A Fall Recipe

Had a loverly Labor Day and then yesterday I finally got a chance to try this recipe out. It's from a really old Martha Stewart magazine. Never too early to bust out the pumpkin recipes I always say. ☺
These cookies are very soft and moist. I've never had brown butter icing before and it just might be my new favorite!

Pumpkin Cookies With Brown Butter Icing

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/4 ground ginger
3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
11 ounces (2 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, divided
2 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups canned solid pack pumpkin (14 oz)
1 cup plus 1 Tbsp evaporated milk (plus more if needed)
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract, divided
4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Line baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. Fit a pastry bag with a large coupler and a 1/2-inch plain round tip; set aside. (I'm sure you could use a Ziploc bag and cut the corner if you don't own any cake decorating stuff.)

2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg in a medium bowl; set aside. Cream 12 Tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) butter and the brown sugar on medium speed of a mixer until pale, about 3 minutes. Mix in eggs, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. On low speed, add pumpkin, 3/4 cup milk, and 1 tsp vanilla; mix until combined, about 2 minutes. Add flour mixture; mix, scraping down sides and bottom of bowl as needed, until well combined.

3. Transfer batter to pastry bag. Holding tip close to parchment paper, pipe 1 1/2 inch rounds 1 inch apart (piping them does make a difference in the appearance of the cookies when they are baked). Bake until tops are springy to the touch, about 12 minutes. Let cool on sheets 5 minutes; transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

4. Meanwhile, put confectioners' sugar in a large bowl; set aside. Melt remaining 10 Tbsp butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes (mine took several more minutes after cranking the heat to med-high).

5. Immediately pour batter over sugar, scraping any brown bits from sides and bottom of pan. Add remaining 5 Tbsp of milk and remaining 2 tsp vanilla; stir until smooth. Spread about 1 tsp icing on each cookie. (If icing becomes stiff, stir in a little more milk until spreadable.) Cookies can be stored in an airtight container up to 3 days.