Pumpkin Sugar Cookies with Cream Cheese frosting

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s soon as there is a chill in the air our kitchen is filled with the earthy aroma of pumpkin. From breads, muffins, cupcakes, pies, and cookies pumpkin makes everything feel and taste like fall is here. One thanksgiving I wondered…could I swap the sour cream from my sugar cookie recipe with pumpkin puree? The result was amazing. The pumpkin kept the cookies soft and moist, while the pumpkin paired with spices gave the cookie a depth of flavor not found in a regular sugar cookie. We paired this cookie with cream cheese frosting rather than a traditional buttercream, as we find the tangy flavor of the cream cheese perfectly pairs with the spice notes found in the cookie. In our family this cookie has become as much a Thanksgiving tradition as pumpkin pie.

Ingredients:

1 cup room temperature softened butter

1 1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 T. vanilla

3/4 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)

4 cups flour

1 tsp banking soda

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp salt

Click below for Simple Cream Cheese Frosting…

https://sweeterthymes.com/2019/10/20/cream-cheese-frosting

Instructions:

1. Place soft, room temperature butter in mixer. beat on high, scraping down sides of the bowl to insure all of the butter becomes light and fluffy. Beat until butter doubles in size.
2. Add granulated sugar and beat until well mixed.
3. Add 2 eggs and beat on high until eggs thicken and add volume to mixture.
4. Next add the vanilla and pumpkin puree. Beat just until incorporated.
5. in a separate bowl combine remaining dry ingredients. Once thoroughly mixed slowly add to the wet mixture. Beat on high, scraping sides of bowl until all of the flour is incorporated into wet mixture. The dough will look “sticky”…do not add additional flour.
6. Scoop out dough and place in the bottom of a gallon-sized zip-lock bag. Refrigerate dough overnight. This dough is too soft to roll without being chilled at least 5 hours.
7. When you are ready to bake cookies, cut zip-lock bag down the sides and remove plastic. Place dough on a very lightly floured surface and knead until dough is malleable. Prepare a heavily floured surface by distributing flour evenly with a sifter.
8. roll dough out to 1/3 inch thick and cut shapes. Toss cut shape between hands to knock off excess flour. place cut out shapes on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Do not re-roll scraps of dough. This incorporates too much flour into the dough and changes both the flavor and texture.
9. Bake cookies for 6-8 minutes in an oven preheated to 375 degrees . It is difficult to check if the cookies are done by color as the cookies are already a golden brown color. look for the surface of the cookie to look as though solid air bubbles have formed.
10. Cool completely before frosting with cream cheese frosting. Cookies will freeze up to 6 months.