Pumpkin Cookies with Caramel Frosting

These soft, cake-like pumpkin cookies smell wonderful and are a great reminder of autumn. The recipe came from my great-grandmother and yields a small batch, so we sometimes double it. The caramel frosting is glaze-like and quite thin, so it helps to place the cooled cookies on waxed paper while frosting. I usually use an entire can of pumpkin, rather than letting a small portion of it go to waste. Store in an airtight container for very soft cookies, store in a loosely covered container for firmer cookies.

• Preparation Time: 20 mins
• Cooking Time: 40 mins
• Total Time: 60 mins
• Calories: 158 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ cup chopped walnuts
• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup raisins
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 tablespoons milk
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 pinch ground cinnamon, or to taste
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg, or to taste
• 1 cup powdered sugar

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Step 2

Cream butter and brown sugar for cookies together in a bowl with an electric mixer. Stir in pumpkin, then egg. Add baking soda, baking powder, vanilla extract, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir in flour. Mix in walnuts and raisins.

Step 3

Drop spoonfuls of dough 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Step 4

Bake each sheet on the bottom rack in the preheated oven for 6 to 7 minutes; continue to bake on the top rack until edges are golden, 6 to 7 minutes more. Continue with remaining cookie sheets in this manner. Let cookies cool on the cookie sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Step 5

While the cookies cool, melt brown sugar, milk, and butter for frosting in a medium pot over low heat. Bring to a boil; continue to boil mixture for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and cool for 3 to 10 minutes. The longer the mixture is cooled, the thicker the frosting will be on the cookies.

Step 6

Add powdered sugar and vanilla extract to the frosting mixture, stir well, and drizzle or spread onto cooled cookies. Allow the cookies to cool for 1 to 2 hours before stacking.