Pumpkin Cookies

Can you smell that? I wish you could... it's the smell that instantly makes a mouth begin to salivate.... a stomach begin to growl.... a smell that I wish I could bottle up and have access to whenever my heart desires. It's the smell of Frosted Pumpkin Cookies. It's a rainy day here today. A perfect baking day. The leaves on a few trees out front are starting to turn red and yellow. Fall is near. I guess I'll kick off the Fall tastebuds with Frosted Pumpkin Cookies!

Ingredients:



2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
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


Glaze Ingredients:

2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract



Directions for cookies:

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

2. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup of butter and white sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy.


I never pass up an opportunity to show off a picture of a few of my favorite things-- my little boy and my new-in-July KitchenAid mixer! I couldn't live without either of them!


4. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly.

5. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool cookies, then frost with glaze.

To Make Glaze:

Combine confectioners' sugar, milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add milk as needed, to achieve a drizzly frosting consistency.

Everybody needs a helper like I have...



...even if he licks his fingers as he's frosting!