These copycat pillsbury pumpkin sugar cookies are the perfect fall treat. Made with gut healthy sourdough discard, just enough sugar to make them sweet and colored to look like a pumpkin with natural food coloring, these pumpkin cookies check all the boxes.
I could not help but be inspired by the pillsbury cut and bake sugar cookies from childhood. When dreaming of a fun fall treat for my little ones, I thought of the classic sourdough pumpkin cookies.
However, I knew I wanted to make them healthier. I added sourdough discard, reduced the sugar and made them with natural food dyes. These are a pumpkin surprise sugar cookie I feel comfortable giving my kids.
The orange pumpkin color and green stem color come from this natural food dye made from vegetable juices and spices. While they are not as bright orange in color than the original Pillsbury sugar cookies (made with food dye), the pumpkin shape gets across the desired look.
I love how easy these copycat pillsbury pumpkin sugar cookies are to make. Simply section out the sugar cookie dough and putting them into the fridge for a short period of time. They are easy to roll out and bake whenever you want a grab freshly baked cookie.
Why you will love these sourdough pumpkin sugar cookies
- Festive for Halloween, Thanksgiving and honestly any fall festivity!
- No decorating is necessary
- No additional purchase (IE a cookie cutter)
- This food coloring is made from vegetable juices and spices will not dye fingers or stain clothes (a great way to involve little ones!)
- The cookie dough can be made in advance to bulk ferment (it can even be stored in the freezer and cut when needed)
- They are the perfect topper for muffins or cupcakes
- The outside can be rolled in sprinkles
- They can be made into a sourdough pillsbury pumpkin sugar cookie ice cream sandwich
- They can be cooked longer for a crispy sugar cookie which also taste great dipped into milk
- They are made with sourdough discard so they are gut healthy and naturally fermented, making them easier to eat than non-fermented grains
Ingredients
- All purpose Flour
- Sugar
- Sourdough discard
- Butter
- Vanilla extract
- Almond extract (optional)
- Egg yolk
- Salt
- Baking powder
- Green food dye
- Orange food dye (we combined yellow and red together)
Kitchen Tools
A few kitchen tools you can utilize include:
How to make copycat pillsbury pumpkin sugar cookies (with sourdough discard)
To a mixing bowl add softened butter and sugar. Blend together until smooth. To this bowl, add the egg yolks, vanilla extract, almond extract, baking powder and sourdough discard together. Next, add in the flour and blend until just together.
Upon making the sourdough pumpkin cookie dough, separate it into three bowls based on the amount needed for each color. Reserve 1/3 of the sourdough sugar cookie dough to dye the color orange for the pumpkin.
Of the 2/3 sourdough sugar cookie dough remaining, remove 2 tablespoons (2 T) into a separate bowl to dye the color green for the stem. Keep the remaining 2/3 (minus 2 T) in the third bowl to use around the pumpkin – completing the white cookie.
First dye the 1/3 cookie dough orange and 2 T cookie dough green. Next, cover all three bowls tightly with plastic wrap – pressing it against the dough to ensure it does not dry out.
Allow the dough to sit on the countertop to ferment according to your fermentation goals (typically 4-12 hours). During this time the dough will not rise in height but will continue to ferment. The fermentation period breaks down phytic acid and gluten.
Shaping the sourdough pumpkin cookie dough
The dough will be quite mailable and even hard to work with when shaping after fermenting on the countertop. For best results, place the most orange and green cookie dough into the fridge for 30 minutes to 1 hour before shaping. This will lead to circular shaped pumpkins.
If you are impatient (like me), immediately shape the orange sugar cookie dough into a long log shape to become your orange pumpkin. If the cookie dough is not cold it will have a flat bottom as it sits on the cookie sheet.
Roll the green dough into a small, thin log shape. I like to break this into two pieces to make the placement of the stem, as seen in the next step, easier.
To the orange dough, make a line down the center about 1/8 inch deep. I like to use a chop stick or handle end of a spoon to trace all the way down the center of the dough.
Place the green color dough on top do the orange color cookie dough. Press down gently, making sure to leave some of the green colored dough above the orange colored dough. I like to pinch the top of the green dough to make it a raised edge (more like a stem). This completes the pumpkin cookie dough shape preparation.
