Soft iced pumpkin cookies

From gimmesomeoven.com.

•  Prep Time: 20 minutes
 
•  Cook Time: 20 minutes 

•  Yield: 3 dozen

Cookie Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice, plus extra for sprinkling
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/4 cups canned pumpkin puree
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Frosting Ingredients:

• 8 ounces (1 brick) low-fat cream cheese, room temperature
• 3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt until combined.  Set aside.

1. Cream together the butter, sugar and brown sugar on medium-high speed 1 minute till light and fluffy. 

1. Add pumpkin-egg-vanilla to the buttermixture and beat until just combined. 

1. Fold in dry ingredients until just combined. 

1. Drop pn cookie sheet by heaping tablespoonfuls or with cookie scoop. (These cookies tend to poof up slightly rather than flatten during baking, so shape them beforehand however you'd like. They won't rise much.)

1. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cookies are cooked through and bounce back slightly if you touch them.  Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool until they reach room temperature.  Then frost or drizzle with cream cheese frosting, and sprinkle with an extra pinch of pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon if you’d like.  Refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 3 days.

To Make Cream Cheese Frosting:

With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla together on medium-high speed until smooth.  Gradually add in the powdered sugar until it is all combined and the frosting is smooth.  

If it is too thick, add in a tablespoon or two of milk (or water) until it reaches your desired consistency. 

If it is too thin, add in more powdered sugar until it reaches your desired consistency.

1. 
   
2. 
   

No-Bake Lemon Blueberry Delight

 

By Kelli Foster.

INGREDIENTS

• 8 ounces 

  cream cheese

• 8 tablespoons 

  (1 stick) unsalted butter

• 12 

  whole graham cracker sheets (about 6 1/2 ounces), or 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

• 2 tablespoons 

  granulated sugar

• 1/4 plus 1/8 teaspoon 

  kosher salt, divided

• 1 1/2 cups 

  cold heavy cream

• 1/2 cup 

  powdered sugar, divided

• 2 

  medium lemons, divided

• 1 teaspoon 

  lemon or vanilla extract

• 1 (about 21-ounce) can 

  blueberry pie filling

• 1/2 cup 

  fresh blueberries

How to Make Lemon Blueberry Delight

1. Make the base. After mixing the graham cracker crumbs with melted butter, sugar, and salt, press the mixture into the baking dish. To ensure the base is super sturdy, use the bottom of a measuring cup to pack the crumbs firmly and evenly into the baking dish.
2. Prepare the whipped cream. Be sure to start with cold cream here. Whip the heavy cream and powdered sugar just until stiff peaks form. Transfer the whipped cream to a separate bowl so you can reuse the stand mixer bowl for the cream cheese layer (no need to clean it).
3. Beat the cream cheese layer. Beat the softened cream cheese, lemon zest, powdered sugar, and lemon or vanilla extract until super light and fluffy. Fold in about half of the whipped cream.
4. Assemble the delight and chill. Assemble by topping the graham cracker base with the following layers: cream cheese, blueberry pie filling, whipped cream, and fresh blueberries. Cover and refrigerate the delight for at least 4 hours (or up to overnight) to allow the dessert ample time to firm up. Giving the dessert plenty of time to chill makes for easier, smoother slicing.
5. Garnish and serve. Garnish with finely grated lemon zest, then slice the delight, and serve. Stacked layers are part of the appeal of this layered dessert. Make sure every slice is picture perfect by wiping the knife clean between cuts.