Spooky Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

It seems that lately the combination of chocolate and pumpkin is all the rage. It's a little counter-intuitive, in my opinion. Pumpkin seems like a normal match for graham crackers, cream cheese, nutmeg, cinnamon, ground ginger, even Chinese 5 spice blend, one of my new favorites. Not, however chocolate. It's funny, it seems like there is a tipping point each year when we try to string along summer as much as possible, and finally, we give in to fall and start to really enjoy all the harvest specials. For me it happens pretty immediately, one night I am still savoring tomato salad with lemon olive oil and then the next I am ready for something like this. Once you start it's hard to stop. I have been researching all sorts of pumpkin recipes, and have a bunch flagged to try, only to find that last night, at the grocery store, they are out of solid pack pumpkin. Maybe I am not the only one who suddenly gets these cravings, and the grocery stores just can't keep up with all of our whims. I guess there is always the alternative of actually opening up a pumpkin for something other than a jack-o-lantern, but honestly, who has time or wants to spend the effort. If you do, I am sure it's a worthy undertaking, and I assume that whatever you are making is a million times better than the canned stuff that I am using, but I haven't gone there yet. So, if you can find canned pumpkin, or if you are willing to crack open one for eating, give this recipe a try. I made these for the kids in our cul-de-sac, but then I didn't see them for the rest of the weekend. So far the "kids" at work have only had rave reviews as well.

This is a recipe that was featured on the King Arthur Flour website recently. http://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/2008/10/16/make-your-own-halloween-fun-pumpkin-chocolate-chip-cookies/

You start with the classic cookie ingredients, 1 cup softened butter, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup packed brown sugar. Cream these together until smooth. Then add 1 15 ounce can of pumpkin, 2 eggs, the zest of 1 orange or lemon (I used lemon) and 1 tsp. vanilla. This mixture doesn't look very appetizing, but once you add the flour, it all comes together.
Add the flour and spices. I usually like things spicier than recipes call for, so I used the following:
2 & 1/4 cups flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt and baking soda, 2 heaping teaspoons cinnamon, 1 tsp ground ginger, 1/2 heaping teaspoon of Chinese 5 spice blend. This is a great addition to your spice drawer if you haven't tried it yet. It has anise, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and fennel. It adds something unexpected to this recipe and it's really tasty. Mix together until smooth, scraping down the sides of your working bowl once in a while. This should come together quickly.
To the batter (which is more like cake batter than cookie dough), add 2 cups chocolate chips.
If you have a cookie scoop, this is a great recipe to use it. If not, drop by rounded teaspoon-fulls onto prepared baking sheets. Parchment paper is very helpful here. The recipe called for a 375 degree oven, but I found that way too hot. 365 made a huge difference for me. Once baked, while still hot out of the oven, place 3 additional chocolate chips in the cookies for eyes and a mouth.
For the icing, which is really worth it, mix 1& 1/2 cups powdered sugar with 2 tablespoons milk or heavy cream. Since my cookies were small, I didn't do too much decorating, but the little border did make the face stand out a bit more. I am sure that you could make these more interesting than mine, especially given the ideas on the website above. They are yummy however you decide to embellish them!As good as these are, I am not finished in my quest for a perfect fall pumpkin dessert. I think that my ideal choice probably won't include chocolate, but maybe the chocolate part is the Halloween touch rather than the Thanksgiving touch. Luckily it seems that the season has just begun, so I will have ample opportunity to try some of the other ideas- as soon as I can find some more pumpkin! Happy haunting!