Fresh Pumpkin Spice Cookies

My 10 year old brought home a well used cook book from the school library, Nestles Collections, 2003.  I bought a pie pumpkin the week before and as he thumbed through, he found a cool recipe using canned pumpkin.  I adapted the recipe to account for using my fresh pumpkin.  The cookies are baking now, but the batter is divine!  My mother used to say "If the batter is good, the baked good will be good."  NOTE: This is a perfect cookie for a low sugar diet as well.

Here's my adapted recipe for Fresh Pumpkin Spice Cookies:

First you have to cook the Pumpkin.  Buy 1 small-medium Pie Pumpkin in order to net 2 cups of Cooked Pumpkin.   If you are going through the trouble to cook it, freeze the leftover for a later time.  Cut pumpkin in half and remove seeds.  Set up large steamer basket placed over 2" of water.  Over medium heat, boil the water, add the pumpkin cut side down and steam for about 20-25 minutes until tender.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.  I did this step while I drank my coffee this morning.

Preheat Oven to 375 and line sheet pans with Parchment Paper.
Cream for 2 minutes, 2 Sticks of UnSalted Butter with 1/2 Cup Sugar and 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar. Add 2 Cups Fresh Pumpkin, 2 Eggs, 1 tsp Vanilla and beat until combined, about 1 minute.

To a separate bowl, add 2 1/2 Cup Flour, 1 1/2 tsp Pumpkin Spice, 1 tsp Baking Powder, 1/2 tsp Baking Soda, 1/2 tsp Salt, 1/4 tsp Cardamom, 1/4 tsp Nutmeg, 1/4 ground Ginger, 1/2 tsp Cinnamon.  (NOTE: I have all of these things so use what you have, otherwise just add an additional 1 tsp Pumpkin Spice.)  Mix the flour and spices together with a wire whip.  Slowly add flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture while mixing on the lowest speed.

Stir in by hand, 1/4 Cup Oats, 2 Cups Nestles Chocolate Morsels and 1 Cup Chopped Walnuts. 

Using a 1/4 Cup scoop, though mine is slightly smaller, drop cookies onto the sheet pan allowing for space in between.  Bake in the center of a hot oven for about 15-17 minutes.  Once the cookies cool, you can ice them with a simple icing of 1 Cup Powdered Sugar, 1 Tbl Milk and 1/4 tsp vanilla.  You can drizzle a pattern or just ice them and let the icing spread over the top.  Once the icing sets, place cookies in an airtight container.