First things first - HAPPY THANKSGIVING!! I have so much to be thankful for in my life, it's easy to get caught up in the negative and take all that I have for granted. That's one of the reasons (besides the obvious Thanksgiving feast) that I really love Thanksgiving - it helps me to take a step back and see clearly just how fortunate I really am :)
Now, onto the good stuff! These were amazing; adding the malt was Cindy's idea and it just took the cookies to another level, for reals. Texture-wise they're definitely more like little cakes than cookies, and I think I liked them better that way... I sprinkled mine with a little more cinnamon after frosting, but that's totally up to you ;)
Malted Pumpkin Cookies
yield - about 45 cookies
11 ounces all-purpose flour
4 tbsp malt powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
3 ounces unsalted butter, softened
9 ounces brown sugar
2 tsp fresh, grated ginger
1 large egg, room temperature
6 ounces pumpkin puree
3 ounces milk
1 tsp vanilla
- Preheat oven to 375-degrees F and line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, malt powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, dry ginger and nutmeg. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter, sugar and fresh ginger. Add pumpkin puree and combine. Add egg and mix to combine, scraping down the bowl as needed. Add milk and vanilla, mix well. Fold the wet mixture into the dry ingredients just until combined.
- Using a cookie scoop (mine is 1 tbsp) drop 1 1/2-inch rounds of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 1 inche of space between each. Bake cookies in the center of the oven for 12 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through, until the tops spring back when touched and the bottoms are lightly browned. Cool for a few minutes on the sheet and then transfer to wire racks to cool completely before frosting.
Browned Butter Frosting:
2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 tbsp malt powder
Pinch of salt
5 tbsp unsalted butter
3 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, malt powder and salt. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat, swirling pan occasionally, until butter solids become golden brown and smelly nutty. Don't walk away while doing this as this should only take a few minutes. Once browned, add to sugar mixture, scraping any brown bits from the bottom and sides of the pan, and whisk well. Whisk in milk and vanilla. If the frosting is/becomes stiff, add small amounts of milk to achieve desired consistency.
- Frosting can be used as soon as cookies are cooled. Spread about 1 teaspoon of frosting onto each cookie and sprinkle with a little more cinnamon if desired. Store flat in layers separated by wax paper in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. (Alternately, you can store the cookies and frosting separately and just frost the cookies right before serving - this brought the shelf life up to about 5 days for me.)
adapted from Martha Stewart via HungryGirlPorVida