People thought I was whacked.
Well, I am, but these cookies were/are amazing! So we're repeating these now because November should have pumpkins/squash/spices/apples written all over it!
So as I'm working on the 3rd Double S Ranch book, I'm munching on fresh pumpkin spice cookies.... and coffee!
And the fact that we're already on day 12 of November???? I can't even!!!!
Here we go with amazing fall goodness:
I blame facebook. And Sally's Baking Addiction!!!
The minute word gets out that you love cooking and baking, everyone sends you STINKIN' AMAZING RECIPES and you're so hungry already, that what else can you do besides want to make every single one of them????
My friend Sherrie just sent me one for Stuffed Pepper Soup.... all rich and tomato-ey and rice-y and delicious looking and the wind's blowing and the clouds are scudding and the birds are chirping here and there, the hearty ones that don't leave me behind every September!
Here's a gander at Taste of Home's version because I couldn't find a link to Biker Chick's version on facebook. But Biker Chick's version is in my facebook feed, so trot over there and check it out because it looks m-a-r-v-e-l-o-u-s.... And I may or may not be starving at this moment.
So these cookies started the same way. Jennifer, one of my cute young moms sent me a pic of cookies on facebook.... So instead of writing the great American novel, I went and checked out the picture and right next to it, I'm not even KIDDING it was that close was achocolate chip version....
HOOKED.
She had me at hello.
Doomed.
Here's the link to "Sally's Baking Addiction" and with a name like that we could be BFFs already!
First, I roasted my own pumpkin and then stewed it on top of the stove during a busy morning so it would thicken a little. I have a bajillion pie pumpkins and I had no canned pumpkin, so it was holistic-by-necessity!
Like Sally, I've discovered that not using eggs in some recipes gives you a really fun different result, so this eggless recipe was a fun surprise! Here are Megan and Mary Ruth helping me....And Joslyn's fingers!!!! (We did not put the fingers in the cookies!!!! Eeeewwwww......)
I didn't melt the butter, but the pumpkin puree was hot, so it kind of melted the entire butter/sugar mixture with no ill effects! I doubled the recipe (Well, duh!!!) and then wished I'd tripled it! I used 1 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg and a dash of cloves. A little clove goes a long way.
But here is the interesting part: When baked on an air-bake cookie sheet, the cookies puffed more and had a delightful chewy inside and a crisper shell.
When baked on parchment paper, they had a store-bought look to them, very professional looking and no crispy outside....
And I rolled some in cinnamon/sugar just to give them a Snickerdoodle type feel, and then dipped them in melted Ghirdelli chocolate.
OH MY STARS.
OH MY STARS.
OH MY STARS.
The melding of spice and chocolate was legendary! Delightful. Habit forming! Addictive! And yet, still safe to drive with! :) (This is clutch when caring for children. I'm just sayin'....)
Changes I made to Sally's recipe (on link above):
- I didn't use melted butter and it wasn't unsalted. I like salt as a background for sweets.
- I used twice as many Hershey's milk chocolate chocolate chips, so a full cup/batch so two cups when I doubled the batch
- I rolled half the cookies in cinnamon sugar before baking and they were delicious but next time I'll bake them all on parchment paper.
- I dipped the cinnamon sugar cookies into melted Ghirardelli dark chocolate and let them cool in the fridge.
- I used 1 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg and a dash of cloves per batch and they were just nicely seasoned!
Our favorite? The dipped chocolate variety with the extra cinnamon and sugar, but the regular ones done on parchment paper were amazing. I would do them exactly the same way and (shh... don't tell Sally!!!) dip them in chocolate.
Because everything is better with chocolate! :)
This is exhausted Libby our standard poodle after I had to brush a gazillion burdock seeds out of her hair.... Poor Libby!!!!
Oh -- we're on the same wave length. I made pumpkin glazed cookies yesterday. No chocolate chips though. Must remember that next time. Might just have to have a hot chocolate and cookie break now.
ReplyDeleteI'm all about a cookie and cocoa break, just like in The Santa Clause!!!! :)
DeleteI remember this recipe. So why haven't I tried it yet? Sheesh. Chocolate, pumpkin, more chocolate... What's not to like?
ReplyDeleteThanks for reminding me, Ruthy.
We really liked them. And the big family liked them, too. They just tasted like a fall version of an old favorite!
DeletePumpkin and chocolate together is a combination I didn't think I'd like, but then my daughter baked a pumpkin bread with chocolate chips in it.
ReplyDeleteYes, definitely a win!
And Sally's Baking Addiction is a regular go-to site in our kitchen, too!
That was my first time at Sally's and I love it! I'm all over sharing ideas, and the love of a great time in the kitchen, Jan!
DeleteI will say again that, to me, pumpkin and chocolate don't go together. LOL BUT if you say your family loved them, I may just have to try it. Although, I will definitely get canned pumpkin! I'm not blessed with beautiful pumpkins growing around me like you are. :)
ReplyDeleteDid y'all grow pie pumpkins this year?
Missy, I always use canned pumpkin.... but I didn't have any and I did have a real one! But that was Too Much Work. :) Yes, I'm admitting it, LOL! So sure, use canned pumpkin, and yes we great gorgeous, prettiest ever pie pumpkins and sold out in less than two weeks. By the second week of October we had sold ALL of our pie pumpkins... hundreds. I was amazed. And honestly, the mix of pumpkin, cinnamon and chocolate here is delightful. You know I'd never steer you wrong!
DeleteI don't see what's wrong with crispy edges! and I guess pumpkin 'healthifies' them but I just don't don't go out of my way to eat pumpkin unless it's one of the rare times I feel I should eat it because it's healthy - usually about this time of year I kinda start thinking I should....but snickerdoodles and chocolate chip cookies made separately would probably fill 90% of my cookie needs..well maybe 80 since I do like a good sugar cookie at Christmas and peanut butter and oatmeal raisin occasionally..ooops and the white chocolate macademia at subway..so maybe 75% of my cookie needs... the WORST pumpkin experience I've had in my limited experimenting was a chili recipe -gag me why would anyone add pumpkin to chili?! but I keep seeing recipes with pumpkin added and all kinds of stars and rave reviews. sigh..
ReplyDeletetrying to stay off the 1.99 sale at amazon on the harlequin stuff..good thing I have vacation coming up 'cause I'm set for a while in spite of being a fast reader!
Susanna
I'm so glad to see you over here! And crispy edges are fine, but there is something so indescribably pretty about those parchment paper cookies! Just perfect!!!!! And pumpkin shouldn't be in everything, but I do love experimenting, Susanna! It's sooooo fun!!!
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ReplyDeleteNot fair that I'm wanting cookies at 6:30 am.
ReplyDeleteI don't care one way or the other about pumpkin, but any cookies rolled in sugar and cinnamon and dipped in chocolate. YUM! Bing Bing Bing We have a winner!
One of my daughters sent me a recipe for soft pumpkin cookies drizzled with cream cheese icing, and it became an instant favourite. I would never have thought of adding chocolate chips ... but then I felt the same way years ago about bananas and chocolate, and we all know how popular that has become. (Truthfully, is there *anything* that doesn't taste better with chocolate???)
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a recipe I'll have to try. Thanks, Ruthie! :)