Celebrate autumn with these fall cut out cookies! This collection of homemade sugar cookies and frosting ideas has something for every occasion, from festive pumpkin sugar cookies to spooky Halloween shapes, football cookies, and Thanksgiving cookies, along with stackable buttercream frosting, cream cheese frosting, maple glaze, chocolate icing, sugar cookie icing that hardens, and more.
This roundup of 17 fall cut-out cookies features the best recipes to bake, decorate, and share during the fall season. You'll find cozy pumpkin spice cutout cookies, colorful fall sugar cookies, spooky Halloween treats, football-themed cookies for game day, and festive Thanksgiving cookies to sweeten your holiday table.
Top them with fluffy buttercream, classic cream cheese frosting, a drizzle of maple icing, or smooth chocolate frosting to match the season.
17 Fall Cut Out Cookie Recipes (and 7 Frosting Ideas)
Decorated Pumpkin Shaped Cookies (Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing)
Decorated Pumpkin Cutout Cookies are classic sugar cookies cut with a pumpkin cookie cutter and iced with colorful royal icing to look like festive pumpkins. These cute pumpkin cookies are a cheerful addition to any fall or Thanksgiving spread.
Black Bat Halloween Sugar Cookies
Black Bat Halloween Sugar Cookies are dark chocolate cut-outs decorated with spooky flair. They add just the right mix of whimsy and fright to your Halloween dessert table.
How to Make Fun Football Cookies
Touchdown! Cookies are decorated sugar cookies shaped and iced for game day fun. A sweet and sporty way to celebrate football season.
3-Ingredient Brown Sugar Cut-Out Cookies
3-Ingredient Brown Sugar Cut Out Cookies are rich, buttery shortbread made with brown butter, dark brown sugar, and flour. They keep their shape when baked and their wonderful flavor pairs deliciously with a simple maple glaze.
Fall Cookies 5 Ingredients
5-Ingredient Fall Cookies come together quickly with simple pantry staples. With their warm flavor and ease, they’re perfect for last-minute fall baking.
Easy Fall Leaf Sugar Cookies Using Frozen Buttercream Cutouts
Fall Leaf Sugar Cookies are decorated with frozen buttercream cut-outs that create intricate leaf designs. Pretty and unique, these fall leaf cookies are so easy, but look like you spent hours on them.
No Spread Cut Out Cookies
No Spread Cut-Out Sugar Cookies bake up buttery and tender with crisp, clean edges that hold their shape beautifully. Perfect for decorating with icing or buttercream, they’re a reliable choice for holiday trays and special occasions.
Crunchy Chocolate Skeleton Cookies
Crunchy Chocolate Skeleton Cookies are crisp cocoa cut-outs decorated with simple icing bones for a spooky Halloween treat. Fun to make and festive to display, they’re a hit with kids and adults alike.
Chocolate Cut Out Cookies (No Chill, No Spread)
Chocolate Cut Out Cookies have a rich cocoa flavor and fudgy, brownie-like texture with edges that stay neat in the oven. With no chilling required, this chocolate cut-out sugar cookie recipe is an easy, festive option for decorating in any season.
Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookies
These Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookies are buttery cut-outs flavored with warm pumpkin pie spice. Their tender texture and warm fall flavors make this pumpkin sugar cookie recipe perfect for fall baking.
Red Velvet Cut Out Cookies
Red Velvet Cut Out Cookies are naturally fall-colored with a soft, chewy texture and subtle cocoa flavor. Frost them with cream cheese frosting or buttercream for a striking addition to holiday or Valentine’s cookie trays.
Gingerbread Fall Leaf Cookies
Gingerbread Fall Leaves combine classic gingerbread spice with festive leaf-shaped cut-outs. They’re a cozy twist on traditional holiday cookies, perfect for autumn.
Mummy Sugar Cookies
Mummy Sugar Cookies are simple cut-outs wrapped in icing “bandages” with candy eyes for an easy Halloween project. A playful, kid-friendly way to dress up sugar cookies.
Chocolate Chip Cutout Cookies (No Chill)
Chocolate Chip Cutout Cookies are soft and chewy with plenty of melty chocolate chips baked right into the dough. They hold their shape well, making them the perfect cookies for decorating or enjoying plain.
Easy Cranberry Shortbread Biscuits
Cranberry Shortbread Biscuits are buttery, crumbly cookies studded with tart cranberries and drizzled with glaze. They’re as festive as they are delicious.
Maple pecan cookies (with real maple syrup)
Maple Pecan Cookies are packed with real maple syrup and crunchy pecans. A cozy, seasonal cookie that pairs beautifully with coffee or tea.
Oreo Style Bat Cookies - Halloween Baking
Halloween Chocolate Sandwich Cookies are homemade chocolate cut-outs filled with creamy centers and shaped like bats. A fun, from-scratch alternative to Oreos with a spooky twist.
