Recently, one of our cats, Annie, was on a medicine that made her hungry. The vet said some cats will eat pumpkin, so that was one of the things we could try when she wouldn't stop bugging us for food. Well not this cat. Even with stinky dried catfish treats mixed in, the low calorie pumpkin was a no go.
So what to do with a almost full can of pumpkin? Recipes abound this time of year for pumpkin, but I had a hankering for something sweet. Pumpkin bread perhaps. That idea changed into pumpkin cookies with the prospect of them being done sooner. It was getting late and bedtime was approaching. After a little googling and finding several similar results, I decided on a recipe from Two Peas & Their Pod for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies that I've reprinted below. 
I mostly followed their directions but left out the nutmeg because I didn't have any and used only 1 3/4 cup of butter because that's all that I had. Also, I used 12 oz. of mini chocolate chips instead regular size ones. However, the biggest thing I did differently, was bake all of the batter at once in a 9x13" pan for 35 minutes at 350° F. Another time saving step to get them done sooner rather than later. This resulted in a finished product with a cake-like brownie texture. The flavor was quite rich and very good. I was afraid that the spice flavors might be too strong, but they blended well. The pumpkin flavor was also very mild. Ward didn't even know that there was pumpkin in them. And best of all, there were little pieces of chocolate everywhere.Next time I may actually make them as cookies. We'll see. It depends on how impatient I get. Hope you get a chance to enjoy some.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Yield: 3 dozen cookies
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Soft and chewy spiced pumpkin cookies dotted
with chocolate chips! We make endless batches of Pumpkin Chocolate Chip
Cookies during the fall months. They are always a hit!
Ingredients:
3 cups Gold Medal all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
2 cups chocolate chips
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
2 cups chocolate chips
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with a Silpat baking mat or parchment paper and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and spices. Set aside.
3. Using a mixer, cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla, and pumpkin and mix until combined, about 3 minutes. Slowly add in the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
4. Drop by large, rounded tablespoons onto prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until cookies are just beginning to brown around the edges. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for two minutes. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and cool completely.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and spices. Set aside.
3. Using a mixer, cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla, and pumpkin and mix until combined, about 3 minutes. Slowly add in the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
4. Drop by large, rounded tablespoons onto prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until cookies are just beginning to brown around the edges. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for two minutes. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and cool completely.
