Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Drop Cookies

Bake at 375C for approximately 10 - 12 min

Ingredients You Will Need:

1/4 cup shortening

1/2 cup butter or margarine

3 cups flour - divided into two 1 1/2 cup portions

1 cup packed brown sugar or golden sugar

1/2 cup granulated white sugar

3/4 cup pumpkin puree * This can be from a tin of pumpkin pie filling or fresh pumpkin. If you are using fresh pumpkin, it must be baked, cooled and mashed smooth for this recipe. See notes at the bottom of this recipe to bake a fresh pumpkin.

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup mini chocolate chips

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Instructions:

Beat the margarine & shortening until blended and smooth.

Add 1 & 1/2 cups of flour, both the sugars, 2 eggs, pumpkin puree, baking soda, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Mix this on low until it's a smooth texture.

Add the rest of the flour and the mini chocolate chips to the bowl and mix together on low until blended. Be careful you don't go too fast as it will make flour spill out everywhere.

When the mix is combined and a bit sticky, set it aside and chill in the fridge for 20 to 45 minutes.

When your dough is chilled, drop by teaspoon full onto a lined baking sheet around 1/4 inch apart. They can be closer than a normal cookie as they rise up a bit but they don't spread out. You can leave this as a drop cookie or at this point you can dip a fork in flour and press the cookies down for a flatter cookie.

Bake for 11 min on the middle rack of a pre-heated oven at 375c for 10 - 11 minutes. Until the edges show a bit of golden brown.

These are nice and light cookies with a subtle flavor that is sure to please. The pumpkin makes this cookie light and moist with the slightest hint of those spices. The pumpkin is very subtle so people won't believe that there is pumpkin in them.

I've tried to press these cookies with a fork and they do end up a little thinner but it is not a chewy flat cookie.

The spices can be increased a bit for a more intense pumpkin spice flavor if you want by doubling the required spices for the recipe.

I prefer to use mini chocolate chips or mini carob chips here because it keeps the overall flavor of the cookie nice and light. Large chocolate chips can be used instead but it will alter the amount of chocolate per cookie.

This recipe makes approximately 40 cookies, but they won't last long! I store mine on the counter in a cookie jar. i don't know how they freeze because they haven't lasted that long when I've made them. Please let me know how that works if you've been able to freeze some of these!

How to Bake a Fresh Pumpkin for this recipe:

Wash and dry your pumpkin. Cut your pumpkin in half with a sharp knife and be careful whilst cutting it. Scoop out all the seeds and stringy bits from the middle and set aside, compost, roast the seeds or just throw them out. Put your pumpkin flat side down on a baking sheet and bake in the oven at 375C for approx 45 minutes or until soft. Let the cooked pumpkin cool down and scoop out the cooked pumpkin from the shell and mash up until it's super smooth. I use a hand blender to be sure there are no lumps. This will make way more pumpkin than you need so you can freeze the rest in zipper bags in the freezer in 1 cup portions for future use. This pumpkin can also be seasoned with salt, pepper, and butter and used as a side dish for dinner.

I hope you enjoy this wonderful recipe as much as me and my family do. If you don't tell them there is pumpkin in it, they will never know!

Happy Baking

Char