Pumpkin Cookies with Homemade Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

FOR THE COOKIES:

4 cups Flour

2 cups Quick Oats

2 teaspoons Baking Soda

2 teaspoons Cinnamon

1 teaspoon Salt

1-⅓ cup Butter, Slightly Softened

3 Tablespoons Crisco

2 Tablespoons Water

1 cup Sugar

2 cups Brown Sugar

1 Egg

1 teaspoon Vanilla

16 ounces, weight Canned Pumpkin (not Pumpkin Pie Mix)

1 cup Semisweet Chocolate Chips

FOR THE FROSTING:

8 ounces, weight Cream Cheese, Slightly Softened

2 teaspoons Vanilla

6 Tablespoons Butter, Slightly Softened

5 cups Powered Sugar

Preparation

For the cookies:

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a large bowl, combine the flour, quick oats, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl using an electric mixer, combine the butter, Crisco, water, sugar and brown sugar. Whip until fluffy. Mix in the egg and vanilla. Next, slowly add portions of the pumpkin and dry ingredients into the mixture, alternating a little of each until completely combined. Mix well. Mix in chocolate chips by hand.

Drop scoops of the batter onto greased cookie sheets leaving about 2 inches in between. Gently spread each scoop flat, shaping into circles. If you’re feeling really creative, you can add stems and make them pumpkin-shaped. Bake 12-14 minutes until semi-firm and light brown in color. Remove from oven. Set cookies on a rack to cool.

Now these cookies are delicious enough on their own, but you add the homemade cream cheese icing and they are out of this world!

For the frosting:

Combine cream cheese, vanilla and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the powdered sugar little by little and mix until creamy. If frosting is too thick, add a little more softened butter until you get the consistency desired.

Once the cookies have cooled, add frosting and enjoy!