Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ok.  Fall.  Got it.  I see you.  I’m in it.  Let’s do this thing.

I love love love days full of sunshine more than anything in this world.  With this cooler weather and these shorter days…well..I’m about to start my countdown to next summer.  It’s not all bad, though!  When I take a second to stop being dramatic I actually like a lot of things about this season.

I think I can get behind hot tea and soup, sweaters and old comfy jeans, crunchy leaves in gorgeous colors, pumpkin, cinnamon and crisp, juicy apples.  The chilly breezes that bring out the socks just make me appreciate the sun on my face even more.

It’s a good time of year.  Good food, good scenery…good time for a wedding, too!  Think fire pit and s’mores…October 2013, people.  We have a date!  Speaking of dates, here is our first:

Snow Ball 2007

…it went well.

Engagement 2012 <3

So let’s welcome fall with open arms.  I have the perfect cookie to kick off the season!

These cookies are thick, soft, melt-in-your-mouth moist.  They’re more like cake drops, really.

These cookies are full of warm autumnal flavors.

((That’s another great thing about fall: words like “autumnal”))

These cookies start life looking more like cake batter.  Or maybe pumpkin bread batter.  It’s pumpkin bread in cookie form!  This way you can eat like six and pretend that equals one slice of pumpkin bread.  See what I did there?

These cookies are simple.  This is a “dump everything in a bowl and stir” situation.

These are drop cookies.  They are not perfectly round. They’re just round-ish.  We’re not worried about it.

These cookies are equal parts flour and chocolate chips.

…………..

End discussion.

I have to thank the pumpkin cookie master for this recipe.  Thanks, Laura!  She really does it best. It’s not quite the same without the Laura love but they’re still pretty darn delicious.

((Let me emphasize: equal. parts. flour. and. chocolate. chips.))

So there you go.  Embrace the autumn.  Crunch some leaves.  Eat a cookie.

Let’s call this a pumpkin spice latte.

It totally counts.

Fall.  Got it.  I see you.  I’m in it.  Let’s do this thing. Together.

Because I love you.  Really, I do.

Enjoy!

<3 Ellen

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe from my friend Laura.  The pro =)  ((tweaked evvverrrr so slightly))

**Makes about two dozen (two inch) cookies.  Maybe a little more. They last a solid four days at least on the counter and freeze well but I bet you won’t need to worry about it.  Share!  Make friends! Or eat them all all all in one day.  No judgment here.

1 cup pumpkin (canned or homemade)  ((make sure it’s a REAL cup.  kinda pack it in there))
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon milk
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 cups chocolate chips

Laura’s Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper

2. In a small bowl combine the pumpkin, sugar, oil and egg.  Set aside.

3. In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and cloves.

4.  Dissolve the baking soda in the milk and stir into the wet ingredients.

5.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to combine.

6.  Add the vanilla and chocolate chips.  Stir until well distributed.

7.  Drop 1-2 tablespoons of batter onto the baking sheet, leaving at least 1 inch between each cookie.

8.  Bake 10 minutes or until the cookies are completely set.