fall. in cookie form.

ok, have i talked these cookies up enough?

maybe it's not just the cookies themselves that are so amazing, but the feeling of being in your toasty warm home when it's dark & rainy out & football is on & the house is all lit up with warm lights & you have a batch of these bad boys baking in the oven... it just feels like... FALL.

but also?  it's the cookies.  they're kind of a big deal around here.

•  wet stuff:  1/2 cup butter, 1.5 cup sugar, 1 egg, 1 tsp vanilla

•  dry stuff:  2.5 cups flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder, 1.5 tsp cinnamon, 1.5 tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp salt.

•  1 cup pureed pumpkin, 1 cup chocolate chips

*sidenote:  i never said these cookies were a health food.  but if you do feel like cutting out some calories/fat/cholesterol, substitute the 1/2 cup butter for 1/4 cup applesauce + 1/4 cup butter, & sub the egg for 2 egg whites.  you won't really tell a difference... but it is kinda annoying to do the extra steps.  just sayin.

i always use my mixer for these.  i throw the wet stuff in the mixer & mix well, then put all the dry stuff in a bowl & sift well.  easy peasy.  

this is an important step.  you have to add the dry ingredients to your wet ones alternately with your pumpkin.  so add a cup of your dry ingredients, mix, then half a cup of your pumpkin, mix, then repeat with the rest.  it just works better that way.

mix in some chocolate chips & now we're talkin.  {with our mouths full of cookie dough, of course.}

i usually use an ice cream scoop & drop dough balls on the sheet in about 1" chunks.  they look like they're gonna be teeny but they puff up quite a bit.  plus, smaller cookies have less calories so you can eat more.  duh.

throw them in your oven at 350* & bake until the bottoms just start to get golden.  in my oven it never takes a second over 10 minutes, but it runs hot.  so just watch them.  

now, you can go ahead & eat a few fresh from the oven if you want.  but take it from me, these cookies are better the next day.  it's weird but true.  something about the way the chocolate hardens up & the flavors of the cinnamon & nutmeg come out after cooling down.  so save some for the next day if you can!

i promise you won't be disappointed.

votes never disappoint.