Holiday Baking #2: Sweet Potato Cookies with Orange Glaze

This is going to be an exciting month here at the Recipe Shoebox!  Thirty-one straight days of tempting treat recipes is proving to be no easy task (based on the fact I'm posting today's recipe at almost midnight and it's only the 2nd day), but my oven's been hard at work and I've got some awesome guest bloggers lined up to help me make it happen.   It's looking to be a sweet, sweet December indeed!

Speaking of sweet, these sweet and spicy sweet potato cookies were soft and chewy and oh so perfect in a bowl of butter pecan ice cream.  We were out of orange juice the day we made them, so we ate them without the orange glaze, but the citrus would have been a perfect touch.  I'm a big sweet potato fan, so I always have them in the house, but I bet they would work just as well with pumpkin puree instead.  I've got it on my list to test sometime, but if any of you do, you'll have to let me know how it works. 

Click here for printable recipe. 


The ingredients:

SWEET POTATO COOKIES:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup salted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup sweet potato puree *I peeled and chopped a sweet potato, boiled it for 10-15 minutes, then mashed it with a potato masher.  You could also use canned sweet potatoes or canned pumpkin.
1 cup chopped pecans

ORANGE GLAZE: 
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 Tbs. orange juice
1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 gallon butter pecan ice cream (optional, but highly recommended)


Directions:  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Line cookie sheet with parchment paper, set aside.  

If you're not using canned sweet potatoes, then cube them, add them to boiling water, and boil until soft (about 15-20 minutes).  Drain, mash, and set aside. 

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, and salt. 

In a separate bowl cream together the butter, sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the egg and the vanilla and mix until incorporated.  Stir in sweet potato puree and blend until smooth.  Beat in the dry ingredients in increments and combine well.  Stir in pecans. 


Drop by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared cookie sheets, leaving about 2 inches of space between each cookie. 

Bake until cookies are lightly golden around edges and they spring back from the touch, about 15 minutes.  Let cool completely on the cookie sheets before glazing. 


Serve with butter pecan ice cream and enjoy!!!

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