Pumpkin Spice Cookies by Taylor Swift

GAC is showcasing your favorite artists’ favorite Christmas cookies this month for their 12 Days of Country Cookies…Click here to see recipes for LeAnn Rimes’ fudge, Katie Armiger’s Sugar Cookies, Joe Diffie’s chocolate chip cookies, Craig Morgan’s PB cookies, and Rodney Atkins’ no-bake cookies. Taylor Swift shares her recipe for Pumpkin Spice cookies on day 11. “Baking is my favorite!” says Taylor, who loves to make these every winter. 


For the cookies:
* 1 cup sugar
* 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
* 2 tablespoons Maple syrup
* 2 eggs
* 1 cup canned pumpkin
* 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon ground all spice
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
* Pinch ground cloves
* 2 1/2 cups flour
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* Pinch of salt
* For the frosting:
* 2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese
* 1 cup confectioners sugar
* 1/4 cup milk
* 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
* Zest of one lemon


For Garnish:
* Whole pecans


Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a mixer, fitted with a paddle, cream the sugar and the butter until light and fluffy. Add the maple syrup and eggs. Mix to incorporate. Add the pumpkin and mix to incorporate. Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and cloves. Add the dry ingredients to the batter and mix well. Drop rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10 minutes, or until lightly golden brown around the edges. Cool on racks. When cool, ice with the cream cheese frosting.


For the Frosting: In a mixer, fitted with a paddle, add the cream cheese. Beat until light and fluffy. Beat in the powdered sugar until smooth. Add milk and vanilla. Beat until smooth. If frosting is too thick, thin with a little more milk. Fold in the lemon zest. When cookies are cool spread with some of the frosting. Garnish with a whole pecan.


Click here to also see recipes from Trailer Choir, Laura Bell Bundy, James Otto, Billy Currington, The Band Perry, Little Big Town, Chris Young, and more!