Wrapping the pumpkin and baking the cookies
Once shaped, cover the pumpkin log with plastic wrap. Place this cookie dough into the fridge on a lined baking sheet. Place back into the fridge (or freezer) until completely solid. You want to this to be firm and to hold shape during the next step.
Next, remove the pumpkin log from the fridge. Wrap the white cookie dough around the exterior of the pumpkin log. When formed, roll the cookie dough across the counter or cookie sheet like a rolling pin. This will help the outside edges to be smooth like a tube of cookie dough.
Slice immediately into 1/4-1/2 inch thickness. Place on a lined cookie sheet and bake in the preheated oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 8-10 minutes or until the cookies are almost firm to the touch.
They taste best when underdone as they will harden when at room temperature. They will become crispy/flaky if cooked longer.
Copycat Pillsbury Pumpkin Sugar Cookie (with Sourdough Discard)
Equipment
- 1 mixing bowl
- 1 hand mixer
- 3 Small Bowls
- 1 Chopstick (optional)
Ingredients
- 2 – 2/3 cup all purpose flour
- 1-1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1/2 cup sourdough discard
- 5-10 drops orange food dye *see notes
- 5-10 drops green food dye *see notes
Instructions
Making the Cookie Dough
- To a mixing bowl blend softened butter and sugar until smooth. To this bowl, add egg yolks, vanilla extract, almond extract, baking powder and sourdough discard together. Mix until combined. Add in the flour and blend until just combined.
- Separate the cookie dough into three bowls:1/3 mixture for orange (pumpkin)2/3 mixture for white sugar cookie2 TBS for green color (stem). Remove this from the 2/3 mixture.
- Using the food drops, color the 1/3 cookie dough orange and 2 TBS green. If using natural food coloring, use more than you think.If using the Watson's brand food coloring, combine yellow and red together to make orange. Note – the orange color will not be extremely bright. Once complete cover all three bowls tightly with plastic wrap, pressing against the dough, to ensure it does not dry out.
- Allow the dough to sit on the countertop to ferment according to your fermentation goals (typically 4-12 hours).During this time the dough will not rise in height but will continue to ferment.
Shaping the sourdough pumpkin cookie dough
- To create the best chance at circular shaped pumpkins, chill the orange and green cookie dough for 30 minutes to 1 hour before shaping. The dough will be malleable and hard to shape after fermenting on the countertop.
- Shape the orange cookie dough into a long log shape. This will become your pumpkin. If the cookie dough is not chilled, the pumpkin will have a flat bottom as it sits on the countertop.
- Roll the green cookie dough into a small, thin log shape. This will become your stem. To make the placement process easier, break this into two pieces.
- To the orange dough, make a line down the center about 1/8 inch deep by using a chopstick or the end of a spoon. Make this crevice all the way down the center of the dough.
- Place the green color dough on top do the orange color cookie dough. Press down gently, making sure to leave some of the green colored dough above the orange colored dough. To make the green portion look more like a stem, leave it raised above the orange dough and pinch it. This completes the shaping of the pumpkin log.
Wrapping the pumpkin and baking the cookies
- Once shaped, cover the pumpkin log with plastic wrap, put onto a lined baking sheet and place into the fridge or freezer until completely solid (about 1 hour). You want to the pumpkin log to be firm and to hold shape during the next step.
- Next, remove the pumpkin log from the fridge. Wrap the white cookie dough around the exterior of the pumpkin log. When formed, roll the cookie dough across the counter or cookie sheet like a rolling pin. This will help the outside edges to be smooth like a tube of cookie dough.
- Slice immediately into 1/4-1/2 inch thickness. Place on a lined cookie sheet and bake in the preheated oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 8-10 minutes or until the cookies are almost firm to the touch.
- They taste best when underdone as they will harden when at room temperature. They will become crispy/flaky if cooked longer.
Video
Notes
Did you enjoy pillsbury colored sugar cookies as a kid? What design did you like best? Outside of the pumpkin design, we love the reindeer design for the holidays. Let us know your favorites in the comments below!
