There is a real chill in the air, and as the leaves begin to turn, I have an intense urge to cocoon and get cosy. One of the ways I enjoy doing this the most is by baking at home. With halloween on the horizon, and the grocery stores piled with pumpkins, I thought it would be nice to make some delicious pumpkin pie cookies - a soft cookie, topped with heavenly maple syrup icing - this truly is the ultimate autumnal cookie!

ingredients

For the cookie dough:

- 1/4 cup (56g) melted and cooled coconut oil

- 1/3 cup (80g) pumpkin puree or mashed sweet potato

- 1/4 cup (50g) caster/superfine sugar

- 1 tablespoon maple syrup

- 1 egg

- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

- 1 1/2 cups (168g) packed fine almond flour

- 3 tablespoons coconut flour

- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

- 1/4 teaspoon salt

For the Maple Syrup Frosting:

- 1/2 cup (60g) powdered sugar

-1 tablespoon maple syrup

-1 tablespoon melted butter

-1/2 tablespoon almond milk

Method

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (180ºc) and prepare a large baking sheet by lining it with baking paper. Set it aside for now.

In a spacious bowl, combine the coconut oil, pumpkin puree (or sweet potato), sugar, maple syrup, egg, and vanilla extract. Mix them together until thoroughly combined and the mixture is smooth. Then, add the almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda, spices, and salt. Continue mixing until a dough forms. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.

Using your hands, shape the dough into golf ball-sized portions. Place the dough balls on the prepared baking sheet and gently flatten each one with your palm, ensuring they remain round. The cookies should be about 1/4 inch thick before baking to achieve a fluffy texture. Bake them for 8-11 minutes.

Once baked, remove the cookies from the oven and transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting. This recipe yields approximately 12 cookies.

For the frosting, take a medium-sized bowl and combine the powdered sugar, pure maple syrup, melted butter, and almond milk. Add a pinch of sea salt to taste. If the frosting appears too thick, you can add a teaspoon or two more of milk to make it more spreadable. Frost each cookie and, if desired, sprinkle a little cinnamon on top for an appealing finish.

Recipe adapted from ambitiouskitchen.com