Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cake-Cookies

I probably should have started with a raison d'etre for this blog as my inaugural post. Instead I just jumped right into the swing of things with a recipe for one of the best quick breads, ever (according to Chris.)

But, just to satisfy protocol, the reason for this blog is, simply, to share and to archive my recipes. I bake and cook all the time, and I source my recipes from many places, and make many adjustments, and it's just plain hard to keep track of it all! With this blog I hope to keep up to date with my favorite creations of the week so that I (and my readers - do you exist yet?) can have easy access to the best recipes. That would have been a great blog title. Best recipes. Generic. Easy to understand. Bah. I've always had a fondness for the esoteric. And chocolate.

Without further ado, here is a great fall recipe. I baked these to bring to a friend's house for brunch on Sunday and they were a universal hit, babies included! I brought most of them to hers, and the few I left for Chris and me to share were all consumed by the end of the day. When I was pregnant I made a batch of these and ate the entire batch myself. (And some wonder how I could have possibly gained 50 lbs?)

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cake-Cookies

adapted from Joy The Baker

The original recipe calls for you to line your cookie trays with parchment paper, and butter the paper. I used a slightly greasy jelly roll pan with no paper and had no issues. You can also use an electric mixer (hand-held or standing) instead of whisking. I prefer not to break out the electrical appliances unless they make my life easier. Here, they don't.

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground cloves

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup canola oil

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Stir the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices together in a medium bowl and set aside. 

In a large bowl whisk the eggs and sugar until smooth and lightened in color. Add the oil, pumpkin, and vanilla and whisk until thoroughly blended. Switch to a wooden spoon or rubber spatula and gently fold in the flour mixture. Finally, gently stir in the chips.

Using a 1/4 cup measure, or an ice cream scoop, plop 1/4 cup sized blobs onto the cookie tray. Make sure you leave plenty of space between them (about 2 inches), and depending on how thick your batter is you might want to flatten them just a smidge. Experiment with your batches to see how you like it best.

Bake for about 12 minutes, or until they are golden brown. (Like always, baking times will depend on how big your cookies are, how hot your oven actually is, and what baking sheet you used, so always check a few minutes before. These do not taste good over-baked!)