Pumpkin White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ahhh…September.  Back to school, sunny days and brisk nights.  Yeah, I live in Florida.  Brisk nights happen in January.  Sometimes.  But that doesn’t mean that we don’t enjoy our fall flavors as much as the next state! With the surge of pumpkin-flavored everything appearing in a cookbook near you, I admit that I too fall prey to the rotund orange gourd and everything that goes along with it.  This does include Pumpkin Spice Lattes from Starbucks (which don’t actually include anything pumpkin).  I think that I could have it running in my veins if I could.

Anyway, this week’s trip to the grocery store saw me stocking up on cans of pureed pumpkin. The closer you get to Thanksgiving, the more likely the stores will be sold out.  And that just can’t happen when you are on a pumpkin baking urge.  And since we vacationed in Alaska last week and got used to the lovely cool fall weather, I think it’s high time that we start the fall baking!

Original Recipe is here: http://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/820638/Pumpkin-white-chocolate-chip-cookies

 

Here’s What You Need

1 1/2 cups of sugar

1/2 cup butter

15-ounce can of pumpkin purée

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/2 cups of flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

2 cups white chocolate chips

 

And Here’s What You Do

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix together the butter and the sugar until it is light and fluffy. My stand mixer takes about 4-5 minutes to do this.
3. Mix in the pumpkin puree, egg, and vanilla.  The mixture will appear to be a little grainy.
4. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and pumpkin pie spice.  Gradually add the dry mix to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined.  Carefully fold in the white chocolate chips.
5. Drop dough by rounded tablespoon onto cookie sheets.  Bake for 13-15 minutes, or until edges are firm.

What I Did

It may surprise some, but this is the first time I’ve used pumpkin pie spice. I know, you’ve retreated hissing in a corner.  But I’ve never made a recipe that called for it.  Most of the ingredients you can find in a well-stocked pantry anyway.  Okay, you can find most of them in my cupboard, along with my newly acquired container of pumpkin pie spice. *sheepish smile*

Reaction

I was surprised to see that the dough had pushed the white chocolate chips out of the dough balls during baking.  I’m not sure if that was a reaction between the pumpkin and the white chocolate or what.  Thankfully, it didn’t affect the taste at all, and made them have a little more character.  I was expecting them to be incorporated like other chocolate chips in other cookie recipes.  My coworkers seemed to enjoy them (I’ve never seen my one of my bosses run that fast), and I found it very hard to keep my hands off of them when the container was open at my desk.

This is definitely going in the arsenal of recipes, especially for early fall!

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love, and Cupcakes