I have a fall gift for you, and it’s a beauty!
I’ve been traveling for the past several weekends and this was my first one home in awhile. As it turns out, it was my husband’s turn to go away on his bi-annual MAN weekend which is a story for another time. Tess had a birthday party all day Saturday, so it was the perfect opportunity to hang out with this guy:
Doesn’t he look like a good time? He is! But his arms aren’t nearly that long in real life. Nor are my floors that clean.
We went to Fall Fest and – in spite of what I said here about our city’s unnatural preoccupation with seasonal festivals – we had tons of fun. He conquered the hay maze, we looked at beautiful jewelry and some truly awful paintings. We rode in a wagon drawn by two gigantic horses named Jim and Jerry and then went to Josiah’s favorite restaurant. So this is where things get interesting. You were wondering, weren’t you? I know. While we were eating burgers (where burger for Bo equals a green salad with salmon), we started talking and dreaming of the perfect cookie. I mentioned that I’ve always wanted to try a pumpkin cookie but I haven’t run into a good recipe yet. This statement somehow flew through the burger coma and landed solidly in Josiah’s whirling mind and he kept asking about them all afternoon. Finally, I caved to the pumpkin pressure and jumped onto Food Network in search of a worthy-looking recipe to try.
Well, I could go on and on, but let me just say: these cookies are a marvel of Fall flavory happiness. They’re soft and melty and not-too-sweet and not-too-spicy and just enough of all life’s goodness blended into a batter and baked to perfection. I left out the raisins because I have a love/hate relationship with dried grapes and I left out the nutmeg because it’s from the devil and it does not come nigh unto our dwelling place. Otherwise, I left everything the same and I could eat these little guys til spring. I iced half the batch and left the other half in their original pumpkiny glory and I think those were my favorites. Also, they’re very light on the sugar so: healthy! Eat FOUR!
Here’s the recipe. Stop what you’re doing and make them for your family (or roommate…or boyfriend…or dog) who will rise up and call you blessed:
Iced Pumpkin Cookies
- 6 dozen Iced Pumpkin Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup cooked, pureed pumpkin (fresh or canned)
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (ew.)
- 1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
- 1 cup raisins
Icing:
- 2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
- 1/4 cup butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 tablespoons whipping cream, fresh orange juice or rum
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add pumpkin, egg and vanilla and mix well. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and evil nutmeg. Stir into butter mixture until well blended. Add nuts and raisins (or…maybe not). Drop by teaspoonful onto parchment covered baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake about 15 minutes, or until golden. Cool.
Icing: Cream confectioners’ sugar and butter. Add remaining ingredients and beat until smooth. (If icing is too thin, add more confectioners’ sugar; if too thick, add more cream, orange juice or rum.) Drizzle over cookies.
My only problem now is I am at home with only a small boy and a warm batch of pumpkin cookies. Please send help.
Loving the Flavors of Fall,
Bo
I am glad to see that i’ve been changed from california keri to God bless texas keri.
haha. I miss you
Does that recipe *seriously* yield 6 dozen cookies?? How often do you really have a need for 72 cookies (sadly, I had to check my math like 15 times on 12 x 6… maybe I should reconsider this whole going back to school thing.. I can’t imagine getting an MBA is going to be easy when I’m struggling with 12 x 6)
but anyway.. really, who needs 72 cookies, it just sounds like a flat-out bad idea to have 72 cookies laying around your house.
lying around?
laying vs. lying?
oh man.
oh, and that is indeed a good lookin’ boy.. nice work.. Have you ever noticed that #4 always turns out cute??
I think it’s just prove that 4 is a good number to have (don’t tell my mom I said that)
PROOF!! not prove, I’m having a lot of trouble today..
Wow. Kristin. So much to respond to.
1) Laying. I think. But I don’t have an MBA either so I can’t be trusted.
2) Well, not 6 dozen STERN sized cookies. It made 4 dozen…still, all in all a really bad idea, yes.
3) Yeah, the first three were mostly practice kids. I can’t even imagine how cute #5 would have been. It was wise for us to stop rather than unleash that beauty on a world that isn’t ready. Hee. Sorry, Tori…but even the middle child in you knows I’m kidding. 🙂
And to think that you got to use that beautiful new birthday present on top of everything else! Love love love pumpking cookies so thanks for the new recipe to try out! I would have to agree with the 4th being the cutest…I think God is on to something with that one…I think He figures if you are going to have four that last one as to be overly cute and the BEST baby ever so as not to drive the mom completely over the edge!! At least that was the case at my house…hee hee
OK so I come to your blog to read about important issues like orphans and the election and then I read that you don’t allow nutmeg in your home and I just know that I have finally found the sister I always knew I had. Tell me you dislike greatly the idea of eggnog or tapioca pudding and it will seal the deal!
Thanks for your humor and insight and wisdom!
Oh Karen – you wanna come for a slumber party? We’re kindred spirits indeed! Tapioca and eggnog are nightmares in texture for me…though, I could maybe swing the eggnog were it not for the fact that it contains NUTMEG. 🙂 Silly,I know, but I still feel strongly about it. I just hate the taste of that stuff.
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“Nigh unto our dwelling.” I laughed out loud. : ) I’m going to try these cookies…I don’t promise amazing results because it’s me cooking here! Although I have started cooking dinner once a week for Eric. Be proud!
I’m proud, Linds…so, so proud! And you will love the cookies. Don’t freak out that they’re sticky when you put them on the cookie sheet…that’s what makes them such soft, wonderfulness when they’re baked.
Bo,
I made your cookies last night for our Life Group and everyone loved them!!! Thank you for the great recipe.
Megan