Little munchkins and monsters, big ones, too, will be looking for special treats this weekend. Why not have some cookies to tuck into their hands?
My little two-year-old grandmunchkin will be with us this weekend. She’s one of the muffin monsters in our family. I don’t have muffins ready for her yet, but I think these cookies may be a good substitute.
Butterscotch Pumpkin Spice Cookies are not cloyingly sweet, although a thick smear of Maple Cream Cheese Frosting topping each cookie does add a fair amount of sweetness. Chopped butterscotch morsels stirred into the dough add flavor without big hard chunks in each bite. Old-fashioned oats add a nice bit of chewy texture.
These cookies are soft on the inside with just a slight crackle as you bite into them.
I sprinkle chopped pecans on some of the cookies and leave them off of some, just because I know there are a few big monsters who don’t care for nuts or can’t eat them for one reason or another. And for the little muffin monster, there are a few cookies with no frosting.
There’s still time to make a batch of Butterscotch Pumpkin Spice Cookies. All the little munchkins and monsters will love you.
Have a happy Halloween weekend.
Butterscotch Pumpkin Spice Cookies with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup butterscotch morsels
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats, uncooked
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
Maple Cream Cheese Frosting (see recipe below)
2/3 cup pecan halves, chopped
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Position steel blade in food processor bowl. Pulse flour and baking soda to mix. Add butterscotch morsels and pulse for about 30 seconds or until morsels are finely chopped. Add oats, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves and pulse few times to chop the oats. Set mixture aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat butter until creamy. Gradually add sugars, beating well. Add egg, vanilla and pumpkin, beating to blend. Stir in flour mixture.
Drop cookie dough by tablespoonsful onto parchment-lined or lightly greased baking sheets. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden and set. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Makes 4 dozen cookies.
Frost cookies with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting. Sprinkle chopped pecans over the frosting.
Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar
In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy. Add maple syrup, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating to incorporate before adding more. Add vanilla and blend. Gradually add powdered sugar. Frosting will be soft and creamy. If it is too soft to spread onto the cookies, add a little more powdered sugar.
Sue Doeden is a popular cooking instructor, food writer and integrative nutrition health coach. She is the host of Good Food, Good Life 365 on Lakeland Public Television. Her own hives full of hardworking bees and her love of honey led to the creation of her recently published cookbook, Homemade with Honey.