Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice!

Fall is definitely my favorite time of year for baking. It's all about the pumpkin and warm, fragrant spices! Every year I'm always on the search for new pumpkin recipes, but I still have a few classics I just can't pass up. This weekend I decided to kick off my fall baking by testing some new recipes, but with a few twists! I started with a Pinterest recipe from Like Mother, Like Daughter* for pumpkin cinnamon rolls! I mostly stuck to the recipe for the dough, aside from doubling all of the spices and doing a second proof after slicing the rolls. When it came to the frosting, I decided to play a little bit! I love having multiple flavor profiles in my food, so I substituted ginger extract instead of vanilla. I also added a dash of lemon juice to brighten things up! The flavors came through a bit strong, so I had to add a few more ounces of cream cheese to balance it out. The ginger/lemon complimented the pumpkin and gave it a little more depth. They practically flew off the plate at work, so it seems this experiment was a success! 
I also tried a new pumpkin pecan cookie recipe from one of my many cook books. Again, I stuck mostly to the recipe, except for doubling the spices and adding a few extra. Again, the frosting was really where I tweaked things. The recipe was just a buttercream made with brown sugar, so to add a little depth I browned the butter first. I also added a good dash of whiskey, which helps cut the sweetness and gives it a nice smokey flavor. These cookies were so moist and light, but not too sweet. The frosting is optional, but it definitely compliments the pumpkin well! They got rave reviews and definitely didn't last long!
Last but not least, I made some spiced sugar cookies, mostly just to have some fun cookies! I definitely need to practice my royal icing skills a bit more!
That's all for now, but there is definitely more pumpkin-y goodness to be had. Stay tuned!