Halloween Treats from the Kitchen

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! Our final post in celebration of Five Days of Halloween is for tasty homemade treats!

This cookie recipe attracted my attention because it looked like a little pumpkin. When mine came out of the oven, there was nothing pumpkinish about them. In hindsight, I should have been skeptical of a cookie image linking me to a recipe that did not have a picture of its own, but who knew the internet could be misleading?

My initial disappointment over these cookies did not end with my first taste. While very moist and tender, the flavor was lackluster. I was ready to chalk them up as a #fail, but decided to give them one last chance and added the glaze. HELLO!

The secret to these Tangerine-Glazed Pumpkin Cookies is the glaze and to serve them at room temperature. The mild pumpkin and spice cookie is a vehicle for the citrusy glaze that bursts with flavor. I loaded on the glaze and couldn’t stop myself from licking the bowl when I was done.

The recipe from Health calls for tangerines but my grocery store didn’t have any, so I used oranges instead. I also substituted five-spice powder with pumpkin pie spices.

Here’s how their recipe:

Ingredients

Cookies:
Cooking spray
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder (I used pumpkin pie spice)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon finely grated tangerine zest (I used orange zest)
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons fresh tangerine juice (I used orange juice)
2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375°, and spray 2 large baking sheets with cooking spray.

2. For cookies: Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, five-spice powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

3. Beat sugar, butter, and zest with an electric mixer on medium speed in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in pumpkin, egg, and vanilla until blended. Reduce speed to low, and beat in the flour mixture just until blended.

4. Drop cookie dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto baking sheets. Bake for 12 minutes, or until cookies are lightly browned. Cool 10 minutes on cooling racks.

5. For glaze: Whisk together all in-gredients in a large bowl until sugar is dissolved. Drizzle glaze evenly over cookies. Let cool until glaze is set.