Starting traditions for my own little family is my favorite part of the holiday season. One tradition that unwittingly started a few years ago is baking these tasty glazed pumpkin cookies every fall.

My husband is a Grade A cookie monster – he starts dropping hints about his favorite fall cookies in August, well before everyone gets geared up for the pumpkin-spice marketing blitz.

These pumpkin gems don’t last long in our household. When I hear things bumping in the night, it’s not a burglar or Santa Clause, it’s my husband scrounging for these pumpkin goodies.

These cookies are soft and moist – almost cake-like. To break up the familiar pumpkin and spice, I added cranberries and pecans for textural contrast. The glaze, however, is the closer. It adds the right note of additional sweetness that ties everything together. Please give them a try and maybe even add them to your family’s recipe archives.

Glazed Pumpkin Cookies with Pecans and Cranberries

Adapted from Allrecipes.com

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
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup chopped pecans

Frosting:
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

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 1/2 cup of butter and white sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy.
3. Mix in dry ingredients until combined.  Add the dried cranberries and pecans and mix until evenly distributed.
4. Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly.
5. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven until slightly browned and cooked through.
6. To make the glaze: combine confectioner’s sugar, milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla.  Add more milk as needed to achieve a thin enough consistency.
7. Once the cookies are cooled completed, for partial coverage, drizzle glaze with a fork.  For complete coverage, spread glaze with a knife to coat.