I Can Cook That: Skinny Iced Pumpkin Cookies & Review of Melt ...

One of the huge downsides of my pumpkin obsession is that most of the sweets made with pumpkin really should be eaten in moderation (something I am not capable of adhering to). So I am always in search of a way to lighten the calorie intake of those desserts so that I can still enjoy them without feeling terribly guilty afterwards.

Kelly from Eat Yourself Skinny recently had a post trying out a new buttery spread called Melt?with rave reviews. Luckily, Melt graciously sent me two packages of their organic buttery spread for me to try out as well!
So what exactly is melt and what makes it different from other butter substitutes? Melt contains virgin coconut oil, flax seed oil, palm fruit oil, and canola oil -- all healthy cooking oils and "good fats." Typical buttery spreads are made of hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils, which have been liked to obesity, heart disease, etc. Melt is also organic, gluten free, soy free, kosher, and has 50% of the saturated fat and fewer calories than butter. Whew.
Melt's, well, melt point is close to original butter's melting point, making it perfect for baking. Typical buttery spreads usually have a lower melting point, which means they tend to separate during the baking process resulting in a flat cookie. So what better way to really test out Melt's best qualities than making a batch of Skinny Iced Pumpkin Cookies? I adapted this recipe from AllRecipes.com.

Ingredients (this makes?3 dozen?cookies):

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup Melt buttery spread

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Icing, for drizzling:

? 1/2 cup and 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar

? 2-1/2 teaspoons 2% milk

? 3/4 teaspoon melted Melt buttery spread

? 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger and salt and mix to combine.

In a larger bowl, add the butter and sugar. Using a hand mixer, beat until well combined. (Side note: another plus to using Melt-- you don't have to have it sit out to soften for long. Melt has a softer texture than butter so a few minutes outside the fridge is all you need).

Add the pumpkin, egg and vanilla extract and beat until creamy.

Add half of the dry mixture to the wet mixture, beating to combine. Repeat with remaining dry mixture.

Drop heaping teaspoons on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (I strongly suggest springing for the parchment paper, no more burned cookie bottoms!) Bake for 15 minutes and allow to cool.

While the cookies are baking, make the glaze. Combine confectioner's sugar, milk, melted Melt, and vanilla extract. If it thickens up, add a little bit more milk until it reaches the consistency you are looking for.

Using a fork, drizzle the glaze over the cookies and allow to set.

Don't these look incredibly decadent?

Using eRecipe.com, I entered the original recipe versus my "skinny version." The result?
A 23 calorie reduction per serving (1 cookie). I'll take it!
The cookies are chewy and a little bit spicy (think pumpkin spice) which contrasts the sweetness from the glaze. I love the presentation with the drizzle, it really takes them up a notch!
If you have a serious sweet tooth, you can drip the cookie completely in the glaze, but I personally prefer the small bites of sweetness along with this cookie.
As you can see, Melt was up to my baking challenge and worked beautifully within this recipe!Melt is also currently hosting an amazing giveaway, Mingle with Melt where you can win a $500 visa gift card to use towards a foodie night!? One winner (plus the blog that referred them, hopefully me!) will win a chic foodie night with friends and can use the gift card to buy cooking supplies, food, decor, and maybe even a new LBD, as well as 3 packages of Melt.? Melt will also feature each winner's party photos and original recipes featuring Melt on their facebook page and website. The contest runs until October 31, so be sure to head over and enter! -- Don't forget to include me as the blog you came from :) Good luck!

Source: http://www.icancookthat.org/2011/10/skinny-iced-pumpkin-cookies-review-of.html

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