Pumpkin Cookies with Brown-Butter Icing

You're guaranteed to get a bit of brown butter-flecked icing in every bite of these pillowy spice cookies. Offer them at a Halloween party or as part of a Thanksgiving dessert buffet, makes about 6 dozen for the cookies:

2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

teaspoon baking soda

1-1/4 teaspoons coarse salt

1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1-1/4 teaspoons ground ginger

3/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

2-1/4 cups packed light brown sugar

large eggs

1-1/2 cups canned solid-pack pumpkin (14 ounces)

3/4 cup evaporated milk

teaspoon pure vanilla extract for the icing:

4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

10 tablespoons (1-1/4 sticks) unsalted butter

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon evaporated milk, plus more if needed

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

• Preheat the oven to 375 F. Make cookies: Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg in a bowl.
• Put butter and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in eggs. Reduce speed to low. Add pumpkin, evaporated milk, and vanilla; mix until well blended, about 2 minutes. Add flour mixture; mix until combined.
• Transfer 1-1/2 cups batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip. Pipe 1-1/2-inch rounds onto parchment paper—lined baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until tops spring back, about 12 minutes. Cool on sheets on wire racks 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks; let cool completely.
• Make icing: Put confectioners' sugar in a bowl. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, swirling pan occasionally, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Immediately add butter to confectioners' sugar, scraping any browned bits from sides and bottom of pan. Add evaporated milk and vanilla; stir until smooth.
• Spread about 1 teaspoon icing onto each cookie. If icing stiffens, stir in more evaporated milk, a little at a time. Cookies can be stored in single layers in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days.