Made With ♥ Monday: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I spent my Halloween curled up in the kitchen with the sweet smell of cinnamon guarding me against any number of ghouls. I've never understood the appeal of scary movies and I am always the first one to scream when a teenager wearing a plastic mask jumps half-heartedly out of the shadows at a haunted house. My version of Halloween has become progressively less haunting: I'm always up for a batch of pumpkin-themed dessert and a screening of Shaun of the Dead (as gruesome as I get, to be honest). Anyone? No? Who says fear can't be cozy.

Adapted from the original recipe, these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are, as promised, moist and chewy without being too cakey. I went trick-or-treating and handed out cookies in exchange for candy; at university, I do believe that's called an equitable exchange. And they tasted pretty darn good (no tricks here, I promise).

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
makes about a dozen cookies

1/2 cup  butter, melted
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 Tablespoons pumpkin puree
1 and 1/2 cups flour
1 pinch salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 small handful chocolate chips

You may have noticed that I have a bit of cookie theme going on. In fact, I'm quite particular about what I bake. I'll happily eat almost any dessert you put in front of me but when it comes to making it myself, chewy cookies are absolutely the only way to go. I learned recently that this means the batter shouldn't be too moist (think muffin batter as opposed to cookie dough). So, when using pumpkin, it takes the place of the other wet ingredient - eggs. There's your science lesson for the day, friends. Erika likes chewy cookies. Remember that.

To start off, combine the melted butter, both sugars, vanilla and pumpkin puree in a medium size bowl. In a larger bowl, mix together the dry ingredients (no chocolate chips just yet). Gradually add the wet to the dry. This might mean getting a little messy. Hand-mixed cookies are always the best (plus, you can freak out your friends by waving your pumpkin-stained hands in their face. Terrifying, right? I told you I'm no good with scary things).

My friend kept confusing the tea/tablespoon and cup measurements. This is very important. And also adorable when she started counting out tablespoons of flour into the bowl. Nothing like sweet treats and lovely people to keep the oncoming autumn chill at bay.

Toss in a 1/2 cup or so of chocolate chips, depending on your mood and expected candy haul later that night. Be careful: my immediate reaction is, of course, to turn the bag upside down for the old, "Would you like any cookie with your chocolate chips?" technique, but in this case, I tried to use some restraint. The pumpkin flavor is very delicate. I'd recommend no more than a handful. (Pro tip: you can eat the rest straight out of the bag! The cookie is just a vessel, after all.)

Bake at 350F for about 10 minutes. If the cookies look a little under cooked in the middle, that's exactly what you're looking for. Let them cool for at least 10 minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring them to a cooling rack. The longer they cool, the chewier your cookies will be (science or something). Even better: leave them to cool for a couple of hours, in or out of the refrigerator. While nothing can beat that fresh from the oven warmth, your mouth will be giving you a serious high five (if that were physically possible and not super creepy).

Happy Halloween, and happy baking!