Fall Themed Sugar Cookie

It’s been a while since I’ve baked sugar cookies, but with Fall in full swing, and new cookie cutter shapes in the shop, last week was the perfect time for a new design! Using a 10″ stand cutter I made a fall themed pumpkin stand cookie, with chocolate cookie dough instead of classic sugar cookie dough for contrast in color and flavor. The chocolate cookie was a lovely match for the soft peach and white royal icing on the stand design and was such a tasty choice for the season! Decoratively this fall sugar cookie is not only pretty to display, but also provides all the fall inspiration you need to create a fun fall themed sugar cookie of your own! 

FALL THEMED PUMPKIN STAND SUGAR COOKIE

A 10″ Chocolate sugar cookie decorated to look like a contemporary pumpkin stand, complete with royal icing piped pumpkins, a chalkboard sign and black and white awning.

this recipe

DECORATING LARGE SUGAR COOKIES

The large size of this cookie makes it so much easier to decorate with royal icing! Similar to a drawing, use edible ink pens to draw a design onto the blank cookie and then trace it with piped royal icing. Once piped, fill the cookie with thinned flood icing. Then add all the decorative details, such as the royal icing pumpkins, stems and edible gold. You actually might find the large cookies easier to work with than a typical 4″ sized cookie because there’s so much open space! Possibilities are endless for creating any fall themed design you can dream up!

This unique shape and more can be found in my online shop! I have the link below at the bottom of the post.

HOW TO MAKE ROYAL ICING

A cookie is not complete without royal icing! It is easy to make with meringue powder, icing sugar, extract or flavoring of choice, food coloring and warm water. I like to start by whisking the meringue powder and water together in a stand mixer until it thickens, then stir in the icing sugar and extract. Once fully combined, the icing becomes thick like toothpaste. This icing consistency is perfect for piping and outlining cookies and for adding decorative designs. Add water to thin out the icing for flooding consistency.

NEXT STEPS

When the thick icing is ready, the next step is to divide it into separate bowls to color it in all the shades you need. For this pumpkin stand I needed, two shades of orange, brown, black and green, so I divided the thick icing into 5 separate bowls and colored each until the desired hue was achieved. You’ll want to fit at least two piping bags with open star tips, such as 4B and 32 from Wilton to create the pumpkins. If you need the icing to be thinned out for flooding, transfer what you need for piping to the piping bags and then add drops of water to the colored icing until thinned and the 5 second flood consistency is achieved.

ROYAL ICING CONSISTENCY

The consistency I prefer for thin or flood royal icing is 5 second icing. This means that any lines in the stirred icing take 5 seconds to smooth out. This tends to be the perfect texture for evenly covering cookies in icing.

HOW TO PIPE ROYAL ICING PUMPKINS

To pipe the pumpkin shapes with royal icing, you’ll need a decorative star tip. I prefer Wilton Tips 4B and 32, or similar. 4B is a larger tip and 32 is smaller. Using the thick paste-like royal icing,  pipe several tight sideways “S” onto the cookie in the desired colors. Create stems on the pumpkin with brown icing and repeat steps until you’ve covered the cookie with the pumpkins. Watch the video below for a visual.

Chocolate Pumpkin Stand Sugar Cookie

• Author: Posh Little Designs
• Prep Time: 20
• Cook Time: 6 minutes
• Total Time: 26 minutes
• Yield: 2 10" cookies or 2 dozen per batch 1x
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: Sugar Cookies

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Description

Delicious 10″ chocolate sugar cookies for fall, decorated with royal icing. Dairy and gluten free option.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

FOR THE CHOCOLATE SUGAR COOKIES:

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour (or gluten free 1 to 1)

1/4 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup confectioners sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup vegan butter (or regular butter)

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract (look for gluten free)

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp espresso powder

1/2 tsp salt

FOR THE ROYAL ICING:

3 cups confectioners sugar

3 tablespoons quality meringue powder

1/4 cup warm water (plus extra warm water for thinning a few drops at a time)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract or flavoring of choice (gluten free option)

Orange, Brown and Black food coloring

Additional supplies:

Star tips 32 and 4B

Tipless piping bags

Edible black pen

Edible gold paint

Scribe/Toothpick

Powdered sugar

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Instructions

FOR THE 10″ CHOCOLATE SUGAR COOKIES:

