Everytime I step into the kitchen, Lady H asks me, "Whatcha makin' Mommy?" When she hears me turn on the mixer, she clasps her hands together and her eyes get wide with excitement. She knows that she is about to try something good. When she tried these pumpkin cookies with brown butter frosting for the first time, all she could say was "yum".

These cookies are great. Soft, pumpkiny (is that a word?) pillows with an awesome buttery frosting. These would be great for the Thanksgiving dessert table. They definitely have the approval of a 2 1/2 year old.

Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Frosting
from Martha Stewart's Cookies

2 3/4 C. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/4 tsp course salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
3/4 tsp. nutmeg
3/4 C. butter, room temp.
2 1/4 C. light brown sugar, packed
2 eggs, large
1 1/2 C. canned solid-pack pumpkin (14 oz.)
3/4 C. evaporated milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Frosting:
4 C. confectioners' sugar, sifted
10 T. butter, unsalted
1/4 C + 1 T. evaporated milk, plus more if needed
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 375.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and brown sugar on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in the eggs and reduce speed to low. Add pumpkin, evaporated milk, and vanilla; mix until well blended, about 2 minutes. Add the flour mixture and then mix until it's all combined.

Using a medium sized cookie scoop, drop batter onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets, spacing about 1 inch apart. Bake cookies rotating sheets halfway through, until tops spring back, about 12 minutes. Cool on sheets on wire racks for around 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire rack and let cool completely.

To make the frosting, put the confectioners' sugar in a bowl. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, swirling pan occasionally, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Immediately add butter to confectioners' sugar, scraping any browned bits from sides and bottom of the pan. Add evaporated milk and vanilla. Stir until it's smooth.

Spread about 1 tsp. of frosting onto each cookie. If the frosting stiffens, stir in more of the evaporated milk, a little at a time. Store the cookies in an airtight container in a single layer at room temperature for up to 3 days.