How to Decorate a Pumpkin Sugar Cookie

Directions

• 1

  Bake and cool cookies before decorating. Get Ann Clark's no-fail sugar cookie recipe here. Or, lean in to the fall flavors with this delicious Halloween Pumpkin Spice Cookie recipe. Make sure cookies are fully cooled. If they are warm, the icing will run off of them. Make royal icing. Learn how to mix different consistencies of royal icing here>>
  
  Prepare the following icing colors:
  
  Piping Consistency:
  Orange
  Brown
  Leaf
  
  Flood Consistency:
  Orange
  Brown

  
• 2

  Using the orange piping consistency icing, outline the middle of three sections of the pumpkin, as shown in the photo. Pipe a squiggle of the same icing in the middle of the section.
  
  Pro Tip: Piping a squiggle of outline consistency royal icing in the middle of small flood sections of a cookie help with creating a "puffy" look, more definition between sections, and helps to prevent craters (or holes) that sometimes occur in flood icing as it dries.

  
• 3Flood the middle section with orange flood consistency icing and use a scribe tool or toothpick to smooth out any lumps and pop any bubbles that come to the surface. Let this section crust over for 20-30 minutes before moving onto the next step.
  
• 4Using the orange piping consistency icing, outline the outer two sections of the pumpkin. Pipe a squiggle of the same icing in the middle of the section. This will help to prevent the flood icing from collapsing and cratering as it dries.
  
• 5Flood the outer two sections with orange flood consistency icing and use a scribe tool to smooth out any lumps and pop any bubbles that come to the surface.
  
• 6Outline the stem of the pumpkin with the brown piping consistency icing. Pipe a squiggle of the same icing in the middle of the stem.
  
• 7Flood the stem of the icing with brown flood consistency icing. Let these sections of the icing dry for another 30-60 minutes before moving onto the next step.
  
• 8Using the green outline consistency icing, pipe a cluster of leaves onto the top section of the pumpkin. Use your imagination to create your own unique greenery. Keep in mind: nature isn't perfect, so not every leaf has to be the same!
  
• 9

  If desired, fill in leaves with outline consistency, using a scribe tool to smooth out. Using outline consistency will make the leaves "puffy" and give the design more dimension. Flood consistency may be used for a flatter look.