Baking

It's almost pumpkin season. Oh, how I love cool fall days and you can't get much better than fresh pumpkin treats for putting you in the fall mood. When we loved down south I had the hardest time with having my favorite season still so hot it felt like the peak of summer. Now we are home in Michigan I love diving right into the pumpkin and apple recipes in the fall early fall. This simple recipe for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies is perfect for diving into fall pumpkin baking. With baking season rolling in you just can't beat a really good chocolate chip cookie recipe that leaves you with warm memories and a warm kitchen. When I found chocolate chips on clearance at Wal-mart the other day I stocked up on them to put in the freezer. You can never have too many chocolate chips right? These pumpkin chocolate chip cookies take a classic chocolate chip cookie and mix things up a bit with that fall pumpkin flavor perfect for serving at bake sales and fall get-together or just whipping up for the kids as a treat. You can make these with canned pumpkin or make your own pumpkin puree this fall after a fun trip to the pumpkin patch with the kids. We like to turn painted pie pumpkins into puree the day after Halloween to enjoy homemade pumpkin treats. Simple Recipe for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies Ingredients 1 cup unsalted butter, softened1 cup granulated sugar1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed2 large eggs15 ounce can pumpkin puree1 teaspoon vanilla5 cups all-purpose flour2 teaspoon cinnamon1 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice1 teaspoon baking powder1 teaspoon baking soda½ teaspoon salt2 cups chocolate chips1 cup chopped pecans, optional How to make pumpkin chocolate chip cookies Preheat oven to 375 degrees.Beat the butter with a handheld or stand mixer until creamy and then add in the sugars and beat until nicely mixed. Add in eggs, pumpkin puree, and vanilla, and beat again until ingredients are combined.In a separate mixing bowl, mix all dry ingredients, except the chocolate chips and nuts. Slowly incorporate them into the wet ingredients mixing as you go. Add in the chocolate chips and pecans.Form dough into 2 inch balls and place on cookie sheet. Press the balls down (similar to how you make peanut butter cookies) to make flat cookies. Otherwise, they will be more of a puff cookie. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet before putting them on a wire rack to cool. Makes 2 ½ dozen cookies. Tips for the best chocoalte chip cookies Always use real butter for the best chocolate chip cookies. This includes when making pumpkin chocolate chip cookies that need the extra texture boost. Switch things up a bit and use Rum as a vanilla extract substitute for a fun flavor twist that goes great in these cookies like it does for my butter rum chocolate chip cookies.