Tastē Tuesday~ Every year there seems to be more and more pumpkin inspired items on the shelves. A few new ones this year include: Pumpkin Spice Cheerios, Pumpkin & Spice Triscuit, and even a pumpkin spice hair dye. What happened to spiced apple cider at the grocery store and a Starbucks pumpkin spice latte ushering in the favors of fall? I think that sometimes too much of a good thing is, well...too much. I won't be buying pumpkin flavored crackers, but I do like indulging in the season and baking some pumpkin flavored goodies. I had left over pumpkin purée after making my first batch of pumpkin scones as well as some left over chocolate chips and decided to try some pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Many pumpkin cookie recipes yield a more cake-like consistency. These cookies are more like your regular chocolate chip cookies - a little crisp around the edges but chewy inside. Though mild, they definitely have a pumpkin and spice flavor, so give yourself a few bites to really taste the cookie. Your mind will be saying chocolate chip cookie, but your tastebuds will be telling you something a bit different. After his first couple of bites, my husband said he wasn't so sure...they were kind of weird. Five cookies later, mind and tastebuds were in sync. They are cookies, so the sugar content is high, but these aren't that bad of a treat for the kids - a cup of pumpkin is a great way to add some veggie to a cookie recipe!
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from: Mel's Kitchen Cafe
Yield: about 3 dozen cookies
When it comes to pumpkin puree, I've found all types (homemade and storebought) work fine in this recipe with this caveat: the recipe was written using Libby's brand since it's probably the most widely available overall. If using homemade pumpkin puree, which tends to be a little softer, omit the water. Same goes for the Trader Joe's brand of pumpkin puree and other canned brands that are very soft and more watery.
It's really, really important not to overflour the cookie dough in this recipe or you'll end up with puffy, cakey cookies instead of thinner cookies. If you don't have a scale, fluff the flour really well before scooping into the measuring cup and leveling off.
If you bake a sheet of cookies and find they are too puffy, decrease the oven temperature to 325 degrees (it might be that your oven bakes hotter than mine which will make for a puffier cookie).
Ingredients
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F*. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or using a handheld electric mixer, cream together the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add the vanilla, pumpkin, and milk, and mix until combined. Add the dry ingredients to the batter and mix until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. The dough will be soft but not incredibly sticky. Drop the cookie dough by heaping tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheet, making your portions as equal as possible for even cooking.
Bake for 10-11 minutes until the edges are set but the middles are a tiny bit soft. When the cookies come out of the oven, lightly tap or drop the cookie sheet on the counter (this helps the thinner/chewy factor of the cookies but you won't get fired if you don't do it). If the cookies were taken out while still soft in the center, they'll flatten more as they cool. Let them cool 3-4 minutes on the baking sheet before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough. These cookies can be frozen.
*Notes
1)
Adapted from: Mel's Kitchen Cafe
Yield: about 3 dozen cookies
When it comes to pumpkin puree, I've found all types (homemade and storebought) work fine in this recipe with this caveat: the recipe was written using Libby's brand since it's probably the most widely available overall. If using homemade pumpkin puree, which tends to be a little softer, omit the water. Same goes for the Trader Joe's brand of pumpkin puree and other canned brands that are very soft and more watery.
It's really, really important not to overflour the cookie dough in this recipe or you'll end up with puffy, cakey cookies instead of thinner cookies. If you don't have a scale, fluff the flour really well before scooping into the measuring cup and leveling off.
If you bake a sheet of cookies and find they are too puffy, decrease the oven temperature to 325 degrees (it might be that your oven bakes hotter than mine which will make for a puffier cookie).
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks, 8 ounces) salted butter (aka regular), softened
- 1/2 cup (3.75 ounces) brown sugar
- 1 cup (7.5 ounces) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup (9 ounces) pumpkin puree*
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 2 1/2 cups (12.5 ounces) all-purpose flour*
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 1 1/2 cups (9 ounces) chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F*. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or using a handheld electric mixer, cream together the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add the vanilla, pumpkin, and milk, and mix until combined. Add the dry ingredients to the batter and mix until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. The dough will be soft but not incredibly sticky. Drop the cookie dough by heaping tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheet, making your portions as equal as possible for even cooking.
Bake for 10-11 minutes until the edges are set but the middles are a tiny bit soft. When the cookies come out of the oven, lightly tap or drop the cookie sheet on the counter (this helps the thinner/chewy factor of the cookies but you won't get fired if you don't do it). If the cookies were taken out while still soft in the center, they'll flatten more as they cool. Let them cool 3-4 minutes on the baking sheet before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough. These cookies can be frozen.
*Notes
1)
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