These cookies come with a warning.  I should be kind and put it in big, bold, flashing neon red letters… but you won’t listen.  How do I know this, you ask?  Because I didn’t listen either when my friend Jamie made them and gave the same warning.  But you guys are a lot smarter than me and I bet you will listen – so I’ll give you the warning… these cookies are SERIOUSLY addicting!  Oh sure, you may scoff, and giggle, and laugh, and guffaw at that warning.  Trust me when I say I didn’t believe it either.  And then on a whim, I made them because, well, I felt like baking and I had some leftover pumpkin puree from the muffins I’d made. I lost count of how many I consumed the first night because holy mother of pearl these are goooooooood. Cake-like, oh-so-soft, melt-in-your-mouth, disappear-from-the-tray-in-an-instant, good.  I honestly think they have become my favorite cookie – and based on the raves from my coworkers, they might become yours too!!

Now that Halloween’s over and we’re officially into “the holiday season” and “turkey month”, it feels like the perfect time to blog about these fantabulous pumpkin cookies.  When I first saw them on Jamie’s blog I didn’t give them a second thought. Oh sure, they looked pretty… heck, everything on her blog does… but the caramel icing completely turned me off.  Her post said the recipe was adapted from one on All Recipes so I set out to find the original.  It took a bit of searching but I found it, halved it and tweaked some ingredients figuring I just wouldn’t make the icing. Nothing wrong with a nekkid cookie, right ;-)

When I made the first batch, I discovered they really weren’t cooked enough using the stated bake time.  I had to actually put them back in the oven after DH and I tasted one.  But the remaining batches I cooked longer and that worked fine.  Upon tasting one, I knew I was doomed.  Well, that’s not entirely true since I wasn’t doomed! Sadly, the same can’t be said for my hips, butt and thighs cuz sure as can be, they were doomed.  Totally worth it though because wow – wow – wow! These cookies are somethin’ else!  I even ended up making the icing and that just took them completely over the top.  I took them to work and my coworkers absolutely raved over them. I mean R-A-V-E-D!  I couldn’t keep up with the emails that were flying in.  Oh yes, I do recall they raved over the Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes but the raves for these cookies were actually bigger, louder, more enormous, totally from the heart… and the belly ;-)  People asked for the recipe! People asked how soon I could make more! People told me I missed my calling and should’ve been baker! People. Loved. These. Cookies. Period.  End-of-story.  

Iced Pumpkin Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup shortening
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons milk
• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar

Method

Preheat oven to 350°F, line cookie sheet with silicone mat

Cream shortening, granulated sugar and pumpkin. Add egg and mix well. Add the baking soda, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and flour and mix well.
Using a small-to-medium sized disher (cookie scoop) or generous tablespoon, scoop batter onto cookie sheet. Using a wet finger, smooth points/peaks and gently press down tops. Bake 15-18 minutes then remove from oven and transfer to cooling rack and cool about 10-15 minutes before icing. 
To Make Icing: Cook butter, milk, and brown sugar until dissolved. Cool and add confectioners’ sugar and vanilla. Place a sheet of waxed paper under the cooling rack, take the cooled cookies and holding one at a time dip upside down into the icing, invert and place on cooling rack.  Decorate with sprinkles while icing is still wet.  Allow icing to fully set… if you can!!… before eating :)

Enjoy!

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