Melt-in-your-mouth Pumpkin Cookies

 These cookies are honestly the best things I've ever baked. The original recipe makes way too much so I've cut it in half. Unless you're baking for a crowd, I'd recommend leaving this cut in half. I baked the full recipe for my family on Thanksgiving (there are 11 of us and we gave away 2 plates of them) and there were still leftovers! These cookies are soft, gooey, and literally melt in your mouth. I've added a few ingredients from the original, and added a step to incorporate the flavors of the spices into the pumpkin and to get rid of the slight tinny taste of the canned pumpkin. I've also developed my own frosting recipe, or you could simplify it and use my Cream Cheese Frosting recipe (I'd cut the full version in half).

Original Recipe

The recipe:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/8 tsp allspice

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 15-oz can pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling)

2 cups all-purpose flour

Frosting:

4 tbsp butter

4 oz cream cheese

1/8 cup packed light brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

3/4-1 cup powdered sugar

Splash of milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Heat an empty skillet over medium-low heat. Add canned pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, and allspice. Stir until combined and just heated through. This gets rid of the tin flavor of the pumpkin and brings out the flavors of all the spices.

In a large bowl, beat butter until smooth. Add granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat until combined. Beat in egg and vanilla. Beat in pumpkin/spice mixture. Slowly beat in as much flour as you can with the mixer and stir in remaining flour with a wooden spoon.

Drop by heaping teaspoons 2 in apart on ungreased cookie sheet, or on parchment paper if you want to skip cleaning the cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until tops are set. Let sit on cookie sheet for 2 minutes, transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

For frosting: melt butter, cream cheese, and brown sugar in saucepan or microwave and combine until melted and smooth. Stir in milk and vanilla. Beat in 3/4 cup powdered sugar until smooth. Add more powdered sugar if you like a thicker, sweeter frosting. Spread frosting on cookies and sprinkle with additional cinnamon.

Enjoy!!