Classic Pumpkin Cookies

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!

I admit that I cooked absolutely nothing for the big day.  Instead the Mister and I drove to Dayton, my hometown, where my dad grilled shrimp and smoked turkey and my mom made enough hors d’oeuvres and side dishes to populate Chef Juje posts until the end of time.

My parents’ Thanksgiving table.

Something about being home for Thanksgiving reminded me of a favorite memory from growing up.  On Fridays, my mom would take Chef Aud and me to Books and Company where we’d peruse bookshelves, decide on a selection and then enjoy a treat at the cafe.  This was years before giant bookstores Barnes and Noble entered the scene, so we always felt quite sophisticated as we sat engrossed in our paperbacks and sipping on hot chocolate.

I always ordered a pumpkin cookie too.

This is a recreation of my favorite childhood treat. Over the Thanksgiving weekend, I consumed about four of these a day, so I think they are pretty close to the real deal.  I spooned flour into the measuring cup instead of scooping it; supposedly scooping makes for a lighter, fluffier texture.

Next time, I’ll probably press the tops of each ball of dough with a spoon to create rounder tops.  The tops of mine were a little jagged, which made icing the cookies a little difficult.   I mean, it doesn’t REALLY matter as toward the end of this weekend I was barely even looking at the cookie before devouring it. You, though, may care about making cookies presentable.

Phone photo of cookie, as I still have not yet charged my actual camera.

Classic Pumpkin Cookies
Makes about 2-3 dozen, depending on the size of cookies and your propensity to taste-test.

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, plus a bit more for icing
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions – Cookies

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg,and salt.

3. In a second medium bowl, or using the bowl of a standing mixer, cream together the 1/2 cup of butter and white sugar.  I used the paddle attachment of my standing mixer. Oh look! Here is a Serious Eats slideshow on creaming butter and sugar, which would have been super helpful for me to review before making these cookies.

4. Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients.  Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly.

5. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven. While the cookies bake, make the icing – see below.

6. Wait until cookies cool and then add the glaze.  I love my icing, so I kind of slathered it on.  You can also drizzle with a fork if you (gasp!) are not such an icing fan.

Directions – Glaze

Combine confectioners’ sugar, milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla and a sprinkle or two of cinnamon. Add milk as needed, to achieve drizzling consistency.

Next time I might even double the icing recipe…as I tried to reduce cookie consumption by breaking off a piece at a time, I found myself trying to break off the highly-iced parts. Yum for me, not so yum if you live with me and also want cookies.

Source: Adapted from All Recipes