Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

 The trouble with most pumpkin cookies is that they are gooey - not in a decadent way, but in a "I can't let these touch each other or they will all stick to each other" kind of way.  A while back I came upon the Cook's Illustrated recipe for Pumpkin pie, where you cook some of the liquid out of the pumpkin to help improve the texture.  I thought maybe that would help with pumpkin cookies a bit.  The base for this recipe is based on these Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies and I really love the result.  To me brown butter and fall go hand-in-hand.  To be sure they are still soft, especially if you are not careful to cook them thoroughly, but especially right out of the oven they have a nice crispy exterior.  They tend to soften more as they are stored.

Ingredients 

1 C. (2 sticks) Unsalted Butter
1 C. White Sugar
1 C. Light Brown Sugar
2 Lg. Eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 C. Canned Pumpkin Puree
3 C. All-purpose Flour
2 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Ground Ginger
1/4 tsp. Ground Nutmeg
1/4 tsp.Ground Cloves
12-ounce bag Milk Chocolate Chips, not semisweet
Nonstick cooking spray, parchment paper or stoneware baking sheet

Instructions

Slice butter into smaller chunks and place in a saucepan or skilled over medium heat, stirring frequently.  Do not use a dark bottomed pan and it will be hard to tell when the butter is adequately browned.   See How to Brown Butter for a photo tutorial.   Remove butter from heat immediately and allow to cool for about 20 minutes.

While you are browning the butter, on a separate burner, place pumpkin puree in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Bring to simmering and reduce temperature.  Cook stirring frequently until the mixture has reduced and thickened slightly and looks glossy.  About 10 minutes.  Allow to cool for about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.

Directions Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray cookie sheets with nonstick spray or line them with parchment paper.

Pour browned butter in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Beat in the white and brown sugars, a little at a time, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time, then mix in the vanilla and pumpkin puree.  Slowly beat the flour mixture into the batter in thirds. Stir in the chips.

Scoop the cookie dough by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared cookie sheets and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cookies are browned around the edges.  Adjust time for stoneware. Often people want their cooking a little softer, so they take them out while they are still soft in the middle.  Pumpkin cookies will be naturally softer and so you really do want to make sure they are cooked in the center.  Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and let them rest for 2 minutes. Take the cookies off with a spatula and cool them on wire racks.

Queso

When we lived in Dallas we learned about Queso. I suppose queso to a Texan is like guacamole to a Californian - if you're having Mexican food, watching a game or really anywhere there is chips and dip, there is queso. There are tons of varieties, but the most basic is rotel (which I had never even heard of till I moved to Dallas, and wasn't quite sure I'd be able to find it in Los Angeles) and velveeta. Yes, I said it. Velveeta.

We gathered at my aunt's house to celebrate my uncle, cousin and Scott's birthdays and I was charged with bringing an appetizer. Scott wanted queso, so I started thinking about it. Do I go for the velveeta or should I make a cheese sauce? Well, for lack of time it turned out to be Velveeta, which is something I think I've only used once or twice in my life, and I'm not proud to admit it. Next time I'll go for the homemade sauce. Anytime something is described as cheese "product" I think you should beware. Half the stuff they sell as food is plastic anyway, so when they are basically telling you it is not real food, it's not a good idea, no matter how creamy and velvety as it may be. So, here is the method:

Brown 1 lb. of ground beef with 1 clove of garlic. Season with salt and pepper to taste. When beef is browned, drain the juice and add the large size of velveeta. Cook on med-low until the cheese is melted.

Stir in one can of rotel (spicy, mild or original - which still has a little kick) and serve warm.

Kettle Corn

Last week for one of our K exercises we made Kettle Corn and failed miserably. I think in my effort to keep the sugar from burning (cooking over a lower temp.) the popcorn didn't get hot enough to pop and ended up burning. So, this time, when Ilan requested kettle corn for family game night, I kept it hot and had a great result. This recipe makes a large bowl of popcorn, which is really hard to resist.

1/4 C. Oil
1 C. Popcorn
1/2 C. Sugar
Salt to taste

Heat oil and popcorn in large pot with lid on. When you can hear the oil sizzle add the sugar and stir. Return lid to pot and shake occasionally to keep everything from burning. When popcorn starts to pop shake vigorously over the burner. When all the popcorn is popped pour it into a large bowl and sprinkle with a generous amount of salt and toss to coat. Enjoy!