pumpkin cookies with maple buttercream frosting

yields approximately 24 cookies

ingredients

cookies
2 1/2 cups all purpose or cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup fresh* or canned pumpkin 
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon bourbon

frosting
8 tablespoons softened butter
1/2 cup pure maple syrup, preferably grade b
5 cups powdered sugar

directions

Preheat oven to 360 degrees Fahrenheit

cookies
Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices.  Set aside.

Cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy.  Add pumpkin, egg, vanilla and bourbon, beating until creamy.  Mix in dry ingredients until fully incorporated.  Do not over mix.  Dough will be very sticky. 

Place rounded teaspoonfuls on a cookie sheet lined with parchment.  Flatten slightly.  Bake for 15-20 minutes.  Cookie tops should spring back when touched.  Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack.

frosting
In a medium bowl, cream softened butter and syrup.  Beat in powdered sugar, one cup at a time until smooth and creamy. 

assembly
Once the cookies have cooled, ice generously with maple buttercream, leaving a 1/4 inch border.  Frosting will set in about one hour.  Do not wait to ice the cookies as they will begin to dry out.  The frosting keeps them moist.

Cookies keep in an airtight container for several days, that is, if you don’t eat them first.

*A medium-sized sugar pumpkin, around 4 pounds, yields approximately 1-1/2 cups of mashed pumpkin.  Cut the pumpkin in half, discarding the stem section and stringy insides. In a shallow dish, place the pumpkin halves face down, cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 1-1/2 hours or until a fork pierces the skin with no resistance. Once cooled, scoop out the flesh and puree in a food processor or mash with a potato masher. Use this puree in any recipe which calls for canned pumpkin.