Pumpkin Cookies with Maple Glaze

Last night I decided I needed to take a study break. I also decided I needed to use those cans of pumpkin I'd just bought..I also decided I needed cookies.

Enter: Travis' Pumpkin Cookies with Maple Glaze. I found the original recipe at Joy The Baker's, beautiful site, but made several modifications to 'healthify' these amazing cookies. I wanted to at least include whole wheat flour, and reduce the amount of white sugar. Also, I'm not a big fan of butterscotch chips, so I left them out.

These cookies are amazing! I loved the slight heartiness the whole wheat flour gave them, and the slight crunch of the raw sugar. My roommate said he couldn't even tell they were 'healthier'! The maple glaze was the perfect addition. You just can't go wrong with maple and pumpkin! With how easy these cookies were to make, and how incredibly delicious they are, I have a feeling I'll be making these all winter long.

Here's my modified recipe:

Travis' Pumpkin Cookies

Cookie Ingredients:
1c all-purpose flour
1c whole wheat flour
1tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 heaping teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/2c white sugar
1/2c raw sugar
2 eggs
1/2c canola oil
1c canned pumpkin
1tsp vanilla extract

Glaze Ingredients: (Modified from a recipe at Ice Cream Before Dinner)
1 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
3 tbsp half and half (or milk, or cream..)
1 tsp pure maple syrup
1/2c confectioner's sugar
1/4c light brown sugar

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325 and line three baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices in a large mixing bowl. In another, smaller bowl, whisk the eggs and sugars together until creamy and light (about 1 minute). Whisk in the oil, as you stir (this would be way easier with a stand mixer, I assume, but it worked fine slowly whisking with one hand and pouring oil with the other! Those of us without kitchen gadgets have to improvise!). Whisk in the pumpkin and vanilla. Slowly pour the wet mixture over the flour mixture, and combine with a rubber spatula. The dough will be quite runny. If you have an ice cream scoop that equals 1/4c, use this to scoop dough onto baking sheets. Or, if you don't have a scoop (I don't!) a spoon works just fine! Simply eyeball the amount. Space cookies about 2 inches apart. I got 8 cookies on each sheet.

You can bake each sheet separately, as Joy recommends, or together, as I did because I simply didn't have the patience! If you bake them separately, bake each for about 16 minutes, or until the tops of the cookies feel just slightly firm, and the bottoms are just slightly golden brown. If you bake them together, rotate completely after ten minutes (that is, bring the sheets on the lower rack to the top rack, and visa versa, and spin each sheet). Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5-10 minutes--they will stick to the parchment paper initially, but cooling them thoroughly will alleviate this. Once cooled, transfer cookies to a wire cooling rack.

While the cookies are cooling, in a small saucepan melt the butter, brown sugar and half and half on medium heat, stirring often, until the mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and let cool for about 5 minutes. Whisk in the syrup, and then the confectioner's sugar. And that's it! Once the cookies are completely cooled, dip them upside-down in the glaze, and return to the cooling racks until the glaze has set (of course, you'll have to try just one cookie immediately..and that's okay. I tried three.)

TIP: Place the parchment paper you baked the cookies on underneath the cooling racks, to catch any glaze drips!

Enjoy!