Pumpkin Cookies with Browned Butter Frosting

Its fall, and this is one of many pumpkin treats bound to show up on this blog. I just love the stuff! Pumpkin is very versatile, and is great in sweet and savory dishes. While its available all year round, I generally only cook/bake with it in fall just because it seems most appropriate.These cookies were great - two to three bite treats that are greatly complimented with the butter-sugar frosting. You could spread the frosting on, but I put mine in a Ziploc and cut off the corner to drizzle it over the cookies. To make clean-up a breeze, leave the cookies on a cooling rack, and slip some wax paper (or paper towels) underneath. The paper will catch any frosting drips, and you can simply throw it away!

Pumpkin Cookies (frosting recipe below)
source: Betty Crocker, via Carrie's Sweet Life
makes ~3-4 dozen cookies (I can't remember exactly)

2/3 c. granulated sugar
2/3 c. packed brown sugar
3/4 c. butter or margarine, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c. pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
2 eggs
2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, beat granulated sugar, brown sugar, 3/4 cup butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed, scraping bowl occasionally, until well blended. Beat in pumpkin and eggs until well mixed. On low speed, beat in flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

2. On ungreased cookie sheets, drop dough by heaping tablespoonfuls. (I flattened my cookies ever so slightly with the back of a spoon. This batter hardly spreads while baking.)

3. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until almost no indentation remains when touched in center. Immediately remove from cookie sheets to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 45 minutes.

Browned Butter Frosting

3 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 to 4 tbsp milk
1/3 c. butter (do not use margarine or spread; it will burn)

DIRECTIONS:
1. In medium bowl, place powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 3 tablespoons milk. In 1-quart saucepan, heat 1/3 cup butter over medium heat, stirring constantly, just until light brown.

2. Pour browned butter over powdered sugar mixture. Beat on low speed about 1 minute or until smooth. Gradually add just enough of the remaining 1 tablespoon milk to make frosting creamy and spreadable. Generously frost cooled cookies.REVIEW:
These were yummy! I especially liked the frosting, it was a great compliment to the cookies. Treats with pumpkin are generally more cake-like in texture, and these were no exception. They weren't crumbly, but if you are looking for a cookie with some bite to it, these aren't it- they are very soft cookies.