed designs.
While the icing is still wet, you can add your favorite decorations, like festive sanding sugar, candy corns, or toasted pecans.
Let the decorated cookies sit at room temperature for several hours to allow the royal icing to dry completely hard.
The Best Spiced Thanksgiving Sugar Cookies (Easy Recipe!)
A festive recipe for spiced, cut-out sugar cookies perfect for Thanksgiving. The cookie dough is a simple butter cookie, flavored with pumpkin pie spice, which is easily made in a food processor. The dough is chilled, rolled out, and cut into desired shapes before baking until golden. The cooled cookies are then decorated with a homemade royal icing, which is made with meringue powder for a classic hard-finish, perfect for detailed decorating with candies and sprinkles.
- Prep Time: 2 hours (includes chilling time)
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours 15 minutes (includes cooling time)
- Yield: 24–36 cookies 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- For the Cookies:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into small pieces
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- For the Royal Icing:
- 2 tablespoons meringue powder
- One 1-pound box confectioners’ sugar (3 3/4 to 4 cups)
- 6 tablespoons water
- Food coloring, as desired
- For Decorating Suggestions:
- Candy corns
- Pecans
- Sanding sugar
Instructions
- Make the Cookie Dough: In a food processor, pulse the granulated sugar a few times to make it finer. Add the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, and salt; pulse to combine.
- Add the butter and pulse until the mixture is sandy. Add the egg and vanilla and pulse until the dough comes together in large clumps.
- Turn the dough out onto a surface, knead a few times to form a ball, then divide it in half. Pat each half into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour until firm.
- Bake the Cookies: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Working with one disc at a time, let the dough sit at room temperature for a few minutes. Roll it out between two pieces of parchment paper to 1/8-inch thickness.
- Cut out shapes with desired cookie cutters and arrange them about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the bottoms of the cookies are golden brown. Let them cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the Royal Icing and Decorate: Sift the meringue powder and confectioners’ sugar into a large bowl. Add 6 tablespoons of water.
- Beat with an electric mixer on medium-high speed for 3 to 4 minutes, until the icing is glossy and forms soft peaks.
- Divide the icing into smaller bowls and tint with food coloring as desired.
- Decorate the cooled cookies with the icing and other decorations like candy corn and sprinkles.
Notes
- Chilling the dough for at least an hour is a crucial step that makes it easier to roll and helps the cookies hold their shape during baking.
- Rolling the dough between two sheets of parchment paper is a helpful, less-messy alternative to using a floured board.
- Royal icing made with meringue powder dries hard, making the cookies stackable and durable.
- The finished cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 180-220
- Sugar: 20-25 g
- Sodium: 80-110 mg
- Fat: 7-10 g
- Saturated Fat: 4-6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 25-30 g
- Fiber: <1 g
- Protein: 2-3 g
- Cholesterol: 25-35 mg
Storage and Make-Ahead Tips
These Spiced Thanksgiving Sugar Cookies are a fantastic treat to make ahead for the busy holiday season.
- Make-Ahead: The raw cookie dough can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored, well-wrapped, in the refrigerator, or you can freeze the raw dough discs for up to 3 months. The baked, undecorated cookies can also be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week, or frozen for up to 3 months, before you decorate them.
- Storage: The finished, decorated cookies, once the icing has completely hardened, can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. They also stack beautifully for gifting once the icing is dry.
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Creative Recipe Variations
This wonderful and festive cookie is a perfect base for your own delicious and creative twists.
- Use a Different Classic Spice Blend: If you’re not a fan of pumpkin pie spice, you can create your own blend. A simple mix of 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger would be a fantastic, classic alternative.
- Add a Bright Citrus Zest: For a beautiful, bright, and fragrant note that is wonderful with the warm spices, you can add the finely grated zest of one large orange to the dry ingredients in your food processor.
- Make a Simple Glaze Icing Instead: If you don’t want to make a royal icing, you can make a very simple glaze. Simply whisk together 1 cup of confectioners’ sugar with about 2 to 3 tablespoons of milk or lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract until you have a smooth, drizzly consistency.
Enjoy Your Fun and Festive Thanksgiving Treat!
You’ve just created a wonderfully fun, creative, and delicious cookie that is sure to be the star of your Thanksgiving dessert table. These Spiced Thanksgiving Sugar Cookies are a perfect harmony of a classic, buttery sugar cookie and the warm, cozy flavors of fall. It’s a sweet and simple way to celebrate the season and create lasting memories with your family.
We hope you and your family love making—and eating—this adorable new tradition!
If you enjoyed making this recipe, please leave a comment below or share it with a friend who is looking for a fun holiday baking project!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1: What is the absolute secret to making cut-out sugar cookies that don’t spread?
The number one, non-negotiable secret is chilling your dough. This recipe smartly has you chill the dough twice: once after it is mixed, and then again after you have rolled and cut it (while the first batch is baking). Chilling the dough ensures that the butter is very firm when the cookies go into the hot oven. This allows the cookie to set its shape before the butter has a chance to melt completely, which is what prevents spreading.
Q2: What is meringue powder, and where can I find it? Meringue powder
is a fine, white powder made from dried, pasteurized egg whites, sugar, and stabilizers. It is a fantastic, shelf-stable, and food-safe substitute for using raw egg whites in a classic royal icing. It creates a very stable and reliable icing that dries hard and is perfect for decorating. You can find it in the baking aisle of most major grocery stores or at a craft store like Michaels or Jo-Ann.
Q3: Can I make the cookie dough ahead of time and freeze it?
Yes, absolutely! This is a great time-saving trick for holiday baking. You can prepare the cookie dough, wrap the discs tightly in a double layer of plastic wrap, and place them in a freezer-safe, resealable bag. The dough will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you are ready to use it, simply thaw it overnight in the refrigerator.
Q4: What is the best way to store the finished, decorated sugar cookies?
Once the royal icing has been allowed to dry and harden completely at room temperature (which can take several hours), the finished cookies can be stored in an airtight container. You can stack them with layers of parchment paper in between. They will stay fresh and crisp at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Q5: Can I make this cookie dough by hand if I don’t have a food processor?
Yes, you can. To make the dough by hand, you would start with room temperature butter instead of cold butter. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to “cream” together the softened butter and the sugar until they are light and fluffy. Then, beat in the egg and the vanilla. Finally, on a low speed, mix in the dry ingredients until the dough just comes together. This will result in a slightly softer cookie, but it will still be delicious.