People lose their minds for pumpkin spice this time of year. Lattes, muffins, cakes, Oreo cookies, tortilla chips (seriously)…you name it, it’s been pumpkin spiced and put on display at your local coffee shop or market.
When I baked these cookies, I didn’t intend to call them pumpkin spice, partly because everything is pumpkin spice right now. But having tasted one, there’s really nothing else to call them. You could leave them plain if you like, but the icing really adds a nice extra kick of flavor.
Note: this recipe uses half of a 15-ounce can of pumpkin puree, so you could easily double it for a much larger batch.
Ingredients
For the cookies
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 8 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 7.5 ounces pumpkin (half a 15 ounce can)
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the icing
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon allspice
- dash of nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
- 3 tablespoons milk
Preparation
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg; set aside.
In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugars.
Add pumpkin, egg, and vanilla; mix well.
Slowly add flour mixture and beat until well combined.
Using a one-inch cookie scoop, drop scoops of dough onto prepared baking sheets.
Bake for 14 minutes, until cookies are set; bottoms will be very light golden brown.
Remove from oven and cool on baking sheets for a few minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the icing, combine powdered sugar, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg. Add melted butter and milk, then stir to combine; you want a thick drizzling consistency, kind of like the texture of very soft peanut butter.
Place icing in a zip-top bag and snip off the end; pipe drops of icing onto each cookie, then spread with a knife or small offset spatula.
Allow cookies to set before serving; store in airtight containers in single layers at a cool room temperature for up to 2 days. The icing adds plenty of moisture to an already moist cookie, so if you try to keep them longer they’ll get too gooey.
Makes 36 cookies.
amy bakes in the 'burgh 