Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing

This is the season for pumpkin flavored EVERYTHING and these are my favorite pumpkin cookies. I personally think they are good anytime, but since it's October and all I figured I would re-post this one.


This is a Martha Stewart recipe that seems to consistently turns out for me. The only problem is it makes about 4 dozen cookies and I will eat every single one. I tend to make the dough, make only about a dozen, and freeze the rest. Then I can pull it out, thaw it and have them whenever I get the next craving.


For the Cookies:
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 1/4 cups packed light-brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups canned solid-pack pumpkin (14 ounces)
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract


For the icing:
4 cups confectioners' sugar
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon evaporated milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract


Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Start with the dry ingredients for the cookies, then add the wet ones. Use a mixer to make sure that all of it is combined. Drop the dough with two spoons onto the bake sheet flatten the dough down slightly, since they rise. Bake these for 12-15 minutes, you do not want them undercooked since you are putting frosting on the top.



While they are baking, start cooking your butter on med-low heat, stirring often. Put the other three ingredients for the icing into a mixing bowl. Add the butter last when it's all golden and nutty smelling, there will be dark brown fleck floating around in it too - that's the good stuff!! Mix well until smooth. When the cookies are cool, frost them with as much frosting as you want!

The final product... so good people, seriously!!