Perfect Pumpkiny Pillows

It?s not exactly a secret that I like to bake, is it?  However, there are some things that are reserved specifically for certain times of the year.  Like pumpkin cookies.  I always start making these around mid September and will usually make them on a regular basis until November.  They are strangely addicting.  I can?t pinpoint what it is about them that makes them so addicting, but it?s really hard to eat just one.

A few years ago, Carmen was going to visit family in Costa Rica, and she asked me to bake her a batch so that she could bring them.  Well, only one dozen ended up actually making it to Costa Rica because she simply couldn?t stop herself from eating these.  Oh, and Carmen does not really have a sweet tooth!

So as promised in my Yom Kippur post, here?s my recipe for pumpkin cookies.  I think a friend sent me this recipe awhile ago but I have no idea who exactly it came from (thanks whoever it is).  They were originally just pumpkin cookies with chocolate chips, but I loved the addition of chopped pecans and cranberries so much, that I decided to stick with it.  Oh, and I call them pillows because they are puffy little pillow cookies, not crispy or chewy.  I?m thinking it?s the combination of baking powder and baking soda maybe.

First, preheat your oven to 350*

You?ll need:

First, cream together the butter and sugar until it?s light and fluffy.  Then add in the pumpkin, vanilla and egg. 

Mix and sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon (or just add these directly to the mix, it works fine), and add to the mix.

Add in your chocolate chips, nuts and cranberries and mix thoroughly. 

Just a tip, if you don?t have any chopped nuts on hand, and are like me and HATE chopping nuts (I just find it to be a pain), here?s my little trick.  I just put my nuts in a Ziploc bag and beat them up with a meat mallet. 

Drop by tablespoons (or use a scoop) onto well greased cookie sheets. 

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the bottom edges start to lightly brown.  While the cookies are still warm, transfer to a baking sheet.

Now please excuse me while I go devour all 5 dozen of these. 

With a glass of milk. 

And a bottle of Tums.

What?s your favorite fall baked good?  Do you wait to cook certain things during special times of the year?