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Yields:
8 serving(s)
Prep Time:
20 mins
Total Time:
2 hrs
Whether you prefer pumpkin, apple, pecan, or sweet potato, odds are that you’ll find some sort of pie at your Thanksgiving gathering. It’s so ubiquitous with the holiday that it inspires everything else on the dessert table, including these pumpkin pie sugar cookies. This festively decorated dessert resembles a pumpkin pie, but is actually made from shortbread cookies.
You may have previously had a cookie cake made from soft and chewy cookies like chocolate chip. By contrast, we use our recipe for shortbread cookies, which have a buttery and slightly crumbly texture. It more closely mimics a real pie crust while still retaining enough structure to be picked up and eaten with your hands (and a bonus: it’s a lot easier to make than pie dough). We season the shortbread with pumpkin pie spice to impart some of the same warm flavors we love during the holiday season.
However, the real beauty of this cookie is in the decoration. The top of each cookie is covered in a simple homemade icing tinted to look like pumpkin pie filling, but the rest of the decorations are made from convenient store-bought ingredients. Crispy meringue cookies look just like a dollop of whipped cream, and store-bought frosting is piped along the outer edges to resemble a beautifully crimped crust.
The best part about this cookie pie is that you can bake the shortbread base in advance, then decorate it on the day you’re ready to serve.
Did you try making this recipe? Let us know in the comments.
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Ingredients
Cookies:
- 1/2 cup
(1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup
(57 g.) confectioners' sugar, divided
- 1/2 tsp.
pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups
(150 g.) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 tsp.
pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 tsp.
kosher salt
Decorating
- 1/2 cup
(57 g.) confectioners' sugar
- 1 Tbsp.
whole milk
- 1 tsp.
pure vanilla extract
Kosher salt
Orange, brown, and yellow food coloring
- 8
store-bought vanilla meringue cookies
- 3/4 cup
store-bought vanilla frosting
Equipment Needed
A piping bag, a medium round tip
Directions
Cookies
- Step 1In a large bowl, using a handheld mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and confectioners’ sugar until smooth, about 2 minutes. Beat in vanilla until combined. Add flour, pumpkin pie spice, and salt and beat on medium speed until combined. If dough is still crumbly, press together with your hands into a cohesive dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, about 30 minutes.
- Step 2On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/3" thick. Place an 8" cake pan on top. Using a paring knife, cut around the circumference.
- Step 3Cut circle into 8 even slices (like cutting a pie). Arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet in a circular formation, spacing 1/4" apart. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, about 15 minutes.
- Step 4Preheat oven to 325°. Bake cookies until lightly browned on the bottom, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool.
- Step 5Make Ahead: Cookies can be made 2 days ahead. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Decorating
- Step 1In a medium bowl, mix confectioners’ sugar, milk, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Add orange and brown food coloring, one drop at a time, and stir to combine, adding more food coloring as needed, until color resembles pumpkin pie filling.
- Step 2Set a wire rack in a baking sheet. Dip top of each cookie into glaze until coated. Hold over bowl to allow excess to drip off, then turn upright and set on prepared rack.
- Step 3Place 1 meringue cookie in the center of each slice. Let icing set, about 30 minutes.
- Step 4In a small bowl, add yellow and brown food coloring to icing, one drop at a time and adding more food coloring as needed, until color resembles pie crust. Transfer frosting to piping bag fitted with medium round tip.
- Step 5On the wider end of each cookie, pipe frosting in a spiral pattern.
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