Buttercream Frosting for Cookies That Hardens
Buttercream Frosting for Cookies That Hardens is a soft, creamy frosting that firms up enough to stack cookies without smudging. It’s versatile, great for spreading or piping on cut-outs, and perfect for beautiful holiday cookie trays.
Maple Icing
Maple Icing is a simple glaze made with powdered sugar and real maple syrup that adds cozy, caramel-like sweetness to cookies, cakes, or scones. It sets with a shiny finish, making treats as pretty as they are delicious.
Cookie Icing That Hardens
Cookie Icing That Hardens is a quick-to-mix sugar icing with a shiny, firm finish that hardens enough to stack cookies neatly. Made with basic pantry ingredients, it’s perfect for giving cookies a nice glossy look.
Chocolate Cookie Icing That Hardens
Chocolate Cookie Icing That Hardens gives your cookies a deep, rich chocolate flavor and dries to a firm, glossy finish that’s stackable and soft to bite. Ideal for decorating festive treats from spooky Halloween black cats or bats to Valentine's Day hearts and chocolate Easter bunnies, it turns any cookie into a showstopper.
Cream Cheese Frosting for Cookies
Cream Cheese Frosting for Cookies is soft, fluffy, sweet with a tangy bite, and spreads or pipes beautifully with just five ingredients. It pairs perfectly with sugar cookies, red velvet cut-outs, or whoopie pies.
Lemon Cream Cheese Icing
Lemon Cream Cheese Icing brings a bright and tangy lemon flavor to your baked goods with its soft, fluffy texture. It whips up in minutes using fresh lemon zest and juice, making cookies, cupcakes, or cakes pop with freshness.
Almond Buttercream Frosting
Almond Buttercream Frosting is rich, creamy, and lightly flavored with almond extract for a sweet, nutty twist. Perfect for piping onto sugar cookies, cupcakes, or cakes, it’s a flavorful alternative to classic vanilla buttercream.
Storage & Freezing
- Store decorated or undecorated cut out cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- To freeze, let the cookies cool completely, then layer them between sheets of parchment or wax paper in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
- Thaw at room temperature before decorating or serving.
- Undecorated cookies freeze best, but decorated cookies with traditional royal icing also freeze well once the icing is fully set.
- For best results, see each recipe's specific storage and freezing instructions.
❓FAQs
Too much butter, warm dough, or an over-greased baking sheet can cause spreading. For best results, chill your sugar cookie dough (if required) and bake on parchment-lined pans.
Not always! Some recipes are no-chill, but if your dough feels soft or sticky, chilling helps it firm up so the cookies hold their shape better.
Royal icing is best for detailed designs and clean lines, while buttercream or glaze icing works well for softer, spreadable decoration.
Yes. Bake the cookies a few days in advance and store airtight, or freeze undecorated cookies for longer storage. You can also make and chill the dough for 2-3 days before rolling and baking.
Typically ¼ inch thick works best-thin enough to bake evenly but thick enough to stay soft and sturdy for decorating.
Don't overbake-pull them when the edges are just set. Store in an airtight container with a slice of bread to help keep them from drying out.
Fall Baking Recipes
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Fall Cut-Out Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, salted or unsalted,* cut into cubes
- ¾ cup dark brown sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- optional, add 1-2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon
Optional Icing
Instructions
- Brown the butter: In a light-colored saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir as it bubbles and foams until golden flecks appear, about 5-8 minutes. Pour into a shallow, heat-safe dish (like a pie plate) and transfer to the freezer. Let it chill until firm and cold, about 30 minutes-longer if using a deeper bowl.
- Make the dough: In a large mixing bowl, beat the chilled browned butter (add ½ teaspoon salt if you started with unsalted butter) and brown sugar on medium-high until pale and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Sift in the flour and mix just until combined. If the mixture looks crumbly, use your hands to bring it together into a ball.
- Chill the dough: Divide into two discs, wrap each in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. For the best texture and flavor, chill several hours or overnight.
- Prepare to bake: When ready, set the dough out at room temperature until soft enough to roll-this may take 30 minutes or longer. Preheat the oven to 325°F and line cookie sheets with parchment.
- Roll and cut: Roll dough between two sheets of parchment to ¼-inch thickness. If it sticks, dust the parchment with powdered sugar. Cut with cookie cutters and place shapes 2 inches apart on the prepared pans.
- Bake: Bake cookies 13-15 minutes, or until the bottoms are lightly golden. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Once cooled, glaze with Maple Icing, then allow about an hour for the icing to firm up.
Notes
- Use a light-colored pan to easily see when the butter browns.
- Rolling pin guides, dowels, or cutting boards help roll dough evenly.
- For thinner cookies, reduce baking time slightly to avoid overbaking.
- Recipe makes about 14 cookies using a 3-inch cutter (yield will vary by size and thickness).
- Use festive fall cookie cutters and add cinnamon, pumpkin spice, or your favorite warm spices for pumpkin spice cookies.
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