Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Jingle Bells! Christmas is on the way and I want to share some of my favorite holiday recipes with all of you. I'm going to start with the cookie for the season...pumpkin spice cookies like no other. It's really hard not to gobble them all up before you serve them to guests or send them out as gifts. They are little pillows of spicy goodness encompassing all the lovely, warm, wintery spices we associate with Christmas. Cinnamon, clove, nutmeg and ginger..oh my! Full of plump raisins, dates and pecans. So satisfying. You might want to leave a few out for Santa. I'm sure he'll leave a thank you note.

Pumpkin Spice Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup of granulated sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin, no spices added
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
1 tsp. mapolene flavoring

Cream butter and sugar on medium high in mixer until light and fluffy. Add the pumpkin, vanilla, egg, and mapolene and mix until completely blended.

2 cups flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. salt

Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl and with mixer on low speed, gradually add to the creamed butter mixture. Mix on low speed until completely combined, scraping down the bowl of the mixer several times.

Add:

1 cup golden raisins
1 cup pitted dates, chopped
1 cup pecans, toasted (spread on cookie sheet and toast in a 350* oven for 10 minutes - let cool)

Preheat oven to 375*

Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Use a large cookie scoop (or 1/4 cup measuring cup) and drop dough 3-4" apart on sheets. Gently pat dough down to a 3" disc. Bake one sheet at a time in the lower middle of the oven for 10-12 minutes.The bottom of the cookies should be golden, not brown. Repeat with rest of dough. Cool cookies on a wire rack.

Frosting

1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup whole milk
6 Tbls. butter
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. mapolene flavoring
2 cups sifted confectioners sugar

In a heavy pot, over a medium low flame, combine butter, brown sugar and milk. Bring to a boil, lower flame to gentle simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Take off flame, add vanilla, mapolene, and confectioners sugar. Whisk until smooth. Scrape frosting into large measuring cup and pour over cookies on racks, reheating frosting in micro wave if mixture gets too thick. Let frosted cookies dry on racks and then store in air tight containers using waxed paper between layers. Try not to eat too many :)