Create A Festive Pumpkin Frosting Board for Fall Gatherings
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This Pumpkin Frosting Board with Cookie Dippers is a fun, creative dessert idea perfect for fall gatherings, Halloween parties, or Thanksgiving celebrations!
This sweet dessert board turns classic buttercream frosting into the star of the show—shaped like a festive pumpkin and surrounded by an irresistible assortment of cookies for dipping! It’s an easy, make-ahead treat that looks impressive yet couldn’t be simpler to create.
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Why You’ll Love a Pumpkin Frosting Board
- A simple, no-bake dessert that’s easy to assemble in minutes.
- Perfect centerpiece for Halloween, fall, or Thanksgiving dessert tables.
- Customizable—swap in your favorite cookies, candies, or dippers!
- Visually stunning with its bright orange pumpkin design and decorative frosting details.
- Great for parties or family nights.
Want more creative party platters? Explore our full collection of Charcuterie Boards!
Ingredients to Make a Pumpkin Frosting Board
The ingredients and tools for this recipe are conveniently linked to online retailers, including Amazon, Amazon Fresh, Instacart, and Walmart. The quantities are in the recipe card.
- Dairy & Chilled: Unsalted Butter, Heavy Cream (Double Cream)
- Powdered Sugar—Also known as Icing Sugar or Confectioners Sugar.
- Pure Vanilla Extract—Always use good vanilla; it makes a flavor difference.
- Orange Gel Food Coloring
- Premade Frosting—these are typically sold in tubes or pouches in a variety of colors. Some brands also provide piping tips You will need green for the pumpkin vines and leaves, and brown for the stem.
The complete list of ingredients, along with their measurements, is provided on the recipe card. The Purple Pumpkin Blog uses both cups and weighted measurements in its recipes, making American cups and kitchen food scales valuable tools for trying all the recipes. We provide measurements in US customary, imperial, and metric units. Still, it’s essential to note that while you can combine cup measurements with weighted measures, never mix US customary/imperial units (pounds, ounces, pints, etc.) with metric units (kilograms, grams, liters, etc.).
Kitchen Tools Needed
- Electric Stand Mixer—to make the buttercream frosting. You can also use an electric hand mixer.
- Offset Spatula—for smoothing the frosting into a pumpkin shape.
- Disposable Piping Bags—you will need 3 bags. One for the orange frosting, and one each for the premade frosting colors.
- Round Piping Tip #4—for piping the pumpkin vines.
- Leaf Piping Tip #352—for creating leaves.
How Do I Assemble a Pumpkin Frosting Board?
Check out the recipe card below—you can print or save it for later—please don’t forget to leave a star rating!
Then, continue scrolling for food pairings and more delicious recipes.
Pumpkin Frosting Board
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar icing sugar
- 5 tablespoons heavy cream double cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Orange gel food coloring
- 1 Green decorating icing tube
- 1 Brown decorating icing tube
- Assorted cookies and dippers suggestions in notes below
SUGGESTED PRODUCTS
Instructions
- In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, beat softened butter on high for 2 minutes until pale and fluffy.
- Add powdered sugar gradually, beating well after each addition.
- Add heavy cream 1 tablespoon at a time until smooth and spreadable.
- Mix in 5–8 drops of orange gel food coloring until desired pumpkin shade is reached.
- Scoop frosting into a piping bag and outline a pumpkin shape on a 13×9-inch baking tray.
- Fill in the shape with orange frosting and smooth with an offset spatula.
- Pipe lines across the pumpkin for definition. Add a small brown stem at the top and pipe green leaves and vines using the #352 and #4 tips.
- Surround the pumpkin frosting with your favorite cookie dippers and enjoy!
Notes
Dipper Suggestions
- Gingerbread Men Cookies
- Vanilla Wafers
- Oreos
- Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Oatmeal Cookies
- Thin Mints
- Shortbread Cookies
- Chocolate-Dipped Shortbread
- Graham Crackers.
- Pretzel Rods
- Apple SLices
- Gluten-Free Cookies
Tips
- Use gel food coloring for a vibrant orange shade without thinning the frosting.
- If you’re unable to find premade frosting tubes, reserve a little of the frosting before coloring it orange. Use green and brown food coloring to create the shades needed.
- Chill the frosted pumpkin shape for 10–15 minutes before adding vines/leaves—details pipe cleaner and hold their shape better.
- Assemble on a 13×9-inch baking sheet or rimmed tray to contain crumbs and candies.
- For clean edges, pipe a thick outline first, then fill and smooth with a mini offset spatula.
- Serve slightly cool—refrigerate to firm, then stand at room temperature for 10–15 minutes so the frosting is creamy for dipping.
- Keep cookies/dippers in their packages or airtight tubs until just before serving to maintain crunch.
Substitutions
- Dairy-Free: Use plant-based butter and a barista-style plant cream; add cream a teaspoon at a time to reach spreadable consistency.
- Flavor Swaps: Replace vanilla with almond or pumpkin spice extract for a seasonal twist.
- Colors: Mix red+yellow gel if you don’t have orange; adjust drop by drop.
- Decor: No piping tips? Snip small openings in disposable bags—one tiny cut for vines, a wider cut for leaves.
Leftovers & Freezing
- Cover the board and refrigerate for up to 3 days; for best texture, let stand 10–15 minutes before serving again.
- Store leftover cookies separately in airtight containers so they don’t soften in the fridge.
- Not suitable for freezing—the buttercream can separate and the cookies lose their texture after thawing.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is always approximate and will depend on the quality of ingredients used and serving sizes. If you need exact calories and macros, please do your own calculations.
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Cookie Recipes
Complete your dessert spread with these tasty cookies that pair perfectly with this Pumpkin Frosting Board:
Pumpkin Treats
For more pumpkin-shaped treats to serve at your next gathering, take a look at these fun ideas:
Ready to Make a Pumpkin Frosting Board for Fall?
Whether you’re hosting a Halloween bash or Thanksgiving dinner, this sweet Pumpkin Frosting Board with Cookie Dippers is the perfect dessert to share. It’s festive, easy, and guaranteed to delight guests of all ages!
Don’t forget to ♥ save this recipe and share it with fellow foodies! And if you give it a try, we’d love to hear how it went—leave a comment or tag us in your creations.
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This post is part of my long-running Crafty October series on The Purple Pumpkin Blog. Since 2012, I’ve shared Halloween recipes, printables, and crafts every October. While I don’t officially run the series anymore, all my new Halloween posts are still part of this decades-long celebration of spooky fun! Browse past Crafty October years for even more inspiration: 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, and 2012.