Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I am so happy it's fall! Granted, fall in the South means that it's in the 80s one day, and a nice, fall-like 68 the next, but I'll take it. When we first moved from Washington, I hated summers. It was too hot, too humid, and just reminded me that we weren't in Washington anymore.

Now, summers have grown on me. It probably has something to do with the break from school, homework, and schedules, but I've also realized that I don't like the winters here. They're just too cold, and I hate freezing my butt off, especially when I'm riding.

Fall has been my favorite season for a long time, but the reasons have changed. Some of the reasons; Halloween, crunchy leaves, Thanksgiving, pumpkin, apples, and crisp air, have stayed the same. A few of my newer fall favorites; the fair (it was in the summer in Washington), sweaters, football, and basically all the food. 

Speaking of food... these cookies were delicious! I made them for a party on the first day of Autumn, but uh,  life got in the way and it's taken me until now to upload the recipe. Oops. Anyway, this is where you start, with the dry ingredients (and distorted looking toes. and a big red dog).

Then you whip up your wet ingredients in a separate bowl. This picture is so weird to me. It almost reminds me of a target or something. 

Dry meets wet! Oh, did I mention that these cookies have barely any butter? The pumpkin works as a substitute for most of it, just like you would use applesauce. I think I'm going to try replacing applesauce with pumpkin in a few more recipes this season, to see how it works.

And now we add our chocolate chips! This is only half the dough, because I made half the cookies with chocolate chips, and half without. I'd never tried pumpkin with chocolate before, so I wasn't sure how I would feel about it. Plus, I was bringing these to a party and figured some people would want chocolate chips, and others wouldn't.

The finished product... I didn't get very many pictures of the cookies after I baked them, because I was in a hurry, and I didn't want to be fondling cookies that were meant for other people too much.

These cookies are soft and chewy, and just plain yummy! I only had one of the ones without chocolate chips, but I did sneak some of the dough that had chocolate, and they were equally good. These were a hit with everyone who tried them, and they disappeared quickly! Another bonus...these are technically "skinny", but I  promise that no one will ever guess (if it gets by my little brother, it can get by anyone!)

Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes 24 Cookies

Ingredients:
  1 cup all purpose flour
  1/4 tsp baking soda
  2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  1/2 cup granulated sugar
  1/2 cup brown sugar
  1 tbsp butter, melted
  1 egg white
  3 tbsp pumpkin puree
  1 tsp vanilla extract
  1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper/reusable baking liners or lightly spray with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin spice; stir to blend. In a separate bowl, whisk the sugars, butter, egg white, pumpkin, and vanilla extract until light and fluffy. Add dry ingredients to wet in two parts, mixing well. If using chocolate chips, add to mixture. Measure dough with tablespoon to form 24 evenly sized cookies. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Cookies may appear slightly under-cooked, so I suggest inserting a toothpick or fork into a cookie to make sure they are done. Allow to cool before eating.

Adapted from Skinnytaste