Pumpkin White Chocolate Chip Cookies {Recipe}

If you’ve followed my blog for any length of time, you know that I like easy recipes.  Recipes that get dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes.  Recipes with minimal cook time.  Recipes that require only a few ingredients.  Recipes that require minimal effort.  You know, ’cause this mom is busy.  And I don’t have time for any of that.

But now and again I’ll stumble on a recipe that sounds too good to pass up.  One that makes me drool just reading it.  And sure enough, it’s chock-full of lengthy instructions, tons of ingredients, and cook time that will leave me with kids screaming “but Mom, I’m huunnngggrryyyy” (because, you know, that entire meal they ate 10 minutes ago wasn’t enough) way longer than I’m comfortable with.  But the recipe wins.  And I dive in and try it anyway…because, like I said, it’s just too good to pass up.

Friends, this is one of those recipes.

It all started when I found out that Mrs. Fields shares some of their cookie recipes on their blog.  The entire recipe, complete with instructions.  Who knew?  Certainly not this Mrs. Fields cookie loving mom right here.  Seriously, I can’t walk through a mall without getting one and often finding myself parking strategically so I just happen to walk by the Mrs. Fields store in our local mall.  So when I saw someone pin a Mrs. Field’s recipe (not a copycat) on Pinterest a few weeks ago, I decided to go to the original source, which happened to be the Mrs. Fields blog.  And there it was – Pumpkin Cookies with Caramel Frosting.  Admittedly, I’ve never seen these cookies on any of my visits to my local Mrs. Fields, but they sounded pretty darn good.

So I decided to make them…with a few small modifications.  The caramel frosting sounded a bit too sweet for me and I wasn’t loving the addition of chocolate chips to the pumpkin, so I substituted white chocolate chips and increased the amount.  I also reduced a few of the spices the recipe required, based on my taste.  The result was a cookie that was totally worth the time, effort, and ingredients.  They’re soft and chewy, just like the the Mrs. Fields cookies that you get at the mall, with a pumpkin spice that’s complimented oh-so-well by the occasional white chocolate chips.

Don’t be scared off.  Just try it.  I promise, it’s worth it.

You will need:
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp of vanilla extract
1 can pure pumpkin (15 oz. can)
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp sea salt (you could use regular salt, but I prefer sea salt when cooking or baking)
1 1/4 cups white chocolate chips

Step 1 – Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line baking sheets with aluminum foil or spray with cooking spray.

Step 2 – In a large mixing bowl, beat butter until light and fluffy.  Slowly add brown sugar and then add white sugar.  Continue beating on medium or medium-high until well combine.  Mine stayed a bit grainy in this stage, but was well combine after about 4 minutes.

Step 3 – Add eggs, vanilla, and pumpkin, beating for 30-60 seconds between each new addition.  Put to the side.

Step 4 – In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine flower, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ginger, ground cloves, nutmeg, and salt, stirring until well combined.  Once blended, add slowly to the pumpkin mixture in the large mixing bowl.  Beat until well blended.

Step 5 – With a mixing spoon, stir in the chocolate chips, being cautious not to over stir.  Stop once the chips are distributed through the batter.

Step 6 – Drop tablespoons of dough onto the baking sheets and bake for 14 – 15 minutes (I highly recommend the longer cooking time to ensure that the edges come out a little crispier – don’t worry, it won’t effect the soft center of the cookie!).  Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.  Enjoy!Tip:  These cookies are very moist, so make sure you allow them to cool completely before removing them from the cookie sheet.  My first batch I attempted to move too quickly and many of them broke.  I’d allow them to sit on the cookie sheet for at least 30 minutes, if possible, before removing them to a wire rack.  Also, the recipe above makes a ton of cookies.  A ton.  I make really big cookies and I easily had over 2 dozen.  The next time I make these cookies I plan to cut the recipe in half.