This is a great easy cookie recipe for the holidays! After a big celebratory meal, light “cake-like” cookies are nicer than something rich and heavy. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Cookies:  As always, first make yourself a good cup of coffee!  Then, pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

1) Ingredients:

½ Cup room temperature (soft) butter
1½ Cups sugar
1 Cup Libby’s Pure Pumpkin (canned)
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
Beat these ingredients together in mixer.

2) Stir these dry ingredients together:

2½ Cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder (Make sure it hasn’t expired!)
1½ tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg (Grate some fresh if you have the energy!)
1/2 tsp. salt
Add dry ingredients into the bowl from step 1 above, and mix. 

I use two oiled dinner spoons to put the sticky globs of cookie dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. The size I like is about 1 inch in diameter.  This will make cookies that are about 2 inches wide after baking. Bake approximately 15 minutes, OR until bottoms are browning & toothpick comes out clean. In my oven, they seemed to be done faster than this – around 11 minutes. You want to take them out at the earliest possible moment so that they stay moist. This should make about 4½ dozen cookies.
 
3)  When cookies have cooled, apply Cream Cheese Frosting. (I would halve the frosting recipe, it does make quite a bit. However, if you love frosting – go for it!)
 
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature (soft).
½ stick butter, room temp.
2 tsp. vanilla (I also like to add some fresh vanilla bean seeds!)
1 lb. powdered sugar – 2 Cups
Beat these ingredients together in mixer. Add milk or cream, a LITTLE at a time, to make spreadable and the consistency you want.
 
4) Decorative candies or sprinkles on top of the icing are fun if you like . . . and if you can do it before all the cookies are eaten.