Call Me Fudge: 'Pumpkin' Cookies

If you read many other cooking blogs out there you will notice an overwhelming amount of pumpkin related recipes circling the interweb this past month or so. I'm sure they're all good, but really we need a more balanced diet right? We can't just eat pumpkin and squash all day can we? Do you think we would turn orange from eating too much squash? Just carrots? Ok, well still, let's eat something else.

Just to make the transition a little bit easier, we will make them pumpkin shaped. I don't want to scare you too much right off the bat.

If you're thinking, "wait, these are cookies! These won't help me have a well-rounded diet!" You're wrong. All you've been eating since the temperatures have dropped below 75 and you glimpsed that first leaf start to change is vegetables. You forgot about the point of the food pyramid! It's fats, oils & sweets! Don't ever forget about those.

These are cookies that are perfect to make with kids. I know that because this is what I remember doing every time we went over to my grandma's house. She would have to dough all made up and chilled in the fridge ready for us to cut and decorate.

You could make these cookies even if you didn't have a pumpkin shaped cookie cutter, but I'm going to be honest with you, they won't taste nearly as good. Something about that little bit of green icing on the stem that just makes them perfect!

PUMPKIN COOKIES
Recipe from Grandma Flinn
2 3/4 c. flour
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
3/4 c. butter, softened
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla

For the Icing:
1/2 lb. butter, softened
~2 c. powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla
1/8 t. salt
1-3 T. heavy whipping cream

1. Sift together dry ingredients. Set aside.

2. In a mixer, cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, then add vanilla.

3. Turn dough out onto waxed paper and refridgerate overnight (or at least one hour).

4. Roll dough out on floured surface to 1/4" thick.

5. Cut as many pumpkins as you can fit, then reroll the leftovers. Try to reroll the dough as little as possible as it will get warmer and not hold up as well. (I rolled it out in 2 sections so it was easier to manage.)

6. Place cookies on a lightly greased cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes at 375 F. (Cookies will still be very light on top but the bottoms should be light golden brown.) Cool on wire rack.

7. With a hand mixer, beat together the softened butter and powdered sugar for the icing. (Mixture should be really thick still but not much completely dry powdered sugar remaining.