cookies

Are you going to a Halloween Party?  If you are – you must take these cookies!  You will instantly be the most popular person in the room.  Regardless of how last minute your costume is.

They are insanely delicious and ridiculously easy – there is no butter in the batter, so if you are like me and doing it all by hand, you don’t have to worry about creaming butter with just a silly wooden spoon.

spicepumpkinpecans

For years I have been looking for a pumpkin cookie just like this one.  It all started in college, when my friend Alexandra’s mom would send her these cakey pumpkin cookies.  They were so popular, that her mom had to send 2 boxes just to make sure that Alex had some for herself.  Since then, I have been on a quest…

The closest I came was a few years ago, when I bought a pumpkin spice mix at Williams-Sonoma.  They were pretty good, but I didn’t want to be dependent on a mix.  So this year, knowing that I was headed to a Halloween bash, I thought I would continue the hunt.

pumpkincookiescollage

This recipe, which I adapted from the Baked Cookbook (an awesome bakery in Brooklyn, if you happen to be in the neighborhood), is it – no more looking, no more tasting – I have found my match.

Although, it turns out, that I don’t remember Alex’s moms cookies as well as I thought – I went the cream cheese frosting route, and she does vanilla.  Who knows what else has gone awry.  Oh well, they are definitely as good as my memories…

cookiesdroppedandbaked

Pumpkin Spice Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting
adapted from Baked
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My notes:
  1. I switched out half of the oil for applesauce.  I like to do that when I can, to make things a *tad* healthier and knowing that this recipe could hold up to it, as they are much more cake than cookie in substance.  I generally only do the swap when using oil (not butter) and when I am not looking for things to “crisp.”  I think that is a pretty standard way to handle the fat-to-applesauce substitution.
  2. I added a bit of chopped pecans because I like nuts, and I like to have a bit of bite against all the dough.
  3. In the frosting, I subbed half the cream cheese for marscapone just to give it a bit more depth and nuance.  I also upped the cheese to butter ratio, because I like it that way.  And finally, I added lemon juice to the frosting to cut through the sweet just a bit.
For the Pumpkin Cookies:
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3 c. all-purpose flour
1 t. salt
1 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
2 T. ground cinnamon
1 T. ground ginger
1 T. ground cloves
2 c. firmly packed dark-brown sugar
½ c. vegetable oil
½ c. unsweetened applesauce
3 c. pumpkin puree, chilled
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ c. finely chopped pecans

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

3 c. powdered sugar
½ c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
6 oz cream cheese, softened
6 oz marscapone cheese, softened
1 t. pure vanilla extract
1 t. lemon juice

Make the cookies:

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silpat and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves; set aside. In another large bowl, whisk together brown sugar, oil and applesauce well combined.  Add pumpkin puree and whisk until combined. Add eggs and vanilla and whisk until well combined. In batches, sprinkle flour mixture over pumpkin mixture and whisk until fully incorporated.

Using a small spoon (an small ice cream scoop is easier, but NY apartments only hold so much), drop rounded teaspoons of dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart.  Bake until cookies are just starting to crack on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of each cookie comes out clean, about 12-15 minutes. Let cool completely on pan.

Make the frosting:

Sift powered sugar and set aside (this is particularly important if you are going the by hand route, as getting out all the lumps is almost impossible otherwise).

In medium bowl, cream butter until smooth (use a mixer if you have it).  Add cream cheese  and marscapone cheese and beat until well combined.  Note:  If you are doing this by hand, add the cheese in  small bits, to make it easier to incorporate.  Add powdered sugar and vanilla, beat just until smooth.  Add lemon juice and combine.  (Frosting can be made up to a day in advance). Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes before frosting the cookies, while the cookies cool to help the frosting set, that is if you want a healthy ratio of frosting to cookie!

Assemble the cookies:

You can go one of 2 ways – frost the cookies on the top OR frost the bottom of half the cookies to make sandwiches, or whoopie pies.

Baked does whoopie pies.  Alex’s mom – straight cookies.  Me?  I vote frosting on top too – I would rather have two separate cookies, than waste it all in one bite – but hey, I like seconds.

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Makes a lot of cookies.  The original recipe said 12 whoopie pies (24 cookies), but I got more than that – I think mine were a bit smaller.  I made about 15 regular size cookies, and about 24 minis.