These gluten-free pumpkin pie spice cookies are soft cut-out sugar cookies flavored with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. The pumpkin pie spice gives them a warm, cozy flavor that works for any occasion from holiday parties to everyday baking. The dough is easy to work with, rolls out smoothly, and holds its shape during baking, which makes them perfect for decorating with royal icing.
You can make these cookies plain or decorate them with royal icing in any design you want. The recipe includes instructions for classic royal icing and tips for creating smooth, professional-looking decorated cookies. The cookies stay soft for several days when stored properly, and the dough can be made ahead and frozen for up to 3 months.
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
Ingredient Notes
- Butter – Use softened butter at room temperature, not melted. Softened butter should be soft enough to press your finger into but still hold its shape. This ensures the cookies have the right texture and don’t spread too much during baking.
- Powdered Sugar – Powdered sugar creates a more tender cookie than granulated sugar. It dissolves completely into the butter, giving you a smoother dough that’s easier to roll out. Don’t substitute with granulated sugar or the texture will be different.
- Gluten-Free Flour Blend – Use a 1-to-1 gluten-free baking flour blend like Bob’s Red Mill, which contains xanthan gum. Do not use single flours like rice flour or almond flour, they won’t work the same way.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice – You can use store-bought pumpkin pie spice or make your own blend. Homemade pumpkin pie spice typically combines cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice. Either option works perfectly in these cookies.
- Meringue Powder for Royal Icing – Meringue powder is essential for making royal icing that dries hard and smooth. It’s a dried egg white product that’s shelf-stable and safe to eat without cooking. Look for it in the baking aisle or cake decorating section.
- Gel Food Coloring – Use gel food coloring rather than liquid food coloring for royal icing. Gel colors are more concentrated and won’t thin out your icing. Americolor brand is gluten-free and gives vibrant colors with just a small amount.
Tip
The dough needs to chill before rolling, but don’t overdo it. Refrigerate the wrapped dough for 1 hour. This firms it up just enough to roll without sticking. If you chill it longer than 2 hours, the dough becomes too hard to roll out easily. Let it sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes to soften slightly before rolling if it gets too firm.
Expert Tips
Recipe FAQs
No, these cookies taste great plain. You can also do simple decorations like dipping them or chocolate after baking or sprinkling them with coarse sugar before baking instead of using royal icing. The cookies are delicious either way.
The dough wasn’t chilled enough before baking. Make sure the dough is refrigerated for at least 1 hour before rolling. If your kitchen is very warm, freeze the cut cookies on the baking sheet for 10-15 minutes before baking.
If too thick, add water 1/2 teaspoon at a time until you reach the right consistency. If too thin, add powdered sugar 1 tablespoon at a time. Always test the consistency by drizzling it back into the bowl. It should sink back in within 4-10 seconds depending on whether you need flood or outline consistency. For more royal icing tips, check out my guide to royal icing.
Not necessarily. You can use squeeze bottles for simple designs, or put icing in a zip-top bag and snip the corner. Piping tips give cleaner lines but aren’t required for basic decorating.
Storage Instructions
- Make Ahead: Prepare dough up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate, or freeze for up to 3 months. Baked undecorated cookies can be frozen for up to 2 months in airtight containers with parchment between layers.
- Room Temp: Store undecorated cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. Decorated cookies with dried royal icing can be stored the same way for up to 2 weeks.
- Freeze: Freeze baked undecorated cookies in airtight containers with parchment paper between layers for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving. Do not freeze decorated cookies, the icing can crack or weep when thawed.
Serving Suggestions
Spend a fall weekend baking multiple treats to stock your freezer and gift to neighbors. Make these cookies first since the dough freezes well, then bake Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread and Gluten-Free Baked Pumpkin Donuts while the cookies chill.
Package decorated cookies in clear cellophane bags tied with ribbon, wrap the pumpkin bread in parchment, and stack donuts in bakery boxes. You’ll have gifts ready for teachers, neighbors, and hostess presents throughout the season. When friends come over to help decorate cookies, serve Apple Cider Moscow Mules alongside the baking chaos for a fun afternoon.
More gluten-free cookies to try
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Pumpkin Pie Spice Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- 1 cup unsalted butter - softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cup gluten free flour blend
- ½ tablespoon pumpkin pie spice - store-bought or homemade
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
For the Royal Icing:
- 4 cups powdered sugar - sifted
- 2 tablespoons meringue powder
- 5 tablespoons water
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- gel food coloring - Americolor is gluten free
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Instructions
For the Cookies:
- Cream butter and sugar. In a large bowl, beat 1 cup unsalted butter and 1 cup powdered sugar with an electric mixer on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add wet ingredients. Add 1 large egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract to the butter mixture. Beat until well combined and smooth.
- Mix dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together 2 ¼ cup gluten free flour blend, ½ tablespoon pumpkin pie spice, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt until evenly distributed.
- Combine wet and dry. Add flour mixture to butter mixture gradually, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition. Use the electric mixer for the first 2 cups of flour, then switch to hand mixing for the last 1/2 cup to avoid overworking the dough.
- Chill the dough. Wrap dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour until firm but still pliable. Don't chill longer than 2 hours or the dough will be too hard to roll.
- Roll and cut. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Dust your work surface and rolling pin with powdered sugar. Roll dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut with cookie cutters and place on greased or parchment-lined baking sheets.
- Bake. Bake for 8-10 minutes until edges are just slightly golden but tops are not browned. The cookies should look set but not dark. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the Royal Icing:
- Make the royal icing. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine 4 cups powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons meringue powder, 5 tablespoons water1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract. Mix on medium-high speed for 7-10 minutes until ingredients are well blended and icing has a matte finish.
- Adjust icing consistency. For outline icing, add about 1 teaspoon more water (10-second consistency). For flood icing, thin with additional water until it reaches 4-second consistency. Add any gel food coloring.To test: drizzle icing over the bowl—if it sinks back in within 4 seconds, it's ready for flooding.
For Decorating:
- Outline cookies with thicker icing using a #2 or #3 piping tip. Let dry for 1 hour. Flood cookies with thinner icing, using a toothpick to spread into corners. Let dry completely (overnight is best) before stacking or packaging.
Notes
- Gluten-Free Flour: This recipe has only been tested with Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour (the one in the blue bag), which contains xanthan gum. Other gluten-free flour blends may not work the same way.
- Royal Icing Consistency: This is critical for decorating. Outline icing should be 10-second consistency (drizzled icing sinks back into the bowl in 10 seconds). Flood icing should be 4-second consistency (sinks back in 4 seconds). Test by drizzling icing from a spoon back into the bowl.
- Drying Time: Let outlined cookies dry for at least 1 hour before flooding, or the colors will bleed together. Let flooded cookies dry overnight before stacking or packaging.
- Storage: Store undecorated cookies at room temperature for up to 1 week. Decorated cookies with dried royal icing last up to 2 weeks. Freeze undecorated cookies for up to 2 months.
