Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are a fave amongst the Slow Food URI group. Who doesn't love pumpkin? Better yet, who doesn't love chocolate and pumpkin together in one delicious cookie? We served these bad boys during our meeting last night and I walked away with an empty container. We are providing the recipe so you can make them at home. If you wanna keep it as local as possible, you could substitute the 1 cup of canned pumpkin for 1 cup of (peeled and mashed) butternut squash. Butternut squash is available throughout the fall, winter and early spring at the farmer's markets.

Ingredients

• 1 cup canned pumpkin
  
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon milk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions

1. Combine pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, and egg. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt. Dissolve the baking soda with the milk and stir in. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix well.
2. Add vanilla, chocolate chips and nuts.
3. Drop by spoonful on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 10 minutes or until lightly brown and firm.

Enjoy!
-Maria