RECIPE BY CHEF JESSICA HALLAM PHOTOS BY STEVE SMEDE
FALL IS OFFICIALLY HERE! October is a big month in our house because two of our boys have birthdays. My boys love baked treats, so we spend a lot of time in the kitchen making pumpkin everything. These cookies are a new favorite of ours. They have a cake-like texture with a fluffy cream cheese icing in the middle. The cookie is heavily spiced to give you that warm feeling with every bite. They last for a few days at room temperature, but they don’t usually last that long at our house!
Ingredients:• 1c. dark brown sugar
• 1c. sugar
• 1c. vegetable oil
• 1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin puree—not pumpkin pie filling
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
• 3 1/2 c. all purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp. salt
Frosting ingredients: • 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 c. butter, softened
• 2 tbsp. heavy cream
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 3 1/2 c. powdered sugar
Instructions: 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl whisk together sugars and vegetable oil. Next add oil, pumpkin, eggs and vanilla. Whisk until combined.
3. In a small bowl combine flour, baking powder and soda, spices and salt.
4. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
5. Using a cookie scoop, scoop batter onto a parchment-lined sheet tray. Keep them spaced pretty far apart, about 8 cookies per tray. Repeat with all remaining batter.
6. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Until cooked through. Let cool and then set aside.
7. In a stand mixer bowl fitted with a whisk attachment, whip together cream cheese, butter, vanilla and cream. Add powdered sugar and salt. Whip another 3-5 minutes until silky smooth.
8. Fill a piping bag with frosting. Pipe frosting onto one cookie, leaving about a 1/2- inch rim around the edge. Top with another cookie and press together. Repeat with all remaining frosting and cookies.