Eating Our Way Through Med School: Pumpkin Sandwich Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

With the gloomy weather yesterday and some canned pumpkin sitting on the shelf. I decided it was time to make some cookies I have been dreaming about: pumpkin sandwich cookies with cream cheese frosting.

I am not sure what made me crave them, but the result was a wonderful, cake-like cookie with a very tasty frosting center.

I also thought on a gloomy day it would be a nice surprise for my husband when he got home from a long day of class.

Here is what I did:

Pumpkin Sandwich Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

For Cookies:

2 c. flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp vanilla

1 c. firmly packed brown sugar

1/4 c. milk

1/2 c. butter

1 egg

1 c. canned pumpkin

For Frosting:

4 oz cream cheese

1 tsp vanilla

3 tbsp butter

cinnamon to taste

2 c. powder sugar

Method:

Preheat oven to 350°

Cookies:

Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt in bowl and set aside.

Beat together brown sugar and softened butter.

I used our mixture, but it can be done by hand.

Beat the sugar and butter until smoothly blended.

Add in pumpkin, egg, milk, and vanilla.

Beat until well blended.

Add flour mixture slowly into bowl and beat slowly until smooth. Consistency will be creamy and fluffy somewhat like cake batter.

Drop batter/dough by heaping teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake for 9-10 minutes (I checked after 9 and put in for an additional minute). Allow to cool for 2 minutes on cookie sheet and transfer to cooling rack.

**These cookies did not flatten or spread out so a flat edge cookie sheet worked fine.**

Frosting:

Combine cream cheese, vanilla, butter and cinnamon(to taste).

Beat until smooth.

Add powder sugar to cream cheese mixture.

Beat powder sugar and cream cheese mixture together until creamy.

**Add a pinch of salt if needed**

Cookie Assemblage:

Allow cookies to cool completely.

Frost bottom of one cookie and place another cookie bottom towards frosting on top.

If desired sprinkle cookie sandwiches with powder sugar.

Here is where I got just a little carried away taking pictures of the cookies...it was a good way of stopping myself from eating them all before Joel got home...