Method (cookies)

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C fan and line 2 baking trays with grease proof paper.
2. Add the butter and sugar into a mixing bowl or the bowl of the stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Whip with a hand mixer or the stand mixer until light and creamy.
3. Add the pumpkin puree and milk. Whip again until combined.
4. Sift in the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and pumpkin spice. Mix until just combined.
5. Scoop the cookie dough into 6-8 balls using spoons or an ice-cream scoop.

Method (cream cheese filling)

1. In a small bowl, cream together the cream cheese, flour and sugar until a paste like consistency. You want it to be quite thick. Transfer this into a piping bag and snip off the tip.
2. Make a dent in the cookies and fill with some of the cream cheese mixture. Pinch the cookie dough together to cover the filling. You want to make sure it will not leak out of the cookie when baking.

Method (pumpkin spice sugar)

1. In a small bowl, add in the sugar and pumpkin spice, stir to combine.
2. Roll each cookie dough ball in the pumpkin spice sugar.
3. Place the cookies on the lined tray (leave the dough in balls, don’t press them down!), leaving room in between as they will spread when baking.
4. Bake in the middle of the oven for 12-14 minutes, or until very lightly golden.
5. Once baked, remove the trays from the oven, use a round cookie cutter to help shape the cookies. Use the cookie cutter to scoot the cookies into a circle.
6. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking tray. While they’re cooling, make the frosting for the pumpkin.

Method (frosting)

1. Add the butter and cream cheese into a bowl and whip until smooth and creamy, either in a stand mixer with a balloon whisk attachment or using a hand held electric whisk. 
2. Add in the icing sugar and vanilla, whip until creamy. If it’s too thin or if it ever splits, add in some more chunks of butter. 
3. Colour the frosting in separate bowls using the food gels (orange for the main pumpkin, green for the vines and brown for the stalk). Transfer into separate piping bags and snip off the tip. Pipe pumpkins on top of the cookies (watch the video tutorial here). Place into the fridge to chill and set.
4. Once set, serve and enjoy.