Pumpkin Cookies
Fall has always been my favorite season, even though it doesn’t last long enough and means that the cold and snow of Michigan winter are on their way. I love the vivid colors of the changing trees; the crisp, frosty mornings when I can see my breath floating on the air in front of me. I love apple-picking and pulling sweaters from the cedar chest, and the warmth of socks after months of flip-flops.
The food of fall is as particular to the season as its sights and smells: Apple Betty, my favorite childhood dessert; pots of chili; grilled cheese dunked into steaming mugs of tomato soup. Pumpkin is a key fall player in my kitchen, not just in the traditional Thanksgiving pie, but in quick bread, soup, pancakes. And this year, in cookies.
A month or so ago, I came across a low-fat recipe for pumpkin cookies. I was excited, imagining a moist, chewy cookie sweet with spices, flecked with dark chocolate, the perfect companion to a cup of coffee or chai. I baked a batch. They were okay, but I wouldn’t have called them Barefoot Contessa worthy. I added some fat and sugar, trying to keep them on the low-fat side of things, but again, I was disappointed. On the third attempt, I gave up and switched out the low-fat elements (yogurt and applesauce) for butter. While I was at it, I increased the sugar content. At the same time, I stuck with my standard mix of white and whole wheat flours, determined to maintain the fiber content. I was rewarded.
These cookies are everything I imagined: moist, chewy, fall-spice-y. They are on the heavier side, like a farmhouse oatmeal cookie rather than a chocolate chip, and might even make the breakfast-on-the-run cut. You can decide.
Pumpkin Cookies
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream together:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
Add to mixture, beating until fully incorporated:
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Stir in:
15 ounces canned pureed pumpkin
In a separate bowl, whisk together:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup white flour
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1/8 teaspoon ginger
Add dry mixture to wet a cupful at a time, blending thoroughly after each addition, until fully combined. Stir in 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips. Drop by spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet, and bake 10-12 minutes.