Recipe: Spiced Pumpkin Cookies with Homemade Caramel Frosting
Pumpkin is just one of those flavors that works for all the fall and winter holidays. In our house, the pumpkin pies and breads start appearing around Halloween. By the time Thanksgiving hits, we’ve added cozy pumpkin soups and stews.
But Christmas time means cookies, and I think that is where pumpkin shines.
Whether it is for a party, a treat for your neighbors, or in a tin to be sent far away, these cookies are my number one go-to for holiday baking. They’re so easy to make — no messy rolling and cutting — and they even hold up to the abuses of being mailed. And the pumpkin makes them (gasp!) healthier than traditional cookies. But donít worry, the moist texture and rich caramel frosting mean they taste like pure holiday cookie indulgence.
So grab your favorite bakewear, pull out the mixer and get ready to fill your house with the smells and tastes of easy Christmas cookies.
TOOLS:
- Cookie sheet without edges
- Hand or stand mixer
- Baking parchment
- 2 mixing bowls
- Heavy-bottom sauce pan
COOKIE INGREDIENTS
1 cup butter (or buttery sticks without transfats)
1 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 15-oz can solid-pack pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
4 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
2 tsps baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup chopped Texas pecans
CARAMEL FROSTING INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cubed (do not use margarine or butter substitute!)
1-1/8 cups packed brown sugar
1/4 cup whole milk, half and half, or cream
1 tbls pure maple syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 to 2-1/2 cups powdered sugar
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
In a large mixing bowl, use mixer to cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in can of pumpkin. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
Gradually beat the dry mixture into the pumpkin mixture. You will probably have to mix in the last part of the flour mixture by hand. Make sure itís all mixed very well.
Mix in the chopped pecans.
Cover the baking sheet(s) with parchment. Do not grease the pans or paper.
Drop the batter by rounded teaspoonfuls about 2-3î apart onto parchment.
Bake at 11-13 minutes or until firm. (Theyíre yummy soft, too, but theyíre almost impossible to frost that way!)
Cool on wire rack, frost while still warm.
FROSTING DIRECTIONS
Combine the butter, brown sugar and milk or cream in a heavy saucepan.
Bring to a low boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.Boil for 3 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and carefully stir in the maple syrup and vanilla.
Allow the frosting to cool for about a minute.
Beat in enough powdered sugar to give it a frosting consistency.
Keep warm over a double boiler or bowl of hot water. (If your frosting gets too hard or starts to set in the pan, gently warm on low heat, adding a teaspoon or so of milk or a pat of butter to thin it. Do NOT add water!)
VARIATIONS
If youíre not a fan of caramel (like my husband), add Ω bag of dark chocolate chips to the batter before baking. Dust slightly warm cookies generously with powdered sugar instead of the frosting. Delicious!
Or replace the pecans with chopped walnuts and add æ cup dried sweetened cranberries. (Soak the cranberries in brandy for about 10 minutes, then drain before adding to the batter for an extra rich taste.) Dust baked cookies with powdered sugar.
About the Author: Lindsay Shugerman divides her time between her computer and her kitchen. She writes for a variety of online companies, including Catalogs.com, and is active in the Austin, TX foodie and food blogger community where she regularly uses her husband and daughter as recipe guinea pigs for posts at A is 4 Austin.
