Recipe

I wanted to share my recipes since they were such a hit at the party tonight. All of these can be found in More From Magnolia- Recipes from the World Famous Bakery and Allysa Torrey's Home Kitchen by Allysa Torrey.

Pumpkin Walnut Cookies with Brown Butter Frosting
Cookie: 
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup chopped walnuts

Frosting (I doubled this recipe in order to make enough to fully cover the tops of all the cookies)
2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Garnish
Walnut halves (I left these off because I didn't end up having enough walnuts. It might be a good idea to include them if you are cooking for strangers because it's an automatic tip-off that the cookies contain nuts)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

To make the cookies: In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, allspice, cinnamon, and ginger, Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until evenly combined. Add the eggs, pumpkin, and vanilla and beat well. Add the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Stir in walnuts. Drop by rounded teaspoon onto ungreased cookie sheet, leaving several inches in between for expansion. The batter will seem extremely soft compared to most cookie doughs, but it will firm up during baking. Bake for 12 minutes. Cool the cookies on the sheets for 10-12 minutes, and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting: Place the sugar, milk, and vanilla in a small bowl. Set aside.
In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, cook the butter until lightly browned, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from the heat, add to the other ingredients, and beat until smooth and creamy. Cover until ready to use.

When the cookies are completely cool, spread a generous amount of frosting on each cookie, and top with a walnut half. Let the icing set before stacking the cookies or they will stick together.

According to the cookbook, these are also really good with cream cheese frosting.