Iced Oatmeal, Pumpkin Raisin Cookies!

 These are  a soft  cookie with a crunch!  Moist with pumpkin flavor and a hint of spice plus an oatmeal crunch ! The icing gives them a nice sweetness and an extra WOW factor ! I am posting these with my vanilla icing but adding a cream cheese version if you like cream cheese frosting. I prefer the simple vanilla frosting myself but most folks love cream cheese on pumpkin desserts ! The picture above is the teaspoonful method for a smaller cookie.

1 Cup Shortening
1 Cup Regular Sugar
1 Cup Brown Sugar
2 Eggs                
2 Tsp Vanilla  
1 & 3/4 Cups Pumpkin  
1 Tsp Cinnamon         
1/2 Tsp. Ginger   
1/2 Tsp Cloves
1 & 1/2 Cups Flour
1/2 Tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Salt
3 Cups Old Fashioned Oats ( Regular Oatmeal is OK ) but I prefer the Old Fashioned Oats
1 & 1/2 Cups Raisins
Beat Shortening, add sugars & beat again. Add eggs, vanilla & pumpkin & beat again. Mix flour, salt, baking powder & spices together. Slowly add a little at a time to your creamed shortening mixture. Beat well. Stir in your oats & raisins. Mix well ! Chill dough.
Preheat oven to 375. Drop teaspoonful of dough on parchment covered baking sheets. Press dough down with the back of the spoon to flatten slightly. Bake 15 to 18 minutes until bottoms & edges of cookies are brown. IF you want larger cookies drop by tablespoonful & flatten slightly, Check at 15 minutes but you will probably have to bake a little longer. If you use teaspoonfuls you will get 6 & 1/2 dozen cookies. Drop by tablespoonfuls & you will get 4 & 1/2 dozen. Let cookies cool before you ice with one of the following icings!

VANILLA FROSTING:
3 & 1/2 Cups Powdered Sugar
2 Dashes of Salt
2 & 1/2 Tbs of Butter Melted
1 Tsp Vanilla
4 to 6 Tbs Milk
Melt butter, I microwave the butter for about 45 seconds on high. Stir all the dry ingredients together. Pour in melted butter & 3 Tbs of the milk. Stir with a spoon until smooth. Now add only enough milk to get a nice smooth somewhat thin icing. You want this about the smoothness of very thick molasses or honey. Drizzle over each cooled cookie. Frosting will harden when cooled. Store in an airtight container with wax paper between each layer !

CREAM CHEESE ICING
Use above ingredients except use 4 TBS cream cheese softened INSTEAD of the butter. Beat with a mixer. Spread on top of each cookie !