What a busy October! I wrapped up a month of painting/redecorating with a few weekends of yard work, and now that all of the gorgeous leaves have fallen (well, mostly), I’ll need to get the kids out there to help rake! All of this is in my “spare” time, of course, because the big push right now is my web site. I’m taking pictures, describing products, and so hoping to have everything up and running in November sometime. (Crossing fingers!)

In the meantime, and since I know I’ll be neglecting this blog for weeks to come, I thought I’d share a photo and a recipe. Fall is a great time to enjoy all of the flavors of the harvest, but it’s sometimes hard to interest kids in pumpkin or squash–unless you put them in a cookie! This is a tasty, cake-y chocolate cookie with less sugar and fat than your average treat, plus some whole wheat flour and yummy pumpkin as secret ingredients (they’ll never know). Enjoy!

Chocolate Pumpkin Cookies

1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/4 cup white whole wheat flour
2/3 cup cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 stick softened butter or margarine
1/2 cup pureed pumpkin
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs
2 cups chocolate chips, M&Ms, nuts, etc.

Preheat oven to 350°. Cream butter or margarine and add sugar, vanilla, pumpkin, and eggs. Mix well. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa, salt, and baking soda and add to butter mixture. Add chocolate chips, nuts, etc. and mix well.

Working with about 1 tablespoon of dough at a time, make small balls, then flatten them and place them on an ungreased, nonstick cookie sheet about an inch apart. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack. Store leftovers (ha!) in an airtight container or zippered bag.

Do you like pumpkin cookies in October?