Fall baking doesn’t have to mean artificial colors and bright tones. These cozy pumpkin sugar cookies were decorated using Chefmaster Natural Colors, proving that warm, earthy fall shades can be achieved beautifully — no artificial dyes required. From soft ivory and toasty caramel tones to deep wine reds and forest greens, every pumpkin in this set was mixed from nature-inspired hues. Better yet, you can make these colors all in just one bowl!

Ingredients:

Classic Vanilla Sugar Cookie (No Spread):

1 Cup / 2 Sticks (226g) Unsalted Butter, softened

1 Cup (212g) Granulated Sugar

1 Large Egg, room temperature

3 Cups (380g) All-Purpose Flour

3 Tbsp (30g) Cornstarch

1 tsp (8g) Salt

2 ½ tsp Vanilla Extract

¼ tsp Almond Extract

½ tsp Butter Extract

½ tsp (2g) Baking Powder

¼ tsp Vanilla Bean Powder (optional)

Royal Icing

2 Lbs. Powdered Sugar

¾ Cup Warm Water

5 Tbsp Chefmaster Deluxe Meringue Powder

1 Tbsp Clear Vanilla Extract

2 Tbsp Corn Syrup (optional, help with shine)

Food Coloring

Chefmaster Natural Brown liqua-gel© food coloring

Chefmaster Natural Sunset Orange liqua-gel© food coloring

Chefmaster Natural Red liqua-gel© food coloring

Chefmaster Natural Purple liqua-gel© food coloring

Chefmaster Natural Dark Green liqua-gel© food coloring

Chefmaster Natural Royal Blue liqua-gel© food coloring

Tools & Utensils

Kitchen Scale

Measuring Cups & Spoons

Stand Mixer

Mixing Bowls & Spatulas

Parchment Paper or Silicone Baking Mats

Pumpkin Cookie Cutter

Tipless Piping Bags

Cooling Rack

Preparation

Make the Sugar Cookie Dough

1.     Whisk flour, baking powder, cornstarch, and salt together.

2.     In your mixer, cream butter and sugar for about 2 minutes until pale and fluffy.

3.     Add egg and extracts until just combined.

4.     Gradually add dry ingredients until a soft dough forms. If sticky, add a touch more flour.

5.     Divide dough in half, roll between parchment, and chill for at least 3 hours.

6.     Cut pumpkin shapes, freeze for 5–10 minutes, and bake at 375°F for 7–10 minutes until matte on top.

7.     Cool completely before decorating.

Prepare your Royal Icing

1.     Whisk meringue powder and warm water until frothy.

2.     Add vanilla extract, then powdered sugar gradually.

3.     Beat on medium-high until stiff peaks form.

4.     Mix in corn syrup for shine if desired.

5.     Set aside about ½ cup royal icing to color in brown later on.

Tip: We recommend making and coloring your royal icing at least 24 hours prior to decorating.

Mix your Fall Shades

These gorgeous pumpkins came to life using only Chefmaster Natural food coloring. Each hue reflects the tones of real pumpkins, fall leaves, and cozy seasonal decor. Save yourself a lot of cleaning time and make each shade using just in one bowl, starting with Ivory!

1.     Creamy Ivory

• Transfer ¾ to 1 cup of white Royal icing into your bowl.
• Add 3 parts Chefmaster Natural Brown liqua-gel© food coloring.
• Mix until well blended.
• Adjust consistency as desired.
• Transfer icing into a pastry bag, seal bag and set aside until ready to decorate.

2.     Toasted Beige

• Add ¾ to 1 cup of white Royal icing into the bowl you used previously.
• Add:
  • 5 parts Chefmaster Natural Brown liqua-gel© food coloring
  • 3 parts Chefmaster Natural Brown liqua-gel© food coloring.
• Mix until well blended.
• Adjust consistency as desired.
• Transfer icing into a pastry bag, seal bag and set aside until ready to decorate.

3.     Pumpkin Orange

• Add ¾ to 1 cup of white Royal icing into the bowl you used previously.
• Add:
  • 8 parts Chefmaster Natural Orange liqua-gel© food coloring
  • 1 part Chefmaster Natural Sunset Orange liqua-gel© food coloring.
• Mix until well blended.
• Adjust consistency as desired.
• Transfer icing into a pastry bag, seal bag and set aside until ready to decorate.

