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Beat together the shortening, sugars and the egg until fluffy.
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Stir in the molasses.
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Sift together the flour, spices, baking soda and salt, and blend into the sugar mixture.
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Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for 3-4 hours.
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When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. This is a tender dough, so work quickly to roll the dough 1/4-inch thick on a lightly floured surface and cut out pumpkin shapes using a pumpkin cookie cutter, or freehand using a small knife.
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If you're cutting your pumpkins freehand, don't make the stem too thin or it will break off after baking.
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Use a spatula to lift the pumpkins onto lightly greased baking sheets and bake for about 10 minutes.
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Don't overbake.
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Cool completely on wire racks before decorating.
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To decorate the pumpkins, set aside 1/3 cup of the royal icing and color it green.
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Color the remaining icing orange by blending in red and yellow food coloring.
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(Start with 5 drops of red and 6 drops of yellow and add more coloring as desired to make the color more intense.)
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Spread orange frosting over the pumpkin, avoiding the stem.
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Allow to set, then use a toothpick to dab green frosting on the stem.
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You can press on candy corn or chocolate chips to make a face on each pumpkin, or you can pipe a face on with melted chocolate using the following method.
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Melt 1/2 cup of chocolate chips in the microwave in a heatproof bowl for 1 minutes.
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The chips may look unmelted, but stir them with a spoon to see if they have actually softened before putting them in for another minute, if necessary.
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Spoon the melted chocolate into a zipper-lock bag.
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Seal the bag, pressing out any air.
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Use a toothpick to make a very tiny hole in one corner of the bag to release a thin stream of chocolate.
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Pipe eyes and noses and jagged grins as desired.
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Allow the chocolate to set before stacking the cookies.
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Royal Icing
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1 egg white*
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1 teaspoon lemon juice
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1 to 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
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With beaters or a standing mixer, whip the egg white and lemon juice until frothy.
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At medium speed, beat in the confectioners' sugar, a little at a time, until the mixture is thick but still liquid enough to beat.
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Then beat on high until the mixture is thick and glossy, about 3 minutes.
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Cover the surface with plastic wrap while waiting to use it.
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Royal icing will set to a firm, glossy finish when applied to a cookie.
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The icing can be stored, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to a week.
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*RAW EGG WARNING
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Food Network Kitchens suggest caution in consuming raw and lightly-cooked eggs due to the slight risk of Salmonella or other food-borne illness.
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To reduce this risk, we recommend you use only fresh, properly-refrigerated, clean, grade A or AA eggs with intact shells, and avoid contact between the yolks or whites and the shell.
