Pumpkin Cookies for the Whole Party!

My family has been making these cookies for many years. They are perfect for large gatherings or for sharing with friends, because they are delicious, and there are a lot of them (the recipe makes 4 or 5 dozen cookies). They have a nice pumpkin flavor, with a cake-like texture.

For the cookies, you need:

• 4 eggs

• 1 cup olive oil or other oil *

• 2 cups sugar

• 15 or 16 oz pumpkin puree **

• 3 cups flour

• 2 tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 2 1/4 tsp cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp cloves

• 1/2 tsp ginger

• 1/2 tsp nutmeg

• Dash of salt

*Olive oil is preferable, but if you don't have any, other oils such as vegetable oil will work too. In this particular time making the recipe, all I had was coconut oil, so I used that and they came out fine.

**The original recipe calls for 16 oz, but the cans are 15 oz now. If you're cooking and pureeing your own pumpkins, you might want to use 16 oz, but if you're using cans, it's not worth opening another just for 1 oz.

For the chocolate frosting, you need:

• 1/3 cup butter

• 1/3 cup cocoa powder

• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla

• 2 cups powdered sugar

• 3 or 4 tbsp milk

You'll also need two mixing bowls (at least one of which is large), measuring cups and spoons, a mixer (I use a hand-held electric one), a whisk, a medium saucepan, a rubber/silicone spatula, and a regular spoon.

I've repeated the measurements here, because going back to reference a previous step repeatedly is annoying.

Preheat oven to 375°

Beat eggs (4), oil (1 cup), and sugar (2 cups) at medium speed in a large mixing bowl until blended. Add pumpkin (15 or 16 oz) and mix thoroughly.

In separate bowl, sift together flour (3 cups), baking powder (2 tsp), baking soda (1 tsp), salt (a dash), cinnamon (2 1/4 tsp), and the other spices (1/2 tsp each). Gradually add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture. Mix at medium speed until smooth.

Scoop up spoonfuls of batter (about a tablespoon or so), and blop them on the pan. (Blopping, by the way, is what happens when you plop a blob). Leave an inch or so between blops (yeah, that's totally a word :-P).

Bake for at 375° for 10 - 12 minutes. If you're not sure if they're done, press lightly on one of them; if it leaves an imprint, bake for another minute or two.

In medium saucepan, melt butter (1/3 cup) over low heat. Remove from heat and add
cocoa powder (1/3 cup). Stir until well blended. Beat in powdered sugar (2 cups) and milk (3 or 4 Tbsp) until smooth (alternate putting in a little powdered sugar, then a little milk, until it's all in, and the frosting has a pourable consistency). Stir in vanilla (1 1/2 tsp).

Drizzle the chocolate frosting onto the cookies with a spoon. The frosting will
become stiffer as it cools, so if it becomes too thick to drizzle, just warm back up it on low heat until it melts.

Different consistencies yield different visual effects; a warmer, more fluid frosting will make thinner lines, that may be more squiggly if you don't have a steady hand, while a cooler, thicker frosting will make more solid lines. It's delicious either way; experiment to find the consistency that you like best!

Now your cookies are ready to bring to a party, hand out to your friends or neighbors, or munch on by yourself (they're good for a few days)! The ones in the pictures were enjoyed at a Christmas Eve event!

I hope you enjoy them as much as we do! :-)