Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Few things make me happier than when I see canned pumpkin appear on the end cap at my grocery store.  To me that means fall in here.  This is a new recipe so I tested it quite a few times before including it in My Most Requested Recipes.  Over the past month, anyone who entered my home was greeted with a cookie offering in return for an honest review.  What I found interesting was although I stored them in the refrigerator, after sitting on the counter for a few minutes they were as fresh as the day I baked them, and even those who were not pumpkin fans loved these cookies.  Pumpkin Spice Cookies have a soft, cakelike consistency so no one will blame you if you put the frosting in the center, sandwich two and call it Pumpkin Spice Whoopi Pie.

With the holidays fast approaching, there are several recipes I previously posted you may want to add to your fall lineup.  If you typically serve soup at the beginning of a meal or a side to a luncheon salad or sandwich, try the “Pumpkin Soup“ or “Autumn Squash Soup.“  Instead of mashed potatoes or candied yams, try Mashed Sweet Potatoes or better yet Praline Sweet Potatoes which can be made a day in advance.  Actually, the Praline Sweet Potatoes taste better the next day.  Corn is always on my fall menu and Corn Soufflé is one of the most requested.  Although my Corn Muffins  are lightly sweetened, even the diehard southerners who would never eat cornbread with sugar find themselves coming back for another.  Finally, Pumpkin Mousse is a perfect light ending to any heavy fall dinner.

Ingredients:

§     1/2 cup softened butter

§     1 cup sugar

§     2 room temperature eggs

§     1 cup of canned pumpkin

§     2 cups all-purpose flour

§     4 teaspoons baking powder

§     1 teaspoon salt

§     3 teaspoons cinnamon

§     1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

§     1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Cream Cheese Frosting

§     1/2 cup softened butter

§     1 –  8 ounce block of cream cheese

§     3 tablespoons vanilla

§     4 cups confectioners’ sugar

§     2 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

 

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the remaining wet ingredients, eggs and pumpkin.  In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients, flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.

 

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in 3 stages, combining well in between each addition.  Add the chopped walnuts and mix.
 

Using a small ice cream scoop for consistently sized cookies, spoon scoopfuls of batter onto a cookie sheet lined with a Silpat or parchment paper.

 

Bake for approximately 15 minutes.

 

For the frosting, beat together the softened cream cheese, softened butter, vanilla and cinnamon.  Slowly add the confectioners’ sugar, one cup at a time, mixing in between each addition. 

When cookies are completely cooled, frost them with the cream cheese frosting.  You can ice each cookie using a knife or spatula.  I find it much quicker to pipe the icing using a pastry bag.
 

For a printer friendly copy of this recipe, go to Pumpkin Spice Cookies. Enjoy!