Every year when the pumpkins are lined up at the greenmarket, ready to take home and carve or roast, we get excited by all the recipe possibilities.  Pumpkin, for all its popularity on Halloween and  in Thanksgiving pies, has a season that extends well beyond November.

For these sandwich cookies, we wanted to have simple flavors that would definitely celebrate the SPOOKY Season but also be a treat that you might find yourself enjoying in the middle of January when you were craving something sweet and filled with a few warming spices.  The cookies, by the way, are very good on their own, especially if undercooked slightly so that they are very soft, but they really come to life when you add that delicious ooze of pumpkin cream cheese sandwiched in between two of the cookies.

Pumpkin Sandwich Cookies with Cream Cheese Filling

For the Cookies:

• 1 1/2 c. butter (3 sticks), room temperature
• 1 3/4 c. sugar
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1 t. salt
• 1 1/4 c. pumpkin puree
• 2 t. vanilla
• 5 c. all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 t. cinnamon
• 1/2 t. nutmeg

1. Line two baking sheets with parchment.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer set on medium speed, cream the butter and the sugar together till light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes.
3. Add in the egg.
4. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides.
5. Add the salt, the pumpkin puree and the vanilla and mix on medium.  Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides again.
6. Turn the mixer down to its lowest setting and add the flour, the cinnamon and the nutmeg, and mix until just combined.
7. Divide the batter into 3 parts and place in three bowl.  Cover them with plastic wrap and put them in the fridge for at least an hour or overnight.
8. When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F
9. Using a mini ice cream scoop or a tablespoon, measure out a ball of dough.
10. Roll it between your hands to form a smooth ball.  Then smash it flat with the palms of your hands to make a pancake shape.
11. Place 12 of these pancakes, an inch or so apart on your baking sheet.
12. Bake the cookies for 8-12 minutes or until the sides begin to turn golden brown.
13. Cool on a rack for at least 15 minutes.

For the Cream Cheese Filling:

• 16 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 c. pumpkin puree
• 4 c. confectioner’s sugar

1. With an electric mixer or a whisk, beat together the cream cheese and the pumpkin puree till completely combined.
2. Add the confectioner’s sugar a cup at a time, beating well after each addition.
3. If the frosting is too wet, add a bit more sugar.  If it’s too dry, add a bit more pumpkin puree.

To assemble Sandwich Cookies:

1. Find two cookies of similar shape and frost the smooth side of one cookie with a heaping teaspoon of the cream cheese frosting.
2. Stick its little friend cookie on top.  Eat!