Pumpkin Cookies with Maple Glaze



Yes, it is fall!!! In my book, that means pumpkin season, apple season, pear season- you get my meaning... :) I have a ton of recipes with all these ingredients waiting to be posted here, like the Pear-Pecan Muffins I just blogged about yesterday. :) Here is a new recipe for cookies with a delightful pumpkin flavor and maple glaze that are just perfect for this time of year. I made these for a ladies' gathering at our church this week and was asked for the recipe multiple times. So, here it is, as promised: super easy to make and just right to satisfy any pumpkin lover's cravings.

 

Pumpkin Cookies
(makes about 5-6 dozen cookies)

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup pumpkin puree
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin spice
1/2 tsp ground ginger

Preheat oven to 375F.
In the bowl of your electric mixer, cream butter and sugars together for 1-2 minutes.
In a separate mixing bowl, combine flour with baking powder, salt and spices. Set aside.
Once butter and sugars are creamed, add pumpkin puree and vanilla extract and mix to incorporate.
Gradually add dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and beat until just incorporated.
Using a medium-size cookie/ ice-cream scoop or a spoon, drop batter onto lightly greased cookie sheets (or on sheets lined with silicone mats), about 1 inch apart. If you like smoother looking cookies, shape each one into a ball with your hands, place on baking sheets and slightly flatten out with your fingers.
Bake for about 12-14 minutes. Cookies should still feel soft when you take them out, they will harden a little as they cool. Do not overbake. Transfer to wire racks and leave to cool.
Once cooled, the cookies can be glazed. I used the following Maple Glaze which complemented the cookies perfectly.



Maple Glaze

2 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
4-5 tbsp maple syrup
4-5 tsp milk (or more, to reach desired consistency)

Mix all ingredients together, adding the milk just a teaspoon at a time, until it reaches the desired consistency. If you want the glaze runnier, to just dip the cookies in, you can add more milk. I left mine a little stiffer and then filled it in a little zip-lock bag, snipped one corner of it and drizzled the cool cookies with the glaze.



Recipe adapted from: realhousemoms.com