Treat your little ghouls and goblins to these scrumptious pumpkin cookies. Spicy and chewy, with no crumbs or nuts, they're soft enough for even your youngest trick-or-treaters but yummy enough to please kids of all ages.

Ingredients
1 cup (250 mL) butter
1/2 cup (125 mL) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (125 mL) brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup (250 mL) pumpkin puree (canned or homemade)
2 cups (500 mL) all purpose flour
1 tsp. (5 mL) cinnamon
1/2 tsp. (2 mL) ground ginger
1/2 tsp. (2 mL) baking powder
1/4 tsp. (1 mL) baking soda
1 tube of decorator's icing (white, orange or black)
licorice strings (brown, if possible) for stems

Cooking Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter with the granulated sugar and brown sugar until creamy, scraping down the sides once or twice. Add the egg and beat until well mixed, then add the pumpkin puree and continue beating for about a minute.
In another bowl, stir together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking powder and baking soda. Add this mixture to the butter mixture in two or three portions, beating well after each addition. Refrigerate dough for about 1 hour or until firm enough to handle.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a cookie sheet or two with parchment paper.
By hand, roll the dough into 1 to 1-1/2 inch balls. Place on the cookie sheet about 1-inch apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until bottom is lightly browned and cookie is springy but firm. Remove from cookie sheets and let cool completely before decorating.
To complete the picture, decorate each cookie with a jack-o-lantern face using the decorator's icing. Cut a short length of licorice string and poke it into the top as a stem.
Servings: Makes 3-1/2 dozen.

How kids can help

Help add ingredients to the dough while an adult mixes it.
Form dough into balls for baking.
Decorate cookies with icing and whatever else you like.