Pumpkin Cookies with Maple Frosting

It’s that time of year. I don’t care how basic I am, I want to pumpkin spice all the things. Any normal person starts with a 28 ounce can of Libby pumpkin in the fridge and uses 1/2 cup here and 1 cup there to add to things like waffles, pancakes, pasta sauce and COOKIES. Everyone keeps their can covered with plastic wrap and a hair elastic to secure it in place, right? When you are ready to pull out your open can of pumpkin puree, give these pumpkin cookies with maple frosting a go.

“What makes these worth my time anyways?”

For these pumpkin cookies with maple frosting, we are going for texture. The cookies themselves have the slightest chew to them, especially around the exterior. I have no idea how or why, but it’s delightful. Then the frosting is made with cream cheese and it’s so delightfully smooth and creamy, as most cream cheese frostings are. But that’s two soft textures, so we need crunch. Thank you pecans. If you are feeling extra special, chop them up and then TOAST them. Bonus points for you.

If you are feeling like these are too boring without stuff in them to chew on, maybe go for some chocolate chips or toffee bits. Ever tried peanut butter chips with pumpkin cookies? It isn’t a bad idea.

A couple fun ideas for changing things up

If you are feeling like pumpkin cookies have had their run in your life, use these pumpkin cookies with maple frosting recipe as a framework for changing things up. The cookies have a perfect texture to be turned into whoopie pies. So flip them over, add the frosting and top with another cookie. You could also turn the cookies into ice cream sandwiches. Pumpkin ice cream or salted caramel ice cream would do the trick. What about a pumpkin trifle? Make the cookies, chop them up and layer them in a trifle bowl with vanilla or butterscotch pudding, whipped cream and toffee bits. Everyone will love you. You could even do that with little mason jars. How cute would that be?

Notes on preparation

• If you can possibly have everything be room temperature, that would be ideal. It isn’t essential, but preferable. Here’s why: the butter already has to be softened, so that is room temp when it comes in and it combines with the sugar really well. But then if you add cold pumpkin puree and a cold egg, that butter seizes up a bit and doesn’t combine as well. It isn’t the end of the world, but will make you more evenly baked cookies.
• Having said all that, you don’t want to let the butter completely melt in the cookie dough. Like between batches of cookie dough, keep it in the fridge. If the butter melts, it will make for flat cookies.
• If you do not have pure maple syrup, I would say go with maple extract, just a touch. In fact, I would just add 1/2 teaspoon at a time and see how it tastes. Not a fan of maple, forgo the syrup all together and add vanilla extract. Worried about saving your precious, expensive vanilla? Go with almond. It’s cheap and delicious.

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