Pumpkin Cookies

With pumpkin in season I have been searching for new and creative ways to use it up! I happen to have pumpkin cookies at a friends birthday party not to long ago and wanted to try to make them my self. I came across a recipe at allrecipes called Iced Pumpkin Cookies. The recipe was delicious and the cookies made the house smell extravagant while they were cooking! I took them to a friends house that evening and they were a hit, everyone there really enjoyed them. The only thing I changed in the recipe was I didn't use as much sugar as it calls for. It calls for 1 1/2 cups to me that was just too much so I only used about 1/2 -3/4 cup of sugar, usually with any recipe you can half the amount of sugar and the product will still turn out with the same results.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar ( 1/2 - 3/4 cup sugar)
  
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Glaze

• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup of butter and white sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly.
3. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool cookies, then drizzle glaze with fork.
4. To Make Glaze: Combine confectioners' sugar, milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add milk as needed, to achieve drizzling consistency.