Preheat the oven to 375°.
Cream sugar and softened butter together with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
Add in vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, and egg. Mix on medium until combined.
Add baking soda and 21/2 cups all-purpose flour, and mix until combined.
Lightly dust your countertop with some of the reserved flour, and lightly coat your rolling pin as well. Roll cookie dough out to about ¼ inch thick on a floured surface, and use cookie cutters to cut out shapes.
Repeat until you’ve used up all the dough. You may need to re-flour the counter and rolling pin periodically.
Place cookies on an ungreased baking sheet, and sprinkle sanding sugar liberally onto cookies. Bake for approximately 9-11 minutes.
Let cookies cool on cookie sheet for about 5 minutes. Then transfer them to a cooling rack until they are completely cooled.
