Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Pumpkins at a Starlight, IN, orchard.

As the holidays draw nearer, I develop a strange urge to bake... and bake... and bake some more.  The rest of the year, I could take it or leave it, but I do have pipe dreams of learning to make macaroons and meringue.  Indeed, when the weather turns crisp, this is when the magic happens.  Adding to the magic, in my mind, is the detail that I dislike making what everyone else is and often endeavor for something different.  My favorite cookie recipe is pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.

This recipe originally came from Nestle's Very Best Baking website, which can be found at  http://www.verybestbaking.com/ .  I tweaked the recipe for Old-Fashioned Soft Pumpkin Cookies a bit to make it suit my tastes and abilities.  Since I can't remember to set butter out in advance to soften, I cut it in pieces and melt it in the microwave when it is time to add it in.  I also add chocolate chips to jazz the recipe up a bit.  Because I am a huge fan of pumpkin, and because it is very healthy, I add an extra half cup of pumpkin.  The only difference I see is the cookies are a bit more tacky, but they taste just as good.

Here is the original recipe:  Old-Fashioned Soft Pumpkin Cookies  Have fun with it, either by adding chocolate chips as I have done, preparing it as offered, or by making it your own in some other way.  I would think some Craisins dried cranberries would be a nice addition as well.