Pumpkin Spice Cookies!

These cookies are officially my new favorites :) I love me some tasty pumpkin goodness! Thank you Heather for the recipe!!

Pumpkin Spice Cookies
3/4 c. shortening
1 c. sugar
1 c. pumpkin
1 egg
2 c. flour
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tea nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt

Cream shortening, sugar, and pumpkin.
Add egg and vanilla mix well.
Add sifted dry ingredients.
Drop from spoon onto cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

Frosting
1/2 package of cream cheese (4 oz)
1/8 cup of butter
1 cup icing sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Beat frosting ingredients until smooth.
Frost cookies after they have cooled.

ENJOY!

Variation: I used butter instead of shortening, because that's what I had :) I also added cinnamon to the frosting, then melted and brushed it onto the cookies while they were warm with a pastry brush! Delish!

Pumpkin Muffins: take 2

Seeing as Kyra woke ridiculously early today, I decided to bake! At 5:30 am :) I wanted to try a bit healthier version of the pumpkin muffin recipe I posted a few days ago. I replaced 1 cup of oil with plain applesauce (that I canned myself last fall)

I also added candied pumpkin seeds (just like Starbucks & Tim Horton's)
Candied Pumpkin Seeds
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup raw shelled pumpkin seeds

Spray large baking sheet with cooking spray. Heat seeds in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently, 5 minutes or until the seeds begin to pop. Add sugar, and stir constantly about 1 minute or until sugar begins to liquefy and caramelize; add cinnamon and salt. Spread seeds on prepared baking sheet, and cool. Break apart the seeds that are stuck together, once they have cooled.

I got the recipe for the Pumpkin seeds from Meemos Kitchen

Pumpkin Muffins w/ Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Pumpkin Muffins
4 eggs
2 cups white sugar
1.5 cups oil
1.75 cups pumpkin
3 cups flour
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. B powder
1 tsp. B soda
1 tsp. Salt
2 cups raisins

Beat eggs. Add sugar, oil & pumpkin. Combine dry ingredients and add to wet. Mix until smooth. Add raisins.
Bake 375 for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown
Mine are without raisins because my husband is weird and hates them :(

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
4 tbs. butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. cinnamon
4 cups icing sugar

Beat cream cheese, butter & vanilla. Gradually add cinnamon and icing sugar.

More icing sugar may be needed! I don't really follow recipes super closely so I'm not sure how much I used :)

Enjoy!