Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I posted on Facebook that I was making these, and I was mauled with people wanting the recipe. Hold your horses no longer, here it is!

These cookies are AMAZING people. They have just the right amount of pumpkin-chocolate-spices-fall time goodness ratio.
They are really soft (even after storage for a while- and by a while I mean maybe a week, only because that's as long as they last around here before they are devoured!) and have an almost cake-like consistency. This recipe makes a TON too, so you can share the love with others (or just be selfish & gobble them up yourself) :)

I have taken a combination of recipes and created my own to make what I think is the best version. We make them year-round because my family loves them so much. If you're going to do that though, stock up on pumpkin puree now while it is in season!

So lets get started! Here's what you will need:

2 sticks softened unsalted butter
1 C white sugar
1 C light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 C pumpkin puree (most of the time I just use 1- 15oz. can, only 1 oz short)
3 C  A.P. flour
2 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves (I did not have cloves on this particular day, so I simply replaced them with the same amount of Pumpkin Pie spice, which contains cloves. The world is still revolving, and the cookies still taste just as magnificent!)
2&3/4 C (or 1 and a half 12 oz. bags) Milk Chocolate chips
Cooking spray/oil for baking sheet

Preheat oven at 350 degrees F.

Use a mixer (Hand or stand, My kitchen is not fortunate enough to have been graced by a wonderful stand mixer, so I get by with my trusty ole hand mixer.) to mix softened butter until smooth.

Mix white and brown sugars, and add to butter a little bit at a time. It will be thick and sticky

Throw in eggs & beat, then add vanilla and pumpkin puree. It will look like this lovely mess once mixed

In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.

Add these dry ingredients to the batter in small amounts. The batter will get thick. Once completely incorporated, stir in chocolate chips.

If you are rebellious like me, you will now eat a bunch of this dough, despite what they say about raw egg consumption. I'm not condoning it necessarily, I'm just saying, I ate like 2 cookies worth of this stuff and I still lived to see another day.  :)

 Spray cookie sheets with cooking spray or rub with oil (or if you're fancy- use parchment paper). Scoop dough onto sheets with a spoon. You can make them as small or big daddy as you'd like, just make sure all cookies on that sheet are about the same size. That way they cook evenly & none burn.

Bake for 15 min. at 350 degrees, or until a little brown around edges. (As you can see, they do spread a little, but I just try to jam as many on a sheet as I can) :)

Let the cookies rest on cookie sheets for 2-3 min. TIME IT. The cookies will keep cooking on the sheets, so to prevent them from getting overcooked, only leave them on for 2-3 min, then move them to a cooling rack to...cool.

And there you have it! Your very own pumpkin chocolate chip cookies!

Here are a few tips that helped me along the way:

- When baking cookies, I have no less than 3 cookie sheets going at once. That way, one can be in the oven, one can be cooling and one can have the next batch ready to go on it. Then I keep rotating. That way, I always have a cool cookie sheet ready to go. (Using warm cookie sheets can cause cookies to spread & be weird cause they start cooking before they're in the oven.)

- You don't have to oil the sheets each time. After a time or two, you can run your finger along one & see if there is enough oil left. Chances are, there is.

- Store them in airtight containers. That way they stay soft forever. Make sure they are completely cooled before you store them though, or you may end up with soggy cookies that stick to one another when you stack them.

- Stock up on pumpkin. Pumpkin puree (or as I call it- canned pumpkin) is a seasonal item at most stores. If you are going to want these in February or June, you may just be out of luck!

- Cookies are best followed by a big glass of milk & a nap

Enjoy!

Partying HERE & here !