Pumpkin season is upon us!

Everyone jumps on the Pumpkin Bandwagon this time of year. Recipe blogs have the best reason to do so! It’s our mission to spread the Pumpkin Joy!

These delicious cookies are inspired by a recipe I found in Better Homes and Garden Magazine.

The first ingredient is scary!

One pound of butter is A LOT!

The upside, if that is possible? The recipe makes 100 cookies. One Hundred – that’s A Lot too.

Luckily I have enough cookie sheets so I don’t have to use the same sheets over and over. If you do need to use the same sheets, be sure to let them cool completely between batches.

Plus, I have plenty of cooling racks. One of the advantages of having a cooking school!

I’ve named these cookies “cakey” because of their cake-like texture. I suppose another option could have been to name them “mini-cakes” instead of cookies.

You Decide.

Pumpkin “Cakey” Cookies with Brown Sugar Frosting

Cookies

• 1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
• 4 cups flour

Frosting

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 ¾ cups powdered sugar
• Ground cinnamon, for dusting

Cookies: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Beat butter with an electric mixer on high speed for 1 minute until it is light and fluffy.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Beat dry mixture into the butter until it’s combined, scraping the bowl occasionally.

Add the eggs and vanilla. Beat until combined.

Add pumpkin puree and continue to beat the mixture, again scraping down the bowl occasionally.

Slowly add flour, 1 cup at a time, until the flour is just mixed in.

When adding the last cup, take the bowl off the mixer while you can still see a bit of the flour and mix the last visible flour in by hand, with a large rubber spatula.

Drop the dough by heaping tablespoons or use a 1 tablespoon scoop, 2 inches apart, on ungreased baking sheets.

Bake the cookies until the tops are set, about 10 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Frosting: Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the brown sugar. Stir until the mixture is smooth.

Transfer the butter-sugar mixture to a medium bowl and add the milk and vanilla. Stir together.

Using an electric mixer gradually beat in the powdered sugar until the frosting is smooth.

When the cookies have cooled, spread a scant tablespoon of the frosting on each cookie. Dust the tops with just a touch of cinnamon.

Makes about 100 cookies