Pumpkin Cookies

Every holiday we make dozens upon dozens of cookies. Most of the time we only keep a few and the rest are passed out in gift baskets to neighbors, family, friends and most importantly the seniors in the area. These pumpkin cookies are really good. You do have the option of soaking a cup of raisins and adding them to the recipe at the same time you add the nuts. Our family isn't very fond of raisins so normally they're omitted from recipes right away.

Pumpkin Cookies

1/2 cup Shortening
1 1/4 cups Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
1 1/2 cups cooked, mashed Pumpkin (thawed pumpkin from freezer)
1/4 tsp Ginger
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
2 1/2 cups Self Rising Flour
1 cup Chopped English Walnuts
1 tsp Lemon Extract

Preheat oven to 400
Cream shortening and sifted sugar thoroughly. Add eggs, pumpkin and seaasonings. Blend well. Stir nuts into flour. Add flour mixture to the creamed mixture and beat. Blend in lemon extract. Drop from teaspoon onto greased cookie sheet. Bake 15 minutes at 400. Makes about 3 dozen.

Another thing you can do to sort of dress up this recipe is keep to the side a few larger nut pieces and a shaker of cinnamon and sugar mixed (I keep this cinnamon/sugar shaker all the time for making french toast). Once you drop the cookies on the sheet, sprinkle it with the sugar mixture and slightly push a nut piece into the top of the cookie. It's just a presentation thing, not required at all.