Soft Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Sugar Pecan Frosting

These are seriously my favorite pumpkin cookies ever! I saw them here and thought they looked interesting. I haven’t really changed the recipe because it’s pretty much perfection as-is. There's not even a lot of cleanup, just one bowl and a saucepan, taking away any excuse for laziness.

The cookies are not overly sweet and have a really soft, cake-like texture so the brown sugar and butter frosting makes a perfect complement. The pecans aren’t necessary but they do cut through the softness to give the cookie some crunch.

  

this is once the milk has been added

 

(recipe after the jump)


Soft Pumpkin Cookies with brown sugar pecan frosting

(makes about 3-4 dozen)

Recipe Notes:
- The frosting directions are the only part of the recipe that I changed. The original recipe wants you to cool the brown sugar and butter before adding the milk, but every time I did that the mixture became grainy. The new directions reflect how to make a smooth frosting.
- As the frosting cools it will become thicker. If it gets too thick, it may start to tear at the cookies. If this happens, pour in a 1/2 teaspoon of milk at a time to loosen it up. 

Ingredients

Cookies:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

¾ cup packed light brown sugar

¼ cup granulated sugar

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 large egg

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

¼ tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

Frosting:

½ cup packed light brown sugar

¼ cup (4 Tbs.) unsalted butter, softened

¼ cup milk

1 ½ to 2 cups confectioners' sugar

¾ cup pecans, chopped, optional

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. 

2. For the cookies: In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the pumpkin, vanilla and egg and mix well. Mix in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg.

3. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto un-greased baking sheets (I like to use parchment paper or a Silpat on the pan). Bake for 10 minutes and let cool. Don’t overcook these! You want them on the softer side, so start watching them at 9 minutes.
4. For the frosting: In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar and butter. Bring to a boil and cook until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Turn off the heat but keep the pan on the burner. Slowly add the milk and whisk until smooth. Slowly whisk in the confectioners' sugar until the frosting reaches a smooth, glossy and thickly pourable consistency.
5. Spread the frosting over the cookies and sprinkle with the pecans, if using. Let frosting harden a bit before storing.