Pumpkin Cookies Drizzled with Maple Frosting

Ingredients

• Cookies:
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• ½ cup shortening
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Icing:
• ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 1 (16 ounce) package powdered sugar
• 1 drop orange gel food coloring, or as desired
• 1 tablespoon black sprinkles, or as desired (Optional)

Step 1

Warm your oven to 350°F (175°C) and lining two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice — this will give your cookies that perfect spice blend.

Step 2

In another big bowl, cream the shortening and brown sugar with an electric mixer until the mixture is light and fluffy, which usually takes about a minute. Then add the pumpkin, egg, and vanilla, mixing everything until it’s well combined. Gradually add the flour mixture in two parts, mixing after each addition until just combined.

Step 3

Drop tablespoon-sized scoops of dough onto your prepared sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Bake the cookies for around 14 minutes, until the edges start to turn a nice golden brown. Halfway through baking, swap the pans’ positions to make sure they cook evenly.

Step 4

While the cookies bake, whip up the frosting by beating together butter and maple syrup until smooth. Stir in pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla, then gradually add powdered sugar and beat until the frosting is fluffy. If you like, mix in a little food coloring to give it a fun touch.

Step 5

Once the cookies come out of the oven, let them cool on the sheets for about 5 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely, which should take another 20 to 30 minutes. When the cookies are fully cooled, drizzle or spread the maple frosting over the top, and if you want, sprinkle on some decorations to finish them off.