Recipes: Pumpkin Spice Cookies

BY: Samuel Parks (Dec. 2009)

During the fall and winter months, these cookies make the perfect after-dinner accompaniment to any meal.  With their light, cake-like texture, full flavor, and sweet glaze these cookies offer an enjoyable alternative to pumpkin pie.  In fact, with the addition of the maple syrup and Jack Daniels I would argue that these cookies are almost better than a traditional pumpkin pie… I wonder how bacon would taste with these (that’s probably overkill though).

Eat good food.  Drink good beer.  And above all, stay classy.

INGREDIENTS:

            Cookies

§  2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

§  1 teaspoon baking powder

§  1 teaspoon baking soda

§  2 teaspoons cinnamon

§  ½ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

§  ½ teaspoon freshly ground cloves

§  ½ teaspoon Kosher salt

§  ½ cup unsalted butter, softened

§  2 cups white, granulated sugar

§  ½ cup maple syrup

§  1 cup canned pumpkin puree

§  1 large egg

§  1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Frosting

§  2 cups confectioners sugar

§  2 tablespoons Tennessee Whiskey (a.k.a. Jack Daniels)

§  1 tablespoon water

§  1 tablespoon melted butter

§  1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

1.      Preheat the convective baking unit to 350˚ F

2.      Combine flour, dry baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves; set aside.

3.      In a medium bowl, cream together the ½ cup butter, granulated sugar, maple syrup, and Kosher salt.  Add pumpkin puree, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to the butter-sugar mixture, and beat until creamy.

4.      Divide dry ingredients into thirds, and mix thirds into the batter one at a time. Make sure not to over mix the batter, as this will produce excess glutens making your cookies chewy and tough. 

5.      Spoon batter onto an un-greased cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly.

6.      Bake 14-16 minutes.

7.      Drizzle with glaze

To make glaze: combine confectioners sugar, 1 tablespoonful water,1 tablespoon melted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Wisk ingredients together until they assume a quasi-liquid consistency.  Drizzle glaze over cookies immediately.

ENJOY!