soft pumpkin cookies with cinnamon icing
Now that fall is officially here, it's time to bust out the boots, sweaters, and pumpkin everything! I consider myself a HUGE fan of fall...mostly because I'm lazy and introverted. It's the ideal season to snuggle up with a book and blanket or go for a silent walk through pretty leaves before it gets beyond the Wall cold. However, the one fall thing I'm actually not a fan of is pumpkin spice lattes...but these cookies are ahhhhh-mazing!
The Man Friend requests these cookies year-round (his other favorite is my old-fashioned ginger molasses cookies). I tell him he's basic and he glares at me like I just forced him to drink a venti PSL and wear Uggs. Lighter than scones but denser than traditional cookies, these delightfully cakey treats are a fantastic way to usher in fall without going too overboard. They're full of cinnamon sweetness that go perfectly with a cup of hot coffee or tea.
soft pumpkin cookies with cinnamon icing
prep time: 10 minutes | cook time: 40-50 minutes
experience level: easy-peasy | specialty: desserts
cookie batter
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick) softened
- 1 cup 100% pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
cinnamon icing
- 2 1/4 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted* (see notes)
- 3-4 tbsp milk
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 - 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit/ 177° Celsius.
In a medium bowl, mix the dry ingredients - flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside. Using a mixer and a separate bowl, cream butter and sugars together until well blended. Mix in the pumpkin, egg, and vanilla until mixture is incorporated. Beat in the dry ingredients a bit at a time, making sure that the flour mixture is completely mixed in before adding more. The dough will be fluffy and sticky.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and light mist with nonstick cooking spray. Drop the dough onto the baking sheet by the tablespoon full. Bake for 15-18 minutes, depending on your oven (mine took about 16 minutes). You want the edges to barely brown. Leave on the baking sheet for an additional 60-90 seconds, then transfer them to a cooling rack with a layer of paper towels underneath.
While your cookies are baking, mix up the icing. In a cereal-sized bowl, stir the confectioner's sugar, milk (3 tbsp to start), and vanilla together until well blended. The consistency should be of medium thickness - too thin and it will run off of the cookies and too thick will pull off chunks from the top of them. After you reach the desired consistency, stir in the cinnamon. I LOVE cinnamon, so I used a full teaspoon to concentrate the flavor, but you might prefer less.
Note: Sifting the powdered sugar is to prevent lumps in your icing. If you don't have a sifter, use a a mesh strainer or two forks to break up the clumps of powdered sugar before adding any wet ingredients.
Once your cookies have cooled completely, dip the tops of the cookies one at a time into the icing. Allow the excess to drip back into the bowl, then return the cookie to the cooling rack to set the frosting. You can double dip them after they've hardened a bit, but a single dip usually does the trick.
