Phantom Pumpkin Cookies!

Happy Halloween!!!! There is absolutely no season that reminds me more of being a child than Fall.  Maybe it's just cause I'm living at home again, but the plethora of dried oak leaves and palm frawns strewed across the streets of my neighborhood bring me back to that sensation of crunching through the leaves on my way home from elementary school.  And it all strikes up a particular memory in my mind, of standing on the sidewalk outside of school one fall day, just after 12 'o clock.  The rest of the kids were still in class.  But I was standing there, kicking the leaves, waiting for my Dad to pick me up.  He was taking me out of 3rd grade in the middle of the day to see a matinee of Phantom of the Opera.  Yep -- that was my Dad.  Coolest Dad in the world.  He pulled up in his bright red Fiero, and I hopped in, obviously the luckiest 3rd grade girl in the world.  I didn't think twice about it - to me, ditching school after recess that day to see Phantom was mandatory,  and I was the one special kid who got to go.  

So to honor Halloween and this fulfilling, fall feeling, I created what I thought would be an ideal autumnal cookie.  Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies with marshmallows!!! Having baked the pumpkin cookie before, it's pillowy, soft, deliciousness I thought could only be amplified more by adding marshmallows!!! However -- keep in mind that my creations are semi-experimental, and like the Phantom himself, the little white marshmallows poofed away halfway through the baking process leaving an ugly hole in each cookie and resulting in sticky sugar that glued itself to my baking sheets - ruining my perfect pumpkin pillows. :(  However - they still tasted superb for a fall treat.  So I encourage you to indulge in one (but if you're tempted by marshmallows consider this a warning, the Phantom may strike!) 

And now I give you, Phantom Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies (almost with marshmallows, but not quite.)

INGREDIENTS:

2.5 cups of all-purpose unbleached flour

1  tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 stick of unsalted, room temperature butter

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1.5 cups of pumpkin pie mix (I did this recipe the first time with the pumpkin pie mix -- it's pretty liquidy and it also already has all the spices involved)

2 room temperature large eggs

1.5 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 mini chocolate chips

1 cup mini marshmallows (or not)

1 cup chopped pecans (totally optional if you want a crunch in your pumpkin)

Preheat oven to 350°

1st)  Whisk together dry ingredients in medium bowl.

2nd)  cream together butter and sugars using your BFF.  It is incredibly important that you cream the butter and sugar BEFORE adding the pumpkin because the butter fat does not disolve in the pumpkin mix, it just got all crazy and clumpy the first time I made these.  so lesson learned, cream your butter

3rd) NOW add your pumpkin pie mix

4th)  while still beating, add in the eggs one at a time, and the vanilla.

5th) slowly add in your dry ingredients

6th) when mixture is lovely and creamy... 

...add in the other goodies!!!7th) after incorporated, drop into rounds on your cookie sheet sprayed with baking spray (like I said in the first recipe, the spray makes for a nice firm bottom.)8th) bake for 10-12 minutes or until nice and golden brown, with lightly browned edges.9th) and... BOO!!!! *$^@@#$$#%$##@&*$*^  PHANTOM STRIKES!!!!!!!!!10th)  :(  sad pumpkin cookies.  who knew marshmallows could be such a monster?!  SO to salvage this experiment and the rest of my delicious pumpkin dough... I proceeded to pick each evil marshmallow out with a toothpick... yep.  there they all are.  the little bastards.Finally!)  after far too many minutes of my life wasted on these mini marshmallow, back goes the dough in the oven and the result:  a much happier Pumpkin Cookie. :)aaaaah. :) 

Epilogue:  As a result of this experience, it's obvious high heat and marshmallows don't mix well - unless, of course, it's over an open flame and graham crackers and chocolate bars are involved.  However, I do believe if you were to remove the cookie tray halfway through the baking process and drop the marshmallows on top - then put back in the oven (as in Cookies with Peanuts and Cracker Jacks) that would probably work just fine.  Secondly, I also don't recommend eating your cookie with celery, even though it looks so adorable as the stem and vine to my pumpkin, milk is usually a better accompaniment.  ENJOY!!