It’s the beginning of December and I’ve already gone through 3 super-sized cans of pumpkin puree this season…shocker. And there are still 3 weeks of acceptable pumpkin baking left! While the pumpkin cupcakes are pretty damn awesome in their own right, there are times when you don’t want to fuss of a cupcake. The wrapper, the frosting, the maneuvering into your mouth…it can be cumbersome. Sometimes all you want is a cookie. And since these cookies are pretty much little punkin cakes anyway, it all works out in the end.
Next week’s mission: bake something that makes me feel more like Betty Draper. Maybe a pie? Something with booze?
Spoiler alert: I’m making red velvet cupcakes. Recipe and pics on the way.
If only I had my Jessie Steele apron…
Pumpkin Cookies
(Recipes for cookies and frosting adapted from In Praise of Leftovers)
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1 cup chopped pecans
Baking Temperature: 350 degrees
Baking Time: 10-12 minutes
- Beat butter in a mixer and sugar until fluffy.
- Add pumpkin and mix until combined.
- Add egg and mix well.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and cloves together, then add to pumpkin mixture and mix until just combined.
- Stir in chopped pecans.
- Drop by tablespoons onto cookie sheets covered in parchment paper and bake until lightly golden.
Brown Sugar Icing
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons butter
4 teaspoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar
pecans (for garnish)
- In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, butter, and milk over low heat until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool a bit.
- Whisk in powdered sugar until smooth.
- With a knife or spreader, spread icing on each cookie. Ice cookies while still warm so that the icing spreads easily over the cookies. Sprinkle pecans while icing is still warm.
Theory of Hellativity 
Rose Dewitt Bukater