I didn’t feel like making a pie today. I wanted something to snack on that had pumpkin in it. I already made muffins, but I’ve never made them in cookie form. Pumpkin and chocolate? Yum. Though now I have to pick up more pumpkins to carve for later. That just means I give myself an excuse to go on another hay ride this year and maybe pick some apples while I search for the perfect carving pumpkin. That is part of why I love fall. The weather is just right where you don’t sweat when hiking, the leaves change, and I get this need to want to bake again. Colder weather makes me think of warm apple cider and cuddling.

At the Farmer’s Market I went to in Tyngsboro, MA, I bought a sugar pumpkin. I not only wanted to post this recipe up, but I wanted to give quick instructions on how to make your own pumpkin puree from scratch. I found a quick instruction on how to do it on About.com (Southern Food). I’m just going to quote them:

“To make pumpkin purée, cut pumpkin in half, crosswise. Remove seeds and membranes. Place on a greased baking sheet, cut side down, and bake at 325° for 1 hour, or until tender. Cool for 10 minutes. Remove pulp and place in blender or processor. Purée or process until smooth. Place in a cheesecloth-lined mesh strainer or sieve and let drain into a bowl for about an hour. When dripping has stopped, put purée into a container, cover, and refrigerate if not using right away.” – http://southernfood.about.com/od/pumpkins/r/bl30826c.htm

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Yields about 36 cookies

You Need:

3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 teaspoons Pumpkin All Spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree (15 ounces)
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 package (6 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips (preferably mini)

Step 1: Set the oven to 350 degrees. On 2 baking sheets put parchment paper (It’s less of a mess and faster clean up time).

Step 2: In a medium bowl, stir the flour, baking soda, baking powder, all spice, and salt.

Step 3: In a kitchen aid or large bowl with electric mixer, combine the butter, sugar, pumpkin, egg, and vanilla; beating just until blended.

Step 4: Add in the dry ingredients.

Step 5: Remove the bowl from the mixer stand. With a rubber spatula, stir in the chocolate chips

Step 6: Using a cookie scoop, put the dough 1 inch apart on the baking sheet.

Step 7: Bake the cookies for 13 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Keep the cookies on the sheets until cooled before transferring them  to wire racks.

Mine were really stuffed with Chocolate Chips.

In other news, I ran a 5k last weekend. The race was in honor of Jack Kerouac, the famous writer from Lowell, MA. I finished in about 31 minutes. Not bad for not running in a long while. I want to try and do some more of them, because I love being in a large group running towards the same finish line. It’s healthy competition, and I can talk to people as I push forward. You meet and see the most interesting people when running. If you haven’t joined a race, I highly recommend it. Even if you are going to walk, the experience is worth it.