Pumpkin Cookies

I don't know about you, but the minute fall arrives I want to eat me some pumpkin goodies!  Yesterday I made a batch of pumpkin cookies, in celebration of fall and all things sweet.  If you like soft, cake-like, cookies than these are for you!  It's a recipe I got years ago from an old co-worker.

Pumpkin Cookies
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

1 cup butter
2 cups granulated sugar
(1) 15 ounce can pumpkin
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans (optional)
*recipe for confectioners' sugar icing (optional)

*I started my icing with 1 cup confectioners' sugar, 1 tablespoon milk and 1 tablespoon orange juice.  (You could use some melted butter too, but I didn't want anymore butter in the cookies!)  I added sugar and orange juice as needed afterwards to make the consistency just right.  I wanted mine to be a glaze, so made the icing more thin and runny so that it would drizzle over the cookies nicely.

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease a cookie sheet (or just use a silicone baking liner); set aside. 
• In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds.  Add the granualted sugar, pumpkin, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, baking soda, and allspice.  Beat until combined, scraping side of bowl occasionally.
• Beat in eggs and vanilla until combined.  Add flour and combine.  Stir in pecans (or chocolate chips, or raisins...) if using.
• Drop dough by a rounded teaspoon one inch apart onto the prepared cookie sheet.
• Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until edges are golden brown.
• Transfer cookies to a wire rack; cool. 
• If desired, spread with icing once cookies completely cool.

Makes about 72 cookies
(or about 56 if you make big ones like me)

I gave Riley a cookie...

she started running in circles while eating and smiling!

She had to stop to catch her breath.

Enjoy!

(I know we did!)