Pumpkin Cake Cookies

Have you ever ran out of the house not wanting to run into anyone? You think to yourself, "I am just going to run out and hope no one sees me." Today was such a day for me. I arrived home from the gym, walked in the kitchen and was greeted by the Pumpkin Cake cookies I just made, sitting next to the homemade caramel. Warning bells went off in my head, "Get them out of the house before you eat them!" I started to think where I could take them and realized I have not taken the teachers any sweets yet. For shame! I immediately felt guilty and decided to run these down there, but wait. I am all yucky from the gym, but I wanted to get there for their lunch hour. I decided to change and run over there, who could I possibly see? The secretary, whom I love, she would not judge me for my disheveled appearance. The teacher lounge is right in the door, sounds like a good plan right?

I pull up only to discover all the students and teachers walking from the lunch room back to their classes right by the teacher lounge! Ah! What to do?! Only one thing to do, hold my head high and hope all they see are the yummy cookies on the tray. I was feeling successful, talked to some students, greeted the secretary and the other ladies in the office, trying to avoid eye contact, seeing as I didn't have any make up on. Scandalous, I know. I delivered the cookies and looked down to see a big blob of the homemade caramel sauce on my shirt. I was caught, I may or may not have, dipped an apple in that sauce before I ran out of the house. You know I did... sigh... enjoy the cookies.

Pumpkin Cake Cookies topped with pumpkin icing and caramel sauce.

Here is how they started, lovely but still looking too plain and somewhat healthy. Must be rectified.

I had plenty of pumpkin left, so I topped them with pumpkin icing. Hmm... still missing something. Good, but not fattening enough.

Enter Caramel Sauce! Little fact did you know that when you melt sugar this is what happens. You probably did, but I had never done it before. I was mesmerized. Doesn't take much folks. Moving on.

There, that's more like it. I hope the teachers enjoy them!

Do you have a funny "run out of the house story"? I'd love to hear it.

Pumpkin Cake Cookies:

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin (not pie filling)
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
Cream butter; add brown sugar, beating well. Add eggs and pumpkin; beat well.
Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Add to creamed mixture; mix well. Stir in pecans.
Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls, 2 inches apart onto greased cookies sheets. Bake for 12 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool.
Drizzle with Pumpkin Icing and Caramel Sauce.

Pumpkin Icing:

1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp of the following spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ground ginger
2 Tbls pumpkin puree
Heavy Cream

Directions:

Sift the powdered sugar and spices together. Begin to drizzle the heavy cream into the mixture whisking until smooth. Whisk in the pumpkin puree.

Caramel Sauce found here: http://thegreatcakecompany.blogspot.com/2011/09/sunday-baked-caramel-apple-cake.html