Only a Little too Soon

I know for all two of you that read this blog that summer is still going strong. I am happy to report from here also that my lament is my last blog was a bit premature. Sure, the shadows are longer and the sun isn't baking hot, but I would venture to say the past week or so has been the best weather we've had all year. I have heard an analogy that compares Seattle to a fabulous but moody woman- most of the time she's awful, but when she's good to you nothing else in the world compares.

All the rain leads up to days like these. The temperature is perfect- I feel as comfortable outside in jeans and a long sleeve top as I do in a sun dress. Because everything is so heavily watered by nature, it truly becomes the Emerald City. So if you wonder why I haven't been so up to date on my blog writing, it's because I have been soaking up every minute of this before the inevitable happens.

And when the inevitable happens, even for you SoCal desert dwellers, thanks to me we will all be ready. You see, I know it's not quite the season, but once I've opened up the pandora's box of comfort food it's hard to go back. It all started when I made pumpkin bread. I had that ever consistent half a can of leftover pumpkin and I needed to find a way to get rid of it. I needed something fast, so I went to allrecipes.com and searched for pumpkin cookies. This website has a recipe for everything, but most of the time they are average at best. Being that this was kind of a "throw away" recipe, I didn't give it much thought.

First of all, the recipe is incredibly easy. It's a total no-brainer, and really I don't think it can be botched. Even the frosting (which MUST me made to complete it) took me all of two minutes.

Second of all, holy cow! I couldn't believe how shockingly good these were. So good, in fact, that I made them two days in a row.

So I'm telling you, people: Don't throw away that last cup of pumpkin puree. Even if you have made an entire holiday spread and are so tired you want to collapse. I'm telling you, they are E-A-S-Y and fast and freakin' fantastic! What more could you ask for? Perhaps they are even worth opening up a new can of pumpkin for (especially for a party or potluck). Don't worry about what to do with the second half of it, since I'm sure you will be making these over and over again...

You may notice the lack of nuts, raisins, etc. I suppose you could add them if you wished. I chose to make this recipe per request of having no nuts, and I actually like the simplicity of it. Especially with a glass of cold milk.













Iced Pumpkin Cookies

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the frosting:

• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup of butter and white sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly.
3. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool cookies, then drizzle glaze with fork.
4. To Make Glaze: Combine confectioners' sugar, milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add milk as needed, to achieve drizzling consistency.