SHF --Eat Your Veggies! Double Chocolate Pumpkin Cookies

I have to admit, this was an easy one. (Although tricky to photograph.) I feel a little bit un-creative actually, but the deadline snuck up on me. My oldest started kindergarten this week, and the baby's been fussy, so I didn't get to plan ahead on this one. Excuses, excuses! I long for the days when I could spend an hour puttering around with a new recipe, using both my hands.
I chose pumpkin. Of course, pumpkin! I'd been wanting to make a pumpkin treat since Lughnasadh in August, and I just finally got around to it. The days here are still nice, but the nights are getting chilly--it's that in-between time of Summer and Fall that I just love. Fall really is my favorite season when it comes around--Halloween is coming soon! (Although do you notice that every year Michael's and the craft stores start bringing their Fall stuff out earlier and earlier? Like in July!)
Where I lacked in creativity in choosing a vegetable, I think I made up for in experimentation. I went with a trusted pumpkin cookie recipe I make every year, soft cakey cookies gently spiced with cinnamon and frosted with cream cheese icing. Like a Whoopie Pie, but only one-sided. As I was mixing it, I thought of my insane passion for chocolate that's been acting up lately. So I decided to make them Double Chocolate Pumpkin Cookies instead.
Converting a recipe from vanilla to chocolate is one of the easiest things to do--jus swap an equal part of the flour with cocoa powder. They behave the same, pretty much, although if you use regular "natural" cocoa, it is acidic, so you'll want to add a bit of baking soda to your recipe. If you use Dutch cocoa, you'll not only get better chocolate favor, but it's been alkalized and won't affect the acidity. It can be hard to find, though, and I was out, so my recipe is made with regular stuff.
For good measure, I tossed in some chopped chocolate chips, and added the cinnamon anyway. I ended up with a deliciously spiced chocolate cookie, one that sort of reminded me of Mexican Hot Chocolate (Ibarra.) The cookie was soft, and cake-like, and reminiscent of a madeleine. The dough was pretty easy to work with once chilled for a little bit, scooped right out.
The one thing that fades into the background a bit was the pumpkin--it just didn't compete well with the other flavors. You may not actually realize there was pumpkin in here, which is my one regret. Oh well--at least you can sneak some veggies into your kids!

Double Chocolate Pumpkin Cookies
2 1/4 cups (320g) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (35g) cocoa powder
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
1 tsp kosher salt
2 sticks butter, soft
1/2 cup (108g) dark brown sugar
1/2 cup (100g) white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup (240g) solid pack canned pumpkin*
1-2 cups chopped chocolate, dark or white

Mix dry ingredients together well in a medium bowl.
In a mixer bowl, cream butter and sugar until very light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, scraping afterwards. Add pumpkin and vanila--mixture will look curdled. Turn mixer to low and add dry ingredients, stirring until just blended. Add chopped chocolate, and mix well. Chill 30-60 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350. Scoop chilled dough into tablespoon-sized balls, 12 to a sheet. Bake 12-15 minutes, til lightly firm to the touch. Remove to a cooling rack immediately.
* I like Trader Joe's pumpkin, I find it has the best consistency, and it's organic too.

I might try to make these a bit more fudgy next time--but I think these would work spectacularly as Whoopie Pie Cookies with a chocolate filling!

This edition of Sugar High Friday hosted by The Expatriate's Kitchen.
SHF originally the creation of Jen, the Domestic Goddess.