4.     Rust Red

• Add ¾ to 1 cup of white Royal icing into the bowl you used previously.
• Add:
  • 10 parts Chefmaster Natural Red liqua-gel© food coloring
  • 6 parts Chefmaster Natural Sunset Orange liqua-gel© food coloring
  • 5 parts Chefmaster Natural Brown liqua-gel© food coloring
  • 1 part Chefmaster Natural Purple liqua-gel© food coloring
• Mix until well blended.
• Adjust consistency as desired.
• Transfer icing into a pastry bag, seal bag and set aside until ready to decorate.

5.     Sage Green

• Add ¾ to 1 cup of white Royal icing into the bowl you used previously.
• Add:
  • 10 parts Chefmaster Natural Dark Green liqua-gel© food coloring
  • 4 parts Chefmaster Natural Royal Blue liqua-gel© food coloring
  • 1 part Chefmaster Natural Brown liqua-gel© food coloring
• Mix until well blended.
• Adjust consistency as desired.
• Transfer icing into a pastry bag, seal bag and set aside until ready to decorate.

6.     Cranberry Wine

• Add the remaining of the white Royal icing into the bowl you used previously (you should have about ¾ to 1 cup left).
• Add:
  • 5 parts Chefmaster Natural Brown liqua-gel© food coloring
  • 4 parts Chefmaster Natural Red liqua-gel© food coloring
  • 3 parts Chefmaster Natural Purple liqua-gel© food coloring
  • 2 parts Chefmaster Natural Sunset Orange liqua-gel© food coloring
  • 2 parts Chefmaster Natural Royal Blue liqua-gel© food coloring
• Mix until well blended.
• Adjust consistency as desired.
• Transfer icing into a pastry bag, seal bag and set aside until ready to decorate.

7.     Brown

• Add the ½ cup white royal icing you set aside at the beginning to your bowl.
• Add 5 parts Chefmaster Natural Brown liqua-gel© food coloring.
  • For a cooler brown, add a touch of Chefmaster Natural Royal Blue liqua-gel© food coloring.
  • For a warmer brown, add a touch of Chefmaster Natural Sunset Orange liqua-gel© food coloring.
• Mix until well blended.
• Adjust consistency as desired.
• Transfer icing into a pastry bag, seal bag and set aside until ready to decorate.

Decorate your Fall Pumpkin Cookies

1.     Start with the rustic stems. Use a small pallet knife to smear a small amount of Brown icing at the top of each pumpkin and create texture.

2.     After decorating your stems, outline each pumpkin section and add a squiggle in each section to prevent your icing from cratering. Refer to our recipe video as needed.

3.     Flood every other pumpkin section being careful not to go over the outlines you previously piped. Let your flooded sections dry slightly before flooding the alternating section. This will help create definition in between each section.  

4.     To create the rustic texture on the top of the pumpkin, use a flat round brush to lightly tap the top of each flooded section before the icing starts crusting over.

5.     Let your icing dry before adding any additional decorations on the top if desired.

6.     Optional: paint some edible gold accents and brush on some edible gold on the top for an extra luxurious look. You could also pipe curved lines, swirled vines, dots or leaves with icing, or brush some luster dust in a darker hue as your pumpkin color in the ridge and on the edge to add additional definition and contouring.

Tips for a Picture-Perfect Natural Cookies

• Cut piping bags at against the seam for cleaner edges.
• Use a fan or dehydrator for quicker, smoother icing dry times and shinier cookies.
• Layer in sections to prevent color bleeding and to create more dimension and realistic texture. 
•  For perfect shapes, freeze cutouts briefly before baking to help prevent spreading.

These pumpkin cookies are proof that natural can still be colorful. Whether you’re prepping for Halloween, Thanksgiving, or a cozy autumn market, Chefmaster line of natural dyes let your creativity (and conscience) stay clean. Bake them in batches, package them with twine and kraft boxes, or add them to your fall dessert lineup — they’re as beautiful as they are delicious!