The One With the Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Cookies

I'm just going to come out and say it. I don't usually like pumpkin things. I know, I know. All you fall lovers are gasping in horror. I feel that my general disdain for the festive gourd can be traced back to an incident in which pumpkin got between me and some chocolate at a Thanksgiving at my grandfather's house. My six-year-old self chose some pumpkin pie from the dessert table in an attempt to be traditional, but when I didn't like it, my dad told me I couldn't have anything else (namely, a magnificent chocolate pie) because I had already taken the pumpkin one. Ever since then I had sworn it off, so as to never again be in a situation where I am deprived of chocolate on its behalf.

I had sworn it off, that is, until a few months ago when my friend Betsy brought me some pumpkin cookies. I'm not going to lie. I ate the whole container before Steve got home from work that day. They were amazing. And they opened my heart to a whole realm of pumpkin deliciousness. (Since then I have also discovered the wonder that is Pumpkin Waffles thanks to Melissa.)

Anyway, I guess that I have some sort of deficiency from years of pumpkin neglect, because I can't stop eating these bad boys. As a result, I've done lots of experimenting to perfect this recipe. Seriously, so, so good. And, because they have chocolate with them, there's no chance of the whole pumpkin v. chocolate debacle. And, since they're made without butter, you can obviously eat a lot of them.

Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1 15 oz. can (or a little less than 2 cups) pumpkin 
• 3/4 cup cane sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg (or 2 teaspoons baking powder and 1 Tablespoon olive oil for dairy-free)
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
• 12 (2 cups) ounces milk chocolate chips (or semi-sweet for dairy free)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and pumpkin spice in small bowl. Set aside. In a medium bowl combine sugars and pumpkin. Add oil, egg, and vanilla. Stir in dry ingredients. Add chocolate chips. The mixture will be pretty gooey, as these cookies are very cake-like. Spoon by teaspoonful onto prepared baking sheet. (They should hold their form once on the cookie sheet. If they seem too runny, add more flour, 1/4 cup at a time until you reach a thick cake-batter consistency.)  Bake for 12-14 minutes, until a fork inserted into the middle of one comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack and store in the refrigerator for optimum deliciousness.

It's really easy to make these dairy-free if necessary. But the milk chocolate chips are awesome with the pumpkin, so use them if you can. These freeze really well in a ziplock bag. Just set them out at room temperature a few hours before serving.