Apple cider sugar cookies - white pumpkin design with royal icing

Apple Cider Sugar Cookies for Fall

Cutout Apple Cider Sugar Cookies are perfect for fall treats! Adding Apple Cider Drink Mix to sugar cookie dough is an easy way to flavor these cookies for a warm, fall flavored cookie. Cut in any shape that you like! You can choose to decorate them or leave them plain!

How to make Apple Cider Sugar Cookies:

Making these cookies couldn’t be easier. I used my regular Ultimate Sugar Cookie recipe and just added 3 packets of Apple Cider Mix.

I chose to use Sugar Free Drink mix so that the cookies wouldn’t end up too sweet.

My first attempt only had 2 packets of drink mix and the apple flavor was not very pronounced so I made them again with 3 packets. This seemed to be the sweet spot!

Sugar cookie dough is quick and easy to put together! Just cream your butter and sugar, and add the eggs, milk and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until combined.

That’s it!

NOTE: This Apple Cider Mix is found all over the US but a friend of mine in the UK mention that she had never seen it. I did a google search and found that it is available on amazon.co.uk and https://www.fruugo.co.uk/ . So if you are not the US, you can still get this drink mix!

Four pumpkin shaped cookies decorated with Royal Icing. The cookies are Apple Cider Sugar Cookies

Making cookie dough in advance

This cookie dough can be made well in advance if you need to. I tend to make several batches at one time and then freeze it for up to 3 months.

This is a great time-saving tip for Christmas cookies!

You can also make this sugar cookie dough and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Make sure that your dough is wrapped well to keep air out whether it is in the refrigerator or freezer. Cookie dough can dry out which makes for dry, crumbly cookies.

Chilling the dough

If you are making cutout sugar cookies, I highly recommend that you chill the dough before baking.

What I have found to be the easiest and least time consuming method is to roll the dough immediately after making the dough between sheets of parchment or two silpats.

By rolling the dough out and then refrigerating it before cutting, the chilling time is cut down dramatically. Once chilled, you can cut the dough with your chosen cutters or simply into rounds.

I usually chill again before going into the oven to ensure the cookie shapes are set. This will ensure that the cookies keep their shape.

I have used cutout cookie recipes that claim to be ‘no chill’ and they generally spread and do not hold their shape well. Even though it takes a bit more time, I still chill the dough!

You can use the time to make your royal icing!

Decorating cookies with Royal Icing

What you’ll need to make these White Pumpkin Decorated sugar cookies:

  • One batch sugar cookie dough
  • One batch royal icing in flood consistency white and tan, and stiff consistency brown, green, red and yellow
  • Pumpkin cookie Cutters from my Etsy Shop
  • 5 Piping bags
  • Various Piping tips, I used #2, #3, #14 and #67

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Apple Cider Cutout Sugar Cookies decorated with White Pumpkin design.

You can see step-by-step how to make these cookies in my video below! This design is so pretty but easy enough for a beginner.

Apple Cider Sugar Cookies for Fall

Recipe by Tanya Ott
Servings

18

servings
Prep time

10

minutes
Cooking time

10

minutes

Ingredients

  • Apple Cider Sugar Cookies
  • 226 grams (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature

  • 200 grams (1 cup) granulated sugar

  • 1 large egg, at room temperature

  • 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

  • 2 Tablespoons milk, any kind

  • 375 grams (3 cups) all-purpose flour

  • 63 grams (3 packets) Sugar Free Apple Cider Mix

  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • For the Royal Icing
  • 900 grams (2 pounds) powdered sugar (also called confectioners or icing sugar)

  • 156 grams (5.5 ounces) pasteurized egg whites

  • 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

  • 1 Tablespoon light corn syrup

  • Gel colors of your choice

Directions

  • In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Beat in the egg, vanilla, and milk until well blended.
  • Combine the flour, apple cider powder, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Gradually add to the butter mixture on low speed until combined. Divide the dough in half and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for 1 hour or up to 3 days.
  • Preheat your oven to 375ºF/190ºC. Roll one piece of dough at a time between two pieces of parchment paper or on a floured countertop. Roll to your desired depth, which will depend on the cutters you are using and the final product you desire. Cut dough with floured cookie cutters. Place 1-inch apart on silpat or parchment-lined baking sheets.
  • BAKE 5 to 9 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Cool 2 minutes. Remove to wire rack to cool completely. Decorate as desired.
  • To make the Royal Icing
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the powdered sugar and cream of tartar and whisk together to combine. Add the egg whites and corn syrup and stir gently with a rubber spatula until the powdered sugar is moistened.
  • Put the bowl on the stand mixer and, using the whisk attachment, whisk for 1 to 2 minutes until smooth and bright white in color.
  • At this point, you can use the icing to assemble a gingerbread house. To use the white icing, you will need to thin the icing as directed below.
  • **To outline shapes or cookies for flooding, put about 1 cup of the royal icing in a small bowl and add about ½ teaspoon water. Add another ½ teaspoon if needed to allow smooth piping. Stir until smooth and combined.
    **To flood cookies inside the dried outline, put about 1 cup of the royal icing in a small bowl and add about 1 teaspoon of water. Add another ½ teaspoon water to allow smooth spreading. Stir until smooth and combined.
    **Color as desired.

Check out some other cookie recipes:

Check out some of my other cookie decorating videos on my YouTube channel!

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