Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Yummies...

I broke out the fall decorations yesterday. I had to. Summer has been like a constant fall in Germany but it was depressing then- while everyone was out at the beach, or even just wearing shorts, we were gloomily looking out our windows at rain. Now though, since it's SUPPOSED to be that way, I'm suddenly in a better mood! Nothing says fall to me like this recipe for pumpkin chocolate chip cookies though, so tonight I finally got down to my monthly double-batch.

And because I want to share my fabulous fall mood, I'm going to give you the recipe! Actually, I found this on allrecipes.com a few years ago. You can see the original recipe right here. I've changed some things here to make it even more awesome...

• 1 cup Libby's Pumpkin Pie Mix
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon milk
• 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chip

There's not a whole lot of difference here but I'll explain why I made the changes. First, for whatever reason, my grocery store doesn't carry canned pumpkin. A travesty. Instead, this pumpkin pie filling does the trick and adds a little something more. However, because it already has a lot of spice in it, I cut back a bit on the vanilla. It tends to overpower the pumpkin taste, especially when combined with the semisweet chocolate. Next, I add more cinnamon. I like my cookies, coffee, anything, with EXTRA cinnamon. You won't be sorry you added more, I promise.
Then there are a couple things to note with this recipe. Like I mentioned, the vanilla and semisweets tend to fight a bit. If you find it is just too much, go with milk chocolate chips instead. I love this version even better- I'm not a huge chocolate enthusiast so milk is more tame for me. You'll be tempted to eat these right out of the oven but be warned- there is a LOT of chocolate in there so that will be mostly what you taste. I think it tastes a lot better to let them sit out and get to room temperature- the pumpkin and cinnamon is more evident that way. The recipe mentions refrigerating them and that way is good too! Mmmm. Can you tell that I'm really passionate about these cookies? =)

In other news, check out my first ever design team post with Pebbles today! I'm so excited to be a part of this team; there are some talented ladies this year!
Anyway, thanks for letting me share this yummy goodness- now go! Run to the grocery store to pick up some pumpkin!