Melt in your mouth Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

A little history- Until I came to the US on a holiday when I was 20, I had never heard of and therefore eaten a pumpkin chocolate chip cookie. Talk about a deprived childhood! In Australia pumpkin is not something associated with dessert or any sweet item. You can't buy it in a can like you can in the US. We grew up eating roasted pumpkin with Sunday roasts or eating it in my mothers delicious pumpkin soup. So when I was offered my first pumpkin chocolate chip cookie by my sister in law's best friend Jill I was a little weary but interested. After the first bite I was hooked! Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies next to home made Oreo cookies have since been one of my top two faves when it comes to cookies.

When I moved to the states I was so excited to get a recipe for this delicious cookie so that I could make them myself. I was given a recipe and after trying to make them twice I was so disappointed that I gave up. My cookies were dry and floury- nothing at all like Jill's cookies which were moist with a perfect chocolaty pumpkin flavor. I was so scarred that it has taken me till now to try my hand at these again. A little while ago I was able to make contact with Jill and get her recipe (she say's it’s her moms recipe). I was all excited to make them until I noticed that the recipe called for shortening- which I didn't have at the time. Not wanting to cart my toddler to the store I looked online and found this recipe. All the reviews RAVED about these so I felt confident that they would be good. I modified it just a little but the result was nothing short of amazing. These literally melted in my mouth. I knew it was dangerous for me to have these in my house so I got busy delivering them to friends and family so that my husband and I didn't eat the lot!

Because I have eaten Jill's cookies and can attest to how FABULOUS they are I am posting her recipe too. Thanks Jill!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Modified from a recipe by - George Duran (Food Network)


Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups canned pumpkin puree (One big can- original recipe called for 1 cup)
3 cups plus 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 cups (12-ounce bag) milk chocolate chips, not semisweet
Nonstick cooking spray or parchment paper

Directions
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray cookie sheets with nonstick spray or line them with parchment paper.

Using a mixer beat the butter until smooth. Beat in the white and brown sugars, a little at a time, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time, then mix in the vanilla and pumpkin puree. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Slowly beat the flour mixture into the batter in thirds. Stir in the chips. Scoop the cookie dough by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared cookie sheets and bake for 14 minutes, or until the cookies are browned around the edges. Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and let them rest for 2 minutes. Take the cookies off with a spatula and cool them on wire racks.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Jill's or Jill's Moms Recipe

Combine:
4 1/2 C. Flour
2 C. Sugar
4 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt

Cut in:
1 1/2 C Shortening - until it looks like fine crumbs

In a separate bowl, combine:
4 eggs, 2 tsp vanilla, 1 large can pumpkin
Combine the 2 mixtures and add 2 cups chocolate chips and some pumpkin spice.

Cook at 400 degrees in oven for 12 minutes