pumpkin cookie

Sally McKenney describes these pumpkin cookies as thick, soft and cakey. This selection uses canned pumpkin, her preferred dark brown sugar and maple syrup.

The pumpkin is blotted to remove some moisture. Flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, prepared pumpkin-pie spice, cinnamon and ginger form the dry mixture.

Softened unsalted butter is creamed with both sugars. Egg, maple syrup, vanilla and the same blotted pumpkin join it before the dry ingredients are mixed in.

The thick dough is portioned onto lined baking sheets and baked until the edges appear set. The cookies cool first on the sheet, then completely on a rack.

For the optional icing, cream cheese is beaten with a separate portion of unsalted butter, confectioners’ sugar, maple syrup and cinnamon. It coats the cooled cookies; the author also offers a thawed-cookie serving option at room temperature.