Cinnamon Frosted Pumpkin Cookies

Oh these are amazing. I had some leftover pumpkin from the cake I made for Thanksgiving and I'm so glad I decided to use it on these. I found the original recipe on Nestle's Very Best Baking website, halved it, and added cinnamon cream cheese frosting. These cookies are so soft. They really are good enough on their own, but the frosting takes them over the top. There's a place in Columbus called Cheryl & Co., and they make a cookie similar to this, which is where I got the idea. I have quite a few other cookies I'd like to mimic from there, so this will be the first of many Cheryl & Co. copycat recipes.

The original pumpkin cookie recipe is here.

Cinnamon Frosted Pumpkin Cookies

1 1/4 c all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt (I actually think I used the whole amount this time)
3/4 c granulated sugar
1/4 c butter, softened
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1 large egg white
1 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 tsp? maple syrup

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease baking sheets. (I lined mine with parchment paper and greased that)

2. Combine flour, baking soda, baking power, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in medium bowl. beat sugar and butter in large mixer bowl until well blended. Beat in pumpkin, egg and vanilla extract until smooth. (At this point, I proceeded to grab maple syrup and start pouring it in to taste. I probably added about 1-2 tsp? I'm really not sure. It was a great idea though) Gradually beat in flour mixture. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto prepared baking sheets.

3. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until edges are firm. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

4 oz cream cheese, softened
2 T butter (I used salted, it doesn’t matter)
1 ½ c powdered sugar
½ t cinnamon

1. Blend cream cheese and butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer on a low speed until combined, about 30 seconds.
2. Add sugar a little at a time on low speed, beating until well incorporated, about 1 minute.
3. Add the cinnamon and increase the speed to medium, blending until fluffy, about 1 minute.