Gotta love Midwestern desserts: easy, delicious, and based on the magic of industrial food science. I combed the internet for a more ‘scratch’ version of these, but this semi-homemade version would be hard to beat. They are very soft and moist, like muffin tops.
1 box Betty Crocker spice cake mix
1 can pumpkin puree
1 egg
4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter at room temp
Preheat oven to 350° and place parchment paper on two cookie sheets.
Cream the butter until fluffy. Blend in the egg and the pumpkin until smooth. Mix in the cake mix until just combined.
Blob the dough (it is fairly runny) onto the cookie sheets at least 1″ apart. Bake for 15 minutes until they are set. As soon as you can slide a spatula under half of the cookie and lift it up without it bending and breaking, they are done.
This is made extra special with fancy cinnamon. I used true cinnamon and korintje cassia with vanilla bean syrup. Go easy on the vanilla so it doesn’t overtake the cinnamon.
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temp
2 c. sifted powdered sugar
3-4 Tbsp. half and half or milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 pinch of salt
Cream the butter, then blend in the powdered sugar until it has a sandy texture. Gradually add the dairy until the frosting reaches the desired texture. Blend in the vanilla, cinnamon, and salt.
When the cookies are fully cooled, smear them with frosting. These will disappear very quickly.