Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Let me tell you a little secret about me: When I'm stressed, I bake....it's a bit of a flaw, but I just can't help it. It's like getting an itch that I can't ignore. So...considering that I have a HUGE biochem test tomorrow, what am I doing at 10pm? Baking of course. I've been craving cookies...and tonight I broke one of my own rules and didn't take the time to search for a "healthier" version of the recipe I wanted to make. I was fully prepared to make the first recipe I found that looked halfway decent.

So here's the one I decided on: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

At first read through, I questioned the recipe because there's no butter! But after consulting Google again, I found a second site with the exact same version of the recipe. So I thought I should give it a try.

Ingredients

1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup white sugar (I used about 3.4 c)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon milk
1 tablespoon vanilla paste (I used 1 tsp vanilla extract)
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (I used 3/4 of a bag...however much that is)

Method

1. Combine pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, and egg. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt.

2. Dissolve the baking soda with the milk and stir in. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix well.

3. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and stir well.

4. Add vanilla and chocolate chips.

5.  Drop by spoonful on greased cookie sheet.

6. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for approximately 10 minutes or until lightly brown and firm.

The result? The cookies have an interesting texture. They're very light and airy...maybe because there's no butter? I'm still trying to decide how I feel about that. The flavor is good. You can taste the pumpkin and the cinnamon!

Enjoy!
--Lindsay--