Article by Donovan Eniram
Video by Eve Romano
Come one, come all, come join us for the first episode of “A Dash of Donnie”, celebrating fall. With this being the very first episode and of course, beautiful fall, we’re starting off with something full of sugar and spice, and pumpkins of course. Eve and I are making Pumpkin Spice Drop Cookies with Browned Butter Icing. These oh-so-heavenly smelling, soft, chewy cookies, full of spicy pumpkin goodness and coated in rich, creamy, caramel icing are the perfect thing for people looking for a delicious fall treat. Now if you want to see a step-by-step breakdown of the recipe alongside our hilarious commentary and our overall baking experience, I highly advise checking out our video on the Minarets Press Youtube page which is also posted below.
Now let's get into the recipe.
Recipe:
Yield: 12 to 14 cookies
Prep Time: 30 min.
Cook Time: 15 min.
Total Time: 45 min.
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cookies
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp pumpkin spice
½ tsp salt
1 cup loosely packed brown sugar
¼ cup white sugar
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 large egg
3 tsp vanilla extract
Browned Butter Icing
½ cup unsalted butter
1 ½ cup powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 to 2 tbsp milk
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
For the cookies:
In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, powder, cinnamon, pumpkin spice and salt. In the mixing bowl of your electric mixer, beat the sugars and butter until creamy and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the pumpkin puree. Beat in the eggs and the vanilla extract. It may look a little curdled but that's okay. Slowly add in the dry ingredients until the mixture is just combined. Use an ice-cream scoop (or spoon) to scoop 1.5-2 inch size scoops onto the baking sheet. Leave the cookies about two inches apart for baking. Bake for 13 to 17 minutes, or until the cookie is fully set. You can even test it with a toothpick to see if it comes out clean. Let the cookies cool completely before frosting.
For the icing:
Place the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Cook and let the mixture bubble, stirring occasionally until brown bits begin to appear on the bottom. Once the brown bits appear, turn the heat off and continue to stir for about 30 seconds. Let the butter cool completely. It doesn’t have to turn solid, though that is fine too as you still want it at room temperature. But it should no longer be warm. Add the butter to the bowl of your electric mixer. Beat in the powdered sugar on low speed. Beat in the vanilla extract. If the mixture is too thick, beat in milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it’s creamy enough to spread.
Now simply spread a dollop of icing on a fully cooled cookie and you're done. You can add a dash of cinnamon or nuts on top if you're feeling fancy. These taste best a few days later. Sounds a bit crazy but trust me on this. Though if you can't wait simply serve and store the rest in an airtight container for up to a week. I hope you enjoy and join us next time for "A Dash of Donnie".