Frosted Pumpkin Spice Cookies

It's Autumn! And you know what that means, it's time for some Fall goodies - sugar and spice and everything nice for the Fall baking season and I'm starting it off with these oh-so-addictive Pumpkin Spice cookies!

Anything pumpkin is always good and these cookies are the type of cookies you can enjoy with or without frosting - the choice is yours. I made them both ways - but preferred them with frosting, a cinnamon cream cheese frosting to be exact! Yum, yum, yum!

As usual, I've altered the original recipe slightly - instead of using nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves separately as called for, I substituted all 3 with one ingredient - pumpkin spice, which contained all of these ingredients.

I piped my frosting on so it was a bit thicker but you can spread it on also if you like. I must say, these are the most addictive cookies I've ever made so far. 

They are cake-like in texture and there's something about them that makes you want to keep stuffing them in your mouth - so much so that I made another batch within a few hours of making the first. I've NEVER done that before!

Also, the recipe was so easy to follow, nothing too complicated or fussy - my kind of recipe! 

The dough, however, was a bit sticky and should be flattened a bit as it won't spread very much if at all. I flattened and twisted it at the same time giving it a sort of swirly look on top but you don't have to do this.

In the end, when it's all said and done, you have a batch of yummy, yummy goodness you can enjoy with a cup of tea or on its own.

Recipe

Frosted Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Ingredients:

• 2-1/2 cups FLOUR
• 1 tsp. BAKING POWDER
• 1 tsp. BAKING SODA
• 2-3 tsp. PUMPKIN SPICE
• 1 tsp. ground CINNAMON
• 1/2 tsp. SALT
• 1/2 cup BUTTER, softened
• 1 cup white SUGAR
• 1/2 cup brown SUGAR
• 1 cup canned PUMPKIN PUREE**
• 1 EGG
• 1 tsp VANILLA EXTRACT

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F (175C). Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and pumpkin spice and set aside.
2. Cream together in a medium bowl the butter and sugars. Add pumpkin puree, egg and 1 tsp. of vanilla to the butter mixture and blend until creamy.
3. Mix in dry ingredients and then drop by the tablespoons onto cookie sheet. Flatten the cookie doughs, twirling/twisting them slightly so the spoon will release easier because the dough will be pretty sticky at this point.
4. Bake for around 18-20 mins. *
5. Cool, then frost cookies if desired with the icing recipe below, and you're done!

*These cookies will remain soft long after they're baked. They are best stored uncovered in a container!
** I used a 540 ml can of pumpkin puree to make two batches.


Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
(Original Recipe(s): Sprinkles Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting)

• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1/2 cup BUTTER
• 1/2 tsp CINNAMON
• 3-3/4 cups ICING SUGAR, sifted
• 1/2 tsp VANILLA
• MILK (add in 1 teaspoon increments at the end only if needed)

Instructions:

1. Using your electric mixer, (with a flat beater), beat cream cheese, butter, and cinnamon on medium-low speed until smooth and creamy (approximately 2 or 3 minutes).
2. Reduce speed to low and gradually add the icing sugar, beating until incorporated.
3. Add the vanilla; beat just until mixed.
4. Do not overbeat or the frosting will incorporate too much air. It should be creamy and dense like ice cream.
5. Add milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, if frosting is not of a spreadable consistency.

(Original Recipe: Iced Pumpkin Cookies)