PUMPKIN SPICE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES: Homemade Cookie Day & Pumpkin Spice Day

October is my favorite month. I love pumpkins, Halloween, and the turning leaves. Today is both National Homemade Cookies Day and National Pumpkin Spice Day. So here's the perfect recipe to celebrate the day: Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Cookies! October is all about Pumpkin Spice, so feel free to make these cookies all month long! You can make your own pumpkin spice, or just use pumpkin pie spice. As I always say, you can't have too many Chocolate Chip Cookie recipes. And, in case you think Pumpkin Spice is new, scroll down to see more retro Pumpkin Pie Spice containers.

PUMPKIN SPICE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 

1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice 

1/2 teaspoon baking soda 

1/2 teaspoon baking powder 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

2 sticks cooled melted butter 

2 eggs 

3/4 cup granulated sugar 

3/4 cup brown sugar 

1 teaspoon pure vanilla 

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips 

Directions

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 

Whisk flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in large bowl. 

Whisk melted butter, eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla in second large bowl. 

Add flour mixture and stir to combine with a wooden spoon. 

Fold in the chocolate chips.

Scoop dough onto the parchment-lined baking sheets and bake until golden, 16 to 18 minutes.

CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE COOKIES WITH SEA SALT: National Homemade Cookie Day

Today is Homemade Cookie Day. Here's an easy recipe for Chocolate Truffle Cookies with Sea Salt that you can make to celebrate! This recipe is from local San Francisco chocolate company Ghirardelli. Ghirardelli has some great recipes online and in their new Cookbook.

Ghirardelli: In 1849, during the California Gold Rush, Italian-born Domingo Ghirardelli moved to America and opened a store in a mining camp. After discovering the miners were starved for luxuries and needed something to spend their gold dust on, he starting stocking chocolate delicacies. In 1852, the enterprising immigrant founded a confectionery shop in San Francisco, which eventually became the modern-day Ghirardelli Chocolate Company.

Today, Ghirardelli is America’s oldest continuously operating chocolate maker. Their products are sold in stores everywhere and online, and they also have their own chocolate and ice cream shops across the country.

CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE COOKIES WITH SEA SALT

Ingredients

1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Baking Chips, for melting into the cookie dough
2 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Baking Chips, for mixing into the prepared cookie dough
2 to 3 tablespoons coarse sea salt

Directions
In heatproof bowl over double boiler, melt chocolate and butter until smooth. Turn off stove and let chocolate sit over warm water.
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt and mix to combine.
In another bowl, mix together sugar and eggs, combine thoroughly with whisk and slowly add warm chocolate mixture. Stir to combine. Add vanilla extract and mix. Stir in flour mixture.
Cool for a few minutes (if batter is warm, chocolate chips will melt). Stir in chocolate chips. Chill for 10-15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Scoop rounded tablespoons of batter and place on baking tray. Sprinkle each cookie lightly with a pinch of sea salt.
Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 7-8 minutes until the outside looks slightly cracked. Be very careful not to over bake cookies because they will continue to bake as they cool once removed from the oven. Cookies should be soft and gooey in the center.

For a chunky and different twist add one of the following: 3/4 cup toasted pecans or pistachios, 1/4 cup chopped candied ginger, or 1/3 cup sweetened coconut

CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE COOKIES WITH SEA SALT: Homemade Cookie Day

Today is Homemade Cookie Day. Here's an easy delicious recipe for Chocolate Truffle Cookies with Sea Salt that you can make to celebrate! This recipe is from local San Francisco chocolate company Ghirardelli. They have some great recipes online and in their new Cookbook.

Ghirardelli: In 1849, during the California Gold Rush, Italian-born Domingo Ghirardelli moved to America and opened a store in a mining camp. After discovering the miners were starved for luxuries and needed something to spend their gold dust on, he starting stocking chocolate delicacies. In 1852, the enterprising immigrant founded a confectionery shop in San Francisco, which eventually became the modern-day Ghirardelli Chocolate Company.

Today, Ghirardelli is America’s oldest continuously operating chocolate maker. Their products are sold in stores everywhere and online, and they also have their own chocolate and ice cream shops across the country.

CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE COOKIES WITH SEA SALT

Ingredients

1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Baking Chips, for melting into the cookie dough
2 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Baking Chips, for mixing into the prepared cookie dough
2 to 3 tablespoons coarse sea salt

Directions
In heatproof bowl over double boiler, melt chocolate and butter until smooth. Turn off stove and let chocolate sit over warm water.
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt and mix to combine.
In another bowl, mix together sugar and eggs, combine thoroughly with whisk and slowly add warm chocolate mixture. Stir to combine. Add vanilla extract and mix. Stir in flour mixture.
Cool for a few minutes (if batter is warm, chocolate chips will melt). Stir in chocolate chips. Chill for 10-15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Scoop rounded tablespoons of batter and place on baking tray. Sprinkle each cookie lightly with a pinch of sea salt.
Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 7-8 minutes until the outside looks slightly cracked. Be very careful not to over bake cookies because they will continue to bake as they cool once removed from the oven. Cookies should be soft and gooey in the center.

For a chunky and different twist add one of the following: 3/4 cup toasted pecans or pistachios, 1/4 cup chopped candied ginger, or 1/3 cup sweetened coconut

Sesame Chocolate Chip Cookies: Homemade Cookie Day!

Today is Homemade Cookie Day! What a day to celebrate. I've been meaning to post this addictive recipe for some time. I came across this recipe for Sesame Chocolate Chip Cookies on the Whole Foods recipe page and adapted it slightly. I won't say it's totally healthy, but with sesame seeds, whole wheat pastry flour, and tahini, it's on the verge. I also cut back on the sugar and chocolate chips. And who doesn't need another chocolate chip cookie recipe?

Funny, the site says that serving size is 1 larger cookie or 2 smaller cookies. I don't think so. More like 5-6 of the small ones, and at least 2 of the big ones.

SESAME CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Ingredients
1/2 cup light brown sugar
8 Tbsp sweet butter, softened
2 Tbsp tahini
1 egg
2 tso Madagascar pure vanilla extract
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
3/4 cup dark chocolate chips (mini chips if you're making mini-cookies!)
1/2 cup sesame seeds, toasted and cooled

Directions
In large bowl, beat sugar, butter and tahini with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add egg and vanilla and beat again until combined.
In medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt, and then add to sugar mixture and beat until combined. Stir in baking chips and sesame seeds and shape dough into 4 1/2-inch-long logs, wrapping them individually in wax paper and twisting the ends. Chill until firm, 4 hours or overnight. (To help maintain their shape, arrange the dough logs in a 9x13-inch dish to chill.)
Preheat oven to 325°F. Slice each log of dough into 12 (for bigger cookies) or 24 (for smaller cookies) coins, arrange on parchment-paper-lined baking sheets about 2 inches apart and bake until golden brown around the edges, 8 to 10 minutes for smaller cookies, 10 to 12 minutes for larger cookies.
Cool.

October 1: Homemade Cookie Day

October is one of my favorite months. I grew up on the East Coast, and I loved October when the trees would turn, the air would get cooler and the winds brisk. Of course, there was Halloween to look forward to at the end of the month with all its great chocolate candy. Here in California October is still my favorite month. Some trees turn where I live, but not a lot of them, but this is one of our best months for weather. We can easily have three weeks of balmy warm days--and, Halloween is still at the end of the month.

October brings a lot of wonderful chocolate holidays. My friend Louise at Months of Edible Celebrations sent me her notes on many of them, so we have a lot to celebrate this month on DyingforChocolate in the way of chocolate holidays!

Today, October 1, is the Anniversary of the New York Cocoa Exchange. The NY Cocoa Exchange was begun on October 1, 1925, so that buyers and sellers could get together for transactions. Go HERE for a good brief history of chocolate.

October 1 is also Homemade Cookie Day. Make them chocolate!

Here's an easy recipe for Chocolate Crinkle Cookies from Diana Rattray at About.com: Southern Food. I love the crackled appearance!

3 eggs
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted (I use a high cacao content and quality chocolate)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla (I'm fussy about my vanilla. The better the quality, the better the cookie)
2 cups all-purpose flour
sifted confectioners' sugar

In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, beat eggs, sugar, chocolate, oil, baking powder, and vanilla until blended. Beat in as much of the flour with the mixer as possible, then stir in the remaining flour. Cover and chill the cookie dough for 2 hours.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in sifted confectioners' sugar, coating well. Place balls of cookie dough about 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets and bake in a 375° oven for 8 to 10 minutes, until crackled in appearance. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool. Sprinkle with more confectioners' sugar if desired.

The Hershey site has another recipe for Chocolate Crinkle Cookies that's delicious. Takes a little more time to prepare, but they're great.

Maybe you have another recipe for cookies to make today. Whatever you choose for Homemade Cookie Day, make them chocolate!