Pumpkin Cookie Season!

Nope.  This is not a family recipe.  Unless you consider my colleagues at work family!  And some of them I definitely place under that header.  This cookie recipe has become a fixture for our families fall festivities though!  It is Pumpkin Cookie Season!  

My colleague Sara brought these for a staff potluck in 2017. I have seen versions of this recipe on various other blogs and websites, but this one is mine… perfected for my oven and over time from Sara's recipe.  Fall isn’t in full swing until I have made a batch of these beauties!  

Preheat Oven: 350°

Ingredients:

2 c. butter, softened

2 c. granulated sugar

2 t. baking powder

2 t. baking soda

1 t. salt

1 t. ground cinnamon

1 t. ground nutmeg

2 eggs

2 t. vanilla

1 ½ - 2 c. pumpkin puree (or a 15oz. can)

4 ¼ c. flour

Frosting:

½ c. butter

½ c. brown sugar – packed

¼ c. milk

1 t. vanilla

2 ¼ - 2 ¾ c. powdered sugar

Ground cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice for dusting

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, beat 2 cups butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds.  Add granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg… the dry ingredients. Beat until combined, scraping down sides often. Beat in wet ingredients: eggs, 2 t. vanilla, and pumpkin.  Begin adding flour 1 c. at a time.  Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer, then switch to a wooden spoon when your mixer starts to weep in pain.

Drop dough in heaping roughly 2 tablespoon-sized spoonfuls on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet (I use the Pampered Chef medium scoop because it makes them fast!). One batch of cookies fills approximately 6 pans of cookies this size, so get your papers cut and your cooling racks ready!

Bake 16 minutes for the first round you put in the oven.  If you are using stoneware or a hot pan for the subsequent rounds, cook time will be less (13 minutes).  Bake until util tops are set and edges are slightly golden. Remove and cool on a wire rack, by sliding the parchment off the pans and on to cooling racks before re-lining pan and starting next rounds in the oven. 

Makes approximately 90 – 2” cookies (15 on my 16x11” stoneware pan)

You can also make these GIANT!  Drop ¼ c. portions (6 on my 16x11” stoneware pan) and bake 13-15 minutes or until tops are set and edges are slightly golden. Remove and cool on a wire rack.

For frosting, melt ½ c. butter and brown sugar in a saucepan until blended and smooth.  Do not overheat or over cook! Remove from heat and add milt and 1 t. vanilla.  Stir until combined.  Add powdered sugar until smooth and has a drizzling, spreadable-yet-drippy, consistency. I rarely use a full 2 ¾ cups!

Dust with ground cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice.

They are a GREAT mass production potluck or tailgate addition!  I made over 150 of them one year for my daughter's college dance team tailgate.  They were a hit!