Pumpkin cookies with orange frosting

Whenever I make these cookies, people always ask for the recipe.  Even the pickiest cookie-connoisseurs love them.  They freeze well and look great when they’re defrosted ... so they’re perfect to keep in the freezer for holiday guests (but I guarantee they won’t last long enough)

 

COOKIE INGREDIENTS:

1 ½ cups of all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp ground clove

½ tsp ground nutmeg

½ tsp salt

½ cup softened butter

1 ½ cups white sugar

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

COOKIE DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Combine all dry ingredients. Set aside.
3. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, blend together softened butter and sugar until creamy.  Add egg, pumpkin puree and vanilla and beat until mixed.
4. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix.
5. Drop spoonfuls of dough onto cookie sheets, allowing for a little space to expand.
6. Bake for 8-11 minutes (depending on the size of your cookies) until slightly golden on the edges.
7. Tip: I use the small scooper-dealie from Pampered Chef.  The cookies that size take about 11 minutes (in my oven) and I can fit 12 on a regular-sized cookie sheet.
8. Makes approximately 36 cookies.
9. Glaze with orange icing (recipe below)

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ORANGE FROSTING

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp melted butter

1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

Zest of one orange

Juice of 1/2 orange (in a pinch, I’ll use frozen o.j.)

Approx 2 cups confectioner’s (icing) sugar

1. Mix ingredients.
2. Either drizzle over cookies or dunk the tops of the cookies into the frosting glaze.
3. Allow to dry before storing cookies.