Day 29: Grandmother's Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I've briefly touched on my love of cookies before here at the Dessert Pocket, but truth be told, I might have downplayed how deeply in love I really am. I am head over heels, heartbreaking, life altering in love. A good cookie can make a bad week good in a matter of seconds for me. It can calm me down when I am borderline inconsolable and can bring a smile to my face even when it hasn't seen one for days. Warm, soft, chocolaty, and sweet, the perfect cookie can bring me to my knees, literally. On the contrary, a bad cookie actually makes me mad. I've been known to take a bite and throw an entire tray away if the cookie wasn't up to my high standards. I know, it is a problem. But once you've tried the right cookie, there is no excuse to eat bad ones. Life is too short for bad cookies. Trust me on this.

The good news is, this pumpkin milk chocolate chip cookie is so right. It is so, so right. It makes me smile. It combines all aspects of things I love in a cookie, plus a little nostalgia, which is the only thing that makes cookies even sweeter. I used to eat these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies at my Grandmother's house as a little girl. I remember running around with cookies in both hands indulging in the sweets my parents often deprived me of. They taste just as good today as they did back then. Yesterday was a particularly difficult day for me and this cookie turned my frown upside down. Put this one in your recipe book and save it for when you need a smile or a pick me up. I swear, you won't be sorry you did.

Grandmother's Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies (Makes 25)

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature


• 1/2 cup white sugar


• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar


• 1 large egg


• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract


• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree (or homemade puree)


• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour


• 1 teaspoons baking powder


• A pinch of salt salt


• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon


• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie seasoning


• 1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a hand mixer, mix butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until creamed together. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Then add the pumpkin puree. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie seasoning. Adding a little bit at a time, add your dry ingredients to your wet ones, until fully incorporated. Finally, mix in the chocolate chips. Using a tablespoon or cookie scoop, scoop out the batter onto baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes or until cooked all the way through and golden brown around the edges. Place on a wire rack to cool and serve slightly warm.