Snickerdoodle sandwiches with Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting

Thanksgiving. 


When you're first married, this means at LEAST 2 dinners. Well, I guess only if your entire family lives around, like mine and Devin's. What else does this mean? At least 2 food assignments. Because as soon as you get married, you are now eligible to bring a dish. 


Do I mind? nah.


More baking!


And the best thing about being an avid baker, married to an avid cook? We've got it all covered.


Lucky for me, we were assigned 2 desserts and 1 side dish. 


SO. Devin is going to tackle cooked carrots. It sounded lame when we got assigned to bring a vegetable to my mom's side's (yes. my extended family still celebrates all major holidays together. hence the recent addition on grandma's house.) party, but once we decided on a vegetable, it was easy to get creative. I came to Devin with the idea of baking the carrots with olive oil, some spices (like thyme and italian seasoning) and then dousing them with a little more oil, balsamic vinegar, and honey. Sounds delicious, right? Devin's idea is way better. He plans on boiling them and then baking them with onions in a brown sugar glaze. Mmm! Genius.


My extended family is also a little weird. And I say this because... we have thanksgiving DINNER at 2:00 p.m. Maybe that's normal. But I always thought it was called dinner for a reason. Whatev. 


It turned out okay though, because later than night (after a convenient gap between parties that just happens to be the perfect amount of time for a food-coma nap), we are headed to Devin's parent's house for desserts. There is just too much going on with the Ashby's to try and mix in a huge thanksgiving meal in there! Desserts was the perfect compromise. I love it! I'm just hoping Vicki will make some of her delicious wassail! 


And finally... my mom is doing her own thanksgiving dinner with our own Johnson family (plus my grandpa (dad's dad)). And I was put in charge of dessert again. 


I knew that if I didn't involve some kind of fall/thanksgiving themed dessert, it would be a major fail. I couldn't show up to Thanksgiving dinner with my parents with a chocolate pie (as good as that sounds right now. no seriously...). If anything, it would have to at least be pumpkin pie!


But I found a perfect solution. Snickerdoodle sandwiches with Pumpkin Cream Cheese frosting! The frosting has all the normal thanksgiving tastes in it, and the cinnamon in the cookies counts (to me). Bingo!


I just finished making 60 cookies. All from ONE BATCH of dough. That's right. That has never happened IN MY LIFE. I made them pretty small. Like... I actually made the balls 1 inch. Instead of... 2 1/2... 


Also? The batches came out in even numbers! I made 4 batches of 15 cookies! THAT happens even LESS often! I feel complete. 


Anyway. The frosting has been a challenge for me so far. I think it's because I didn't let the cream cheese soften enough. But that is an easy enough fix, and i'm sure my lumpy frosting will be perfectly smooth in time to frost the cookies tomorrow morning. 


SNICKERDOODLE COOKIES:


1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 3/4 cups flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
cinnamon sugar for rolling


Cream sugar and butter until fluffy.
Add eggs and vanilla. Mix thoroughly.
Stir together dry ingredients in separate bowl.
Add to creamed mixture.
Chill for 20-30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Roll 1 inch balls in cinnamon sugar until coated evenly
Bake 8-10 minutes, or until light brown and soft.


so simple.


PUMPKIN CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:


8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup pureed pumpkin
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/8 cup white sugar
1 tsp pumpkin spice
1/2 tsp vanilla


Beat until smooth.
Chill at least 1 hour.


also very simple. 


My cookies, as with all snickerdoodles I've ever made, get a little dry and crunchy fast, so I'm going to keep them in a tupperware over night with a couple slices of bread to soften them up. Then in the morning, I'll let the frosting come down to almost room temperature and sandwich a big heap of it between 2 cookies. And it will be delicious. 


Happy Thanksgiving!