Is it fall yet?

You guys I am so over humidity and having a "glistening" (aka sweaty) face everyday. Bring on the cool breeze and sweater weather!

Growing up in Northern California fall was always more of an idea than an actual season. September and October were often still in the 90s and shorts were worn all the way to November. The only sense of autumn came from the annual release of the Pumpkin Spice Latte and Gilmore Girls reruns after school. Over the past four years I've lived in New York fall has become my favorite season. A final reprieve from the sticky summer heat, the crisp smell of autumn blows in unexpectedly, the leaves begin to change colors, and you can finally remove your AC unit from your window. There's nothing like it.

To jump start my dream weather I lit an Autumn candle (OMG IT SMELLS SO GOOD) and whipped up some easy pumpkin drop cookies with a little gooey cream cheese frosting. I swear I could not stop eating these. Like seriously. I popped one right after another and eventually had to bring a plate over to my local wine shop to share. Thank goodness for gentlemen over at Big Nose Full Body (the wine shop) or I would have eaten about one billion calories of my own sweets over the past year. I imagine these bites would go well with a chilled glass of white wine.

Each cookie is like a cookieized version of pumpkin bread with the dreamiest, cheesiest icing. Is cookieized a word? Ugh. I want another one just talking about it.

Pumpkin Drop Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat baking mat and set aside. In a large mixing bowl beat together the butter and sugars, brown and white, until light and fluffy. This usually takes just a few minutes.

In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt. Stir and set aside.

Beat egg into fluffy sugar mixture until combined. Next, add in the pumpkin puree and vanilla and whip until homogenous. Gradually add in dry flour mixture, about half a cup at a time. Cookie mixture will be very moist. Spoon a heaping tablespoon for each cookie about 2 inches apart on your baking sheet. About 12 cookies should fit on a tray. Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes or until center of cookie is no longer "glossy." It's okay if the cookies are a little under-baked because they will continue to cook a bit once you remove them from the oven. Set cookies aside on cooling rack for at least 30 minutes before frosting.

Cream Cheese Icing

1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

In a large mixing bowl whip together cream cheese and butter for about four minutes. The mixture will be thick and sticky but homogenous. Gradually add in vanilla and 1 tablespoon of whipping cream. Last add in confectioners sugar on a very low speed until combined. If the icing is too thick to spread add in another tablespoon of whipping cream at a time until you get your desired spreading texture. Frost the tops of the cookies and enjoy a bite of fall!