GLAZED PUMPKIN SUGAR COOKIES

Can you say best cookies ever? And I'm not exaggerating. I had a little leftover pumpkin from my pie last night, so I was browsing Pinterest looking for a way to use it up. (Note: I have a recipe for some add-in to your coffee to make it taste like a pumpkin spice latte that I've been wanting to try, but at the moment we have no coffee :( and that pumpkin was just calling to me in the fridge. Soon, I will try this other one, though.) I came across this recipe for cookies, and thought that I might try it. Oh goodness. Dessert heaven.


GLAZED PUMPKIN SUGAR COOKIES

Ingredients:

Cookies:
1/2 cup softened butter
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (I used fresh, she used canned)
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
4 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Glaze:
3 cups powdered sugar
4 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (I left this out. I just made this icing sugar)

Mix butter, oil, pumpkin, sugars, vanilla, and eggs until smooth.
Slowly mix in all dry ingredients until mixed and fluffy.
Spoon onto baking sheet (I always use parchment paper) and flatten using the bottom of a glass. If the dough is too sticky (mine was), dip the bottom of the glass in white sugar for every cookie, then flatten.
Bake for 8 minutes EXACTLY at 350.
GLAZE: Combine ingredients until smooth. After cookies come out of the oven, transfer them to a cooling rack. While the cookies are still hot, put small amount of glaze on top. Let the glaze harden a bit before storing.

Original recipe here: http://www.laurenslatest.com/soft-glazed-pumpkin-sugar-cookies/


TIPS/TECHNIQUES:

1. I committed one of those sins that every baker must never commit: I didn't soften the butter. I wanted to make cookies, and realized that all of my butter was in the fridge still. I don't have a microwave, so there's no easy way out. Until, maybe, today. I turned the oven on to preheat it, and immediately stuck the stick of butter on the rack. I left it there for maybe 2-3 minutes (checking all the time because I didn't want it to melt all over my oven). When I took it out, the edges were soft (not melted) but the middle was still quite firm. I put it in the mixer anyway. I added all the ingredients and started my mixer. For the first mix (all except the dry ingredients) the butter mixed, but was lumpy. I was worried, but pressed on. But the time I was done mixing and ready to bake, the batter was incredibly fluffy and no chunks of butter were left over! And these cookies really are delightful to eat. So maybe I have found a way to bypass my oversight?

2. The glaze is wonderful for these cookies. I was skeptical, because I thought the cookies were pretty great on their own, but this added was even better. The thing about glaze, though, is that it gets gloppy fast. The recipe told me to make the glaze at the end and put it on all the cookies, then let it harden. But I only have a small amount of space to cool the cookies. and the next batch was coming out of the oven fast. So I developed a new method. I let the glaze harden a bit in the bowl, and whenever I needed it, I mixed it up again. I only put the glaze on the hot hot cookies, and that helped to melt it a bit and coat the whole cookie.