Step 1

Heat the oven to 350˚F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Step 2

In a medium-large bowl stir the soft butter, vanilla and almost extract until nice and smooth. Add the baking powder and salt and stir to combine. Add the powdered sugar and cornstarch. Stir again until smooth and lump-free. Lastly add the flour and stir. At first the mixture will be quite shaggy. Keep stirring until the dough comes together and the flour is incorporated.

Step 3

Refrigerate the dough for 10 minutes then proceed with step 4.

Step 4

Scoop up the dough into 1-1½ tablespoon scoops and roll with the palms of your hands into balls. Place the balls on the prepared sheet pans, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Press gently on each cookie with the back of a fork to flatten just a bit. Sprinkle each cookie lightly with sugar. (I like to use cane sugar which is just slightly coarser than regular granulated sugar.)

Step 5

Bake for 15-20 minutes until the cookies are a light golden brown at the edges. Remove from the oven and sprinkle lightly with a bit more sugar. Cool on the sheet pan for 1 minute then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely before filling.

Step 6

Combine the soft butter, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, half and half and 1 cups of the powdered sugar in a medium size bowl. Stir with a sturdy spatula or wooden spoon until well combined. Add the remaining powdered sugar and stir until nice and smooth. You want a smooth, spreadable icing. If it seems too thin, add a bit more powdered sugar. If it's too thick add more half and half, a few drops at a time.

Step 7

Add 2 drops orange food color. Stir until well combined. Add more, one drop at a time, stirring well after each addition, until desired color is achieved. You can also use orange gel food color. Add a bit on the tip of a toothpick, then stir and add more (with a clean toothpick) until desired color is achieved).

Step 8

Spread a layer of the pumpkin buttercream on the flat side of half of the cookies, and then cover with the remaining cookies to make sandwiches. You can also place the buttercream in a pastry bag or ziplock bag. Snip a tiny corner off of the bag and pipe the buttercream onto the cookies.

Step 9

Store the finished cookies between sheets of parchment or wax paper in a cookie tin or container with a tight-fitting cover.