There is pumpkin still left in the can...oh, Martha what should I do?

What to do?  What to do?  There is pumpkin left in the can.  It is late in the evening and there is still pumpkin left in the can.  What I really want to do is pour a glass of wine and put my feet up...but there is still pumpkin left in the can....

I don't know that I have ever baked at night.  There is a reason...I am a morning person and baking at night sounds like a mistake waiting to happen.  I am more of a "get it done first thing in the morning" type of person but that can of pumpkin is going to bug me....even if I put it in the refrigerator for tomorrow, it is going to bug me.  I am one who needs a plan....and I just happened to have a great idea.  

The idea:  Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing!  Now that sounds too tasty to resist.  Thank you, Martha. 

This looked like an easy recipe...something I could attack at night and be ahead in the morning!!  But oh, Martha what kind of recipe is this?  Yes, the dough was soft and you did say to pipe it onto the cookie sheet leaving at least an inch of space between each cookie and, I did use a scoop....but this soft?  

What in the world happened?  Of course, it is the self fulfilling prophecy!  I knew better than to bake at night....  Well, it had to be me because folks have great things to say about these cookies. Rereading the recipe sounded like a good place to start.  As I glanced at the recipe I just happened to notice a bowl of flour sitting on the counter right next to the mixer...yep, that would be it.....flour works best if it is in the mixing bowl and not sitting beside it.

Well, I do have perseverance....and it is a good thing....

Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing

adapted from Martha Stewart, Living, October 2004

Yield:  about 4 dozen
Preheat oven:  375° F.

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/4 tsp ground ginger
3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2 1/4 cups packed light-brown sugar
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Icing
4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 1/4 sticks (10 Tbsp) unsalted butter
1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp evaporated milk
2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375° F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.  Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix together butter and brown sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Mix in eggs.  Reduce the speed to low and add the pumpkin, evaporated milk and vanilla; mix until blended, about 2 minutes.  Add the flour mixture and mix until combined.

Using a cookie scoop (1 1/2-inches in diameter) scoop balls of batter and place on parchment lined baking sheets, spacing 1 1/2-inch apart.  Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until the tops spring back, 11-13 minutes.  Cool the cookies on the sheets for 5 minutes and then transfer them to racks to cool completely.

Icing
Put the confectioners' sugar in a large mixing bowl and set aside.  Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Cook swirling the pan occasionally, until it turns a golden brown, about 3 minutes.  Immediately add the butter, along with any browned bits, to the confectioners' sugar.  Add the evaporated milk and vanilla stirring until smooth.  Spread about a teaspoon of icing onto each cookie.  More evaporated milk may be added if the icing becomes stiff.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

These were the very best little morsels...they were soft and cakey (is that a word?)...and the frosting, oh my goodness, what a wonderful combination.  I used a bit more than a teaspoonful of icing for each cookie....it was just too good....I sampled it multiple times to make certain!

You will want to make these cookies...they are a good thing!

I am sharing today at Full Plate Thursday hosted by Miz Helen's Country Cottage, Foodie Friday hosted by Michael at Rattlebridge Farm and at Weekend Bites at Simple Living and Eating.