1. Pour measured flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder and salt into a bowl and mix until combined. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix vegan butter and both sugars together until well combined.
3. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the edges of the bowl.
4. Beat the egg and vanilla extract into the butter and sugars until smooth.
5. Pour flour and cocoa powder mixture into the butter, egg and sugar on medium.
6. Mix until the the cookie dough forms and attaches to the paddle.
7. The mixing bowl should be mostly clean when the dough is ready to roll out.
8. No chilling required!
9. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
10. Lightly flour a rolling pin and a sheet of parchment paper.
11. Roll out the chocolate sugar cookie dough onto a sheet of parchment about 1/4 ” thick.
12. Cut the dough with the 10″ shape, or any shape of choice.
13. Remove the excess dough surrounding the cut shape, then transfer the cookies on parchment to the oven.
14. Bake in the middle rack for 5-7 minutes.
15. Remove from oven and cool completely before decorating with royal icing.
16. Repeat steps for remaining dough or cut the remaining dough into smaller shapes. Bake smaller cookies for 4-5 minutes max.
17. Cookies are over-baked with the edges or bottoms are brown.

FOR THE ROYAL ICING:

1. Prep 2 piping bags with star tips. I use 4B and 32
2. Combine water and meringue powder in the bowl of a stand mixer.
3. Add extract and whisk on medium high for about 2-3 minutes.
4. Mix in confectioners sugar until combined.
5. The icing will be very thick. Add warm water a few drops at a time until the icing is the consistency of toothpaste. This is for piping.
6. Divide the thick toothpaste like icing into 4 bowls leaving a portion of the white icing remaining in the mixing bowl. Add 1/2 drop of orange coloring for peach icing to bowl 1, one full drop of orange coloring to bowl 2 and 1 drop brown coloring to bowl 3. Add black food coloring (powdered works well) to bowl 4 until desired colors are achieved.
7. Mix well. 
8. Transfer orange and peach icing to piping bags fitted with star tips. Seal closed.
9. Transfer brown icing to a tipless icing bag. Seal closed.
10. Thin out black royal icing to 5 second flood consistency. Transfer to a tipless piping bag and seal closed.
11. Transfer 1/3 of the remaining white icing in mixing bowl to a tipless piping bag. This is for outlining. 
12. Then thin remaining white icing in the mixing bowl with a few drops of warm water at a time.
13. Use a dropper or even a spray bottle to achieve the 5 second icing consistency.
14. If you run a spatula through the icing it should take around 5 seconds for the lines to disappear. That’s when you know it’s ready!
15. Transfer white flood icing to a tipless piping bag and seal closed.

DECORATING THE SUGAR COOKIES:

1. Draw the design onto the sugar cookie using an edible pen.
2. Snip the tip of the white thick piping bag and outline the design with the thick royal icing.
3. Then fill each outlined area of the cookie with white flood icing, squeezing the icing from the piped edge, inward. 
4. For the awning, alternate black and white flood icing and use black flood icing to fill in the chalkboard.
5. Use a toothpick or scribe to quickly pop any air bubbles in the icing and to evenly blend.
6. Repeat steps until each area of the outlined cookie is filled in.
7. Set aside to dry for at least two hours. Then add the decorative details.
8. To make the pumpkins, use the thick peach and orange icing and pipe sideways “S” in a variety of sizes on the cookie, until the stand is filled with the piped pumpkins.
9. Add brown icing to each of the pumpkins to create the stems.
10. Dust the blackboard with powdered sugar to create the look of a chalkboard.
11. Pipe the words “pumpkins” onto the chalkboard sign.
12. Paint outlined areas of the cookie with edible gold for an elegant touch. 
13. Set aside to dry for at least 1 more hour.
14. Serve this oversized cookie at your next fall party!

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Notes

Store the cookie in an airtight container. It will keep fresh for 2-3 days. Or freeze for up to 6 months.

Keywords: chocolate sugar cookies, fall sugar cookies, creative cookies for fall, fall cookie decorating, pumpkin sugar cookies, unique sugar cookies, pumpkin cookie ideas, cookie baking, royal icing, decorating with royal icing, how to make royal icing

This sweet fall cookie would be an amazing addition to your autumn and halloween themed celebrations! It would also be a fun conversational and decorative piece for guests to enjoy!

Although beautiful to look at, the festive cookie will be enjoyed even more when eaten! The chocolate cookie tastes amazing with royal icing and is such a delicious combination for the time of year!

It’ll serve up to 8 people and can be cut into multiple slices.

Hopefully you’re now feeling inspired enough to give fall cookie baking and decorating a try! This specific cookie cutter comes in 2 sizes. 9.5″ and 4″. Be sure to visit my shop over on Etsy for these fall shapes more!

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