Pumpkin Cookies

Last weekend W and I tried a Pumpkin Cookies recipe I found here. There was initially a typo in the recipe, which combined with my misreading it lead to a couple of "uh oh" moments. But in the end we were happy with our improvised cookies, and wouldn't change a thing. They are light and cakey- you could actually make them as muffins, as they aren't particularily sweet. The icing is a nice couterpart to the cookie base, but it is sweet, so frost sparingly.

These cookies made their debut with friends, coworkers, and even my doorman last week, and were a big hit all around. (I'll admit I even ate them for breakfast before I gave them all away).

I'm writing from the Peter Pan bus this evening, on my way up to Boston. We were planning a road trip up to Vermont for our second Thanksgiving, but W has come down with the flu, and in the interest of not infecting friends or their small children, we're going to be having a re-thought, quieter holiday in town.

Whatever your plans, big or small, fancy or quiet, I wish you all a merry merry Thanksgiving!

(The complete recipe is after the jump!)

Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing
(modified and yummified; makes 4 dozen)

Cookies:

2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 ¼ teaspoons salt
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 ¼ teaspoons ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 cup unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), room temperature
2 ¼ cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 can solid-pack pumpkin (15 ounces)
1/4 cup +1 tablespoon evaporated milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Icing:

4 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted
10 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon evaporated milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 shot Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum


Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg in a bowl. Put butter and brown sugar in the bowl, beat on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in eggs. Reduce speed to low. Add pumpkin, evaporated milk, and vanilla; mix until well blended. Add flour to mixture; mix until combined.

Drop cookies onto parchment paper spacing about 1 inch apart. Bake cookies about 12 minutes. Cool on sheets for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks; let cool completely.

Icing: Put confectioners’ sugar in bowl. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, swirling, until golden brown. Immediately add butter to confectioners’ sugar. Add evaporated milk, vanilla, and rum; stir until smooth.

Spread icing thinly (about 1 tsp) onto each cookie. Frosting will set allowing cookies to be gently stacked.