Pumpkin Pecan Thumbprints with Cream Cheese Frosting!

Hello everyone and welcome back to another brand new episode of Nikoli's Kitchen! Today I'll be talking about the "Potential of Tomorrow" and reading a poem I wrote in a much darker time in my life. After that, we're making Pumpkin Pecan Thumbprints, and talking about my "kitchen brain." Thank you for listening!

 

Featured Recipe for this Episode

Cookies-

1/2 - 3/4 c unsalted butter, softened (see below) 1/2 c pumpkin puree 1/2 c light brown sugar, packed 2 eggs, separated to whites and yolks 1 t vanilla 2 c flour 1/2 t salt 1 T cinnamon 1 t nutmeg 1/4 t allspice

Coating-

1 c finely chopped pecans 1/4 c brown sugar 1 T cinnamon

~| If your pumpkin puree is liquid-y, you'll need to cook the moisture out of it. Add 1/4 c butter and your pumpkin to a saucepan and heat over mid heat, stirring regularly until the moisture is gone and you're left with a thick pumpkin paste. I didn't add any fat to this step when I did it but I'd recommend at least some butter here, your cookies will end up a little bit richer and nuttier. If you have solid pack pumpkin, you can omit this step, unless you want to melt butter into this and cook off the moisture to add more richness to that. |~

Preheat oven to 350°. Cream together your butter, pumpkin puree, egg yolk, brown sugar, and vanilla in a bowl.  Sift your flour, salt, and dry spices into a separate bowl.  Add your dry ingredients into your wet, mixing just until the dry ingredients are incorporated. Roll your dough into balls, about 1 t each. 

Combine your pecans, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl. Whip your egg whites slightly with a fork. Dip the dough balls into the egg white, rolling around until fully coated. Roll the dough in the pecan mixture. Place 1" apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Press your thumb (or if you have huge fingers like me, your pinky) into the center of each dough ball to create a depression. Bake 10 - 12 minutes on the center oven rack. Remove and rest on a baking rack until cool.

Cream Cheese Frosting-

~| Recipe is adapted from Ann Reardon's recipe at https://www.howtocookthat.net/public_html/best-frosting-recipes/ |~

16 oz. 1/3 fat cream cheese, at room temperature 1/2 c unsalted butter, at room temperature 2-1/2 c powdered sugar 1 t vanilla bean paste

Beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth and well-combined. Stir in your powdered sugar (slowly, so it doesn't go everywhere) until well-combined. Beat on high for 2 minutes. Add your vanilla at the end and beat until incorporated. Add the frosting to a piping bag and pipe a dollop into the depression on each cookie.

Serve the cookies chilled!

 

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Guest Appearances

I had the privilege of sitting down with Brendan of Unchefed to talk about food, mental health, and life. Check out this great conversation at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcas