Bible Study Baked Goods

Thursday evenings we have Women's Bible Study at church from 6:30 to 8:00. We have a great group of ladies that attend on a regular basis and we have come to the conclusion that no Bible study is complete without baked goods and coffee. So, Laura and I, being ones that like to bake, have taken advantage of this opportunity by bringing some of our old favorites to share and to try out all the recipes that have been piling up from the newspaper clippings and the torn out magazine pages. Look for a new recipe from one of us every week! Here is what I made last week and they were great.


Pumpkin Cookies

2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
½ cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Icing
½ cup butter, room temperature
½ cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar
Orange food coloring

Preheat oven to 350o. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

To make the cookies, in a large bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside.
In a second large bowl, combine shortening and brown sugar. Use an electric mixer to meat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the pumpkin, egg and vanilla and mix until well combined.
Add half the dry ingredients and mix well. Add the other half and mix again.
Scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets in 1 tablespoon mounds, arranging them 2 inches apart. Bake for about 14 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges.
While the cookies bake, in a medium bowl combine the butter and maple syrup. Use an electric mixer to beat until smooth. Add the pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla and mix well. Add the powdered sugar and mix well, beating until fluffy. Add the food coloring and beat until uniform. Set aside.
Once the cookies have baked, cool them on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cool, pipe or spread frosting on them and decorate as desired.
Cookies should be refrigerated in an airtight container. Serve at room temperature.