Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Several years ago, a friend of my wife came to visit in the fall, and brought these delicious soft pumpkin cookies. Since then, they've become a staple of autumn in our house, and while cans of pumpkin care readily available and likely on sale in your neighborhood grocery store, now is the perfect time to bake some up.

If you're not much of a baker, don't worry. This recipe is hard to mess up. Just keep an eye on the cookies and take them out just as you think they're getting done. They'll cook a little more as they cool.

You can find the basic recipe for these by searching for "Old fashioned pumpkin cookies," but here's my modified recipe that adds a little more spice.

Ingredients

3 cups flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. allspice

1 tsp. ground cloves

1 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 c. soft butter

1 1/2 c. sugar

1 15 oz can solid pack pumpkin

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 c. mini chocolate chips

In medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg allspice, cloves, ginger; set aside. With mixer cream butter and sugar in large bowl. Add pumpkin, egg and vanilla; beat until light and creamy. Add dry ingredients gradually; mix well. Fold in chocolate chips. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto greased cookie sheets. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until light brown.

The cookies should have a firm, almost crusty outside, and a soft but firm (read: cooked) inside. They go great dunked in a glass of milk.

Feel free to add more or less of any of the spices depending on your taste. We decided during a family reunion a couple years ago to spice them up. You can also use pumpkin pie spice instead of the individual spices.

The recipe makes about three dozen cookies, so you'll have plenty for a while. Most of the recipes you'll find online include drizzling a simple icing over them finished products. Try it if you like, but we find the basic cookie is good enough!