Serving Up {Cookies}: Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Sugar Icing

I think that brown sugar icing is in a dead even tie with cream cheese frosting as my favorite frosting!  How can you choose between them?
Pair the brown sugar icing with these soft, cake-like pumpkin cookies and you have an absolute heavenly combination.  I can pop an entire cookie in my mouth in one bite - and I have.  A few too many times :)

The recipe calls for shortening - and while I have attempted substituting coconut oil and butter, the shortening really creates the best cookie texture.  I have discovered an organic 100% palm oil shortening that is non-hydrogenated (made by Spectrum Naturals) so I am not having any guilt typing the recipe as written.
Besides, it's not the shortening that is the danger - I'm telling you, it's the frosting!

Yum!

PUMPKIN COOKIES with BROWN SUGAR ICING     
(recipe from Erin B.)
printable version

1 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 cups flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream sugar and shortening; add vanilla, egg and pumpkin. Mix well. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Batter will be sticky. Drop by teaspoons onto dark baking sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes @ 350 degrees. Let cool completely before frosting.

Brown Sugar Icing
½ cup brown sugar
3 Tbs. butter
¾ tsp vanilla
4 Tbs. milk
1 cup powdered sugar

Combine butter, brown sugar and milk in a saucepan and bring to a boil for about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool before adding vanilla and powdered sugar. Icing should be a little thicker than a glaze.