The Great Pumpkin Massacre (that turned into cookies)

  For the very first time this year, I tried my hand at gardening . To my shock and amazement I actually grew something. The pumpkins pictured above are some of the fruits of my bounty. Actually, it's a tiny fraction of my bounty (of pumpkins, that is). Like many amateur gardeners I decided that, to be on the safe side, I would plant extra just in case some of the plants got damaged or eaten by vermin. In the case of the pumpkins, that meant 8 hills with 3-4 seeds in every hill. (All you experienced gardeners out there, I can hear you laughing!) Needless to say, I have a few pumpkins in the garage. 20 to be exact, (not including the ones I've already cooked, given the neighbors, given to cousins, given to friends or used for decorations.) So what am I gonna do with all this pumpkin, you ask? I have no idea. For right now I'm cookin' it all down and putting it into 2 cup baggies to store in the freezer for a rainy day. Or, at least until next week when some of it will get made into Thanksgiving pies. I did ,however, remember to leave some of it out to use in one of our favorite fall cookies. These iced pumpkin cookies are wonderful! Moist and cakey with a hint of nutmeg and clove, you won't be disappointed.

Let me know what you think, friends!

Iced Pumpkin Cookies

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cup flour

1-tsp. baking powder

1-tsp baking soda

2-tsp cinnamon

1/2-tsp.ground nutmeg

1/2-tsp. ground cloves

1/2-tsp. salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1 egg

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

1-tsp. vanilla

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine dry ingredients and set aside. Cream together the butter, and sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and vanilla and beat until creamy. Stir in dry ingredients. Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet and flatten slightly with the bottom of a cup dipped into flour.

Bake for 15 minutes or until light brown. Cool completely and frost with butter cream icing.

Butter Cream Icing

3 cups powdered sugar

3 Tbsp. milk or cream

1/3 cup melted butter

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Beat until creamy and spreadable

Note: My family loves these cookies iced but my favorite is to stir some chocolate chips into the batter before baking. Mmmm!