Martha Stewart Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing

Oh pumpkin. Where have you been all my life? Up until this year, I was never really a fan of pumpkin but this year, I absolutely adore pumpkin in everything. Especially cupcakes and cookies. I meant to make these cookies for Thanksgiving but just couldn’t get the energy to make them. Finally I pulled it together this week and I am so glad I did. They were delicious! I should have added a bit more evaporated milk to the icing to make it a little thinner, but other than that they were perfection. They rank right up there with Ina Garten’s Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Frosting.

I also made these into Whoopie Pies. They were so cute! I will definitely make these cookies again. Leave it to Martha to make killer pumpkin cookies. ; ;

Ingredients:

FOR THE COOKIES:

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 1/4 cups packed light-brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups canned solid-pack pumpkin (14 ounces)
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

FOR THE ICING:

4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon evaporated milk,
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Instructions:

Make cookies:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg in a medium bowl; set aside.

Put butter and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in eggs. Reduce speed to low. Add pumpkin, evaporated milk, and vanilla; mix until well blended, about 2 minutes. Add flour mixture; mix until combined.

Transfer 1 1/2 cups batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip (or you can do like I did and use a ziplock bag if you are in a pinch). Pipe 1 1/2-inch rounds onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until tops spring back, about 12 minutes. Cool on sheets on wire racks 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks; let cool completely.

Make icing:
Put confectioners’ sugar in a large bowl; set aside. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, swirling pan occasionally, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Immediately add butter to confectioners’ sugar, scraping any browned bits from sides and bottom of pan. Add evaporated milk and vanilla; stir until smooth. Spread about 1 teaspoon icing onto each cookie. If icing stiffens, stir in more evaporated milk, a little at a time.

Cookies can be stored in single layers in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days. Makes about 6 dozen

Linked up at 12 Days of Christmas Cookies Party