Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are a staple every fall at my house.  There are a million recipes for them, and none are all that different from each other, really.  But to make mine a little extra special, I like to use my homemade pumpkin pie spice.  I add cardamom and cloves to mine, and I really like the complex flavor it brings to recipes like these.

But pumpkin pie spice is small potatoes, compared to what my sister discovered about making these cookies really something special.  For some reason, they taste quite different when baked with mini chocolate chips and in smaller-sized cookies.  The flavors come together better, and the cookies bake more evenly.

Then couple that with my need to real foodify everything, and you have yourself THE perfect mini pumpkin chocolate chip cookie.  I can die happy now, because I have reached the pinnacle of pumpkin chocolate chip cookie recipes!

Equipment Needed:

• measuring cups
• measuring spoons
• large mixing bowl
• whisk
• stand mixer
• rubber scraper
• food processor or good knife
• baking sheets
• parchment paper
• small ice cream scoop (1 tablespoon size)
• cooking racks

Mini Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies with Whole Grains

2 cups freshly ground whole grain flour (find whole grains here, how to make sprouted flour here)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda (find aluminum free baking soda here)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder (find aluminum free baking powder here)
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (how to make homemade pumpkin pie spice with cardamom here)
1/4 teaspoon salt (find unrefined sea salt here)
1/2 cup butter, softened (find grass-fed butter here)
1 cup whole cane sugar (find whole cane sugar here)
1 egg
2 cups (or 1 15-oz. can) pumpkin puree (find organic canned pumpkin here)
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (get chocolate chips here, make your own here)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Line the cookie sheets with parchment and set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.  Set aside.
4. In a stand mixer, blend the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
5. Add the egg, mixing to combine.
6. Add half the dry mixture, then all the pumpkin puree, and then the rest of the dry mixture, waiting until each is mostly incorporated before moving to the next step.
7. Add the chocolate chips and stir until just combined.  Don’t overmix!
8. Scoop onto the prepared cookie sheets, spacing them apart by only 2 inches or so (they don’t spread much).
9. Bake two cookie sheets at a time on racks set in the upper and lower third of the oven, for 12-14 minutes, rotating halfway through the cooking time to get an even browning.  Bake until slightly browned and set in the center.
10. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.