Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

It's pumpkin season!  Yum, yum.  I'm a big fan of pumpkin.  I tried this recipe for the first time last week and it was a hit!  The cookies were very moist, but not overly cakey like a lot of pumpkin cookies.  The spices were spot on and the chocolate chips were perfectly delicious.  We couldn't stop eating them!  Okay, so maybe that's not such a good thing. Anyway, give these a try.  They are "Fall" in a cookie.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes about 4 dozen

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup  brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
2 cups chocolate chips

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spray cookies sheets with nonstick spray or line with parchment paper (my nonstick pans worked fine without anything).

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 one at a time, then mix in the vanilla and pumpkin puree.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.  Slowly beat the flour mixture into the batter in thirds.  Stir in the chocolate chips.  Scoop the cookie dough by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared cookie sheets and bake for 13-17 minutes, or until the cookies are browned around the edges.  Remove from the oven, take off the sheets and let cool on a wire rack.

Store layers of cookies separated by parchment or wax paper to prevent cookies from sticking together.

Source: Food Network George Duran