Calling all pumpkin lovers!

So, if you've ever seen my pinterest you would see that I am most definitely a pumpkin lover. I get so excited every year when Starbucks comes out with their pumpkin spice lattes & I also like to spend my time hunting down delicious recipes on food blogs and other recipe sites {I kind of have an obession with recipes...or maybe just food} Some really great blogs I've found are Annie's Eats & Skinnytaste, so when you have a free minute, check them out. I promise you won't be disappointed! Over the last couple weeks, I've made three pumpkin recipes. Two were successful and the third...well, not so much. The first success was pumpkin snickerdoodles. I don't remember ever having snickerdoodles as a kid but hey, the picture looked good and I like pumpkin so I gave it try and I'm so happy I did. They were super easy and tasted like a piece of heaven. Unfortunately, I didn't snap a picture of the finished product. I guess I was just so overwhelmed with this great cookie that it slipped my mind. You can find that recipe here: Pumpkin Snickerdoodles. The second recipe I took a shot at was another cookie....pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. It called for two cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips but I didn't have quite enough so I did one cup of the semi-sweet and another cup of white chocolate morsels. The cookie itself is more cake-like in texture so make sure you don't overcook them. I'm so happy with the way these turned out....the pumpkin, the chocolate chips and the special spiced glaze are a winning combination. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

For the Cookies:

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin puree
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

For the Spiced Glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoons milk
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 pinch ground ginger
• 1 pinch ground cloves

Directions:

1. Adjust the oven racks to the middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the egg and vanilla and beat at medium speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Add the pumpkin puree and beat at medium speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds, scraping down the bowl as needed. Fold in chocolate chips with a rubber spatula.
4. Roll a heaping tablespoon of dough and place onto prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough, spacing the balls about 2 inches apart
5. Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, until the edges are set and just beginning to brown but the centers are still soft and puffy, 15 to 17 minutes. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets about 2 minutes; using a wide metal spatula, transfer the cookies to a wire rack and cool to room temperature.
6. To make the spiced glaze, in a small bowl combine all the ingredients for the glaze and mix until smooth. Drizzle over each cookie and allow the icing to dry before serving.

Yields: 5 dozen