Pumpkin Cut-Out Cookies

1. In medium bowl, combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, ginger and salt and set aside.
2. In large mixer bowl, cream butter and sugar, beating until light and fluffy.
3. Add pumpkin and egg yolk, mix well. Cover and chill dough until firm.
4. Divide dough into 4 parts. Place each part on a 14X10-inch sheet of plastic wrap.
5. Wrap dough loosely, and shape into roll 1 and ½-inches around, then wrap securely and chill about 2 hours.
6. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease cookie sheet.
7. Cut rolls of dough into ¼-inch thick slices. Place on cookie sheet, pat to spread slightly.
8. Reserve some slices to make stems for your pumpkins; cut into fourths and shape and press into top of cookie slice to form stem.
9. Use toothpick to press in the ribs of the pumpkin.
10. Bake 15 to 18 minutes, or until lightly browned.
11. Remove cookies to cooling rack, cool completely.
12. Frost with orange frosting. With green frosting and using pastry bag with leaf tip and pastry bag with smallest tip, decorate the pumpkin cookie with leaves and vines.

If you are fortunate enough to have a pumpkin cookie cutter, you may omit the part about shaping the dough into a roll and the directions for making the cut-out pumpkin by hand. Just chill dough, then roll out and cut with pumpkin shaped cutter, then follow the instructions to draw in the ribs of the pumpkin. Follow the same baking time and cooling. If you don’t have a cookie cutter and would prefer it, you may find one available on this page, shown below.