white chocolate macadamia nut pumpkin cookies

no doubt about it – it’s time to start breaking out the pumpkin recipes. there’s no wrong time of year for it, but there’s just something about the chill of the fall and the colors of the trees that makes every pumpkin flavored thing more magical. and while pies are going to be dominating everyone’s lives over the next month, i wanted to try something new.

these cookies are like taking tiny pumpkin pies with you wherever you go, and there’s definitely nothing wrong with that. the combination of white chocolate and pumpkin is surprisingly refreshing – i can’t believe i haven’t seen more recipes featuring both.

i based this recipe on the never-fail tollhouse chocolate chip cookie recipe, with the ingredient amounts slightly tweaked to adjust for the moisture of the pumpkin. there are 2 things that happen as a result: the cookies have to bake for almost twice the amount of time, and the texture becomes much more moist and cakey. they’re irresistible with a giant glass of milk.

i’ll be honest: these cookies are ridiculously amazing. i cannot stop eating them. if you’ve got weak self control in the presence of delicious sweets, you might want to make these and give them to your best friends as halloween or thanksgiving gifts. and if you’re already overloaded on pumpkin recipes, save this one for later and bring back the flavors of the fall all year round.

white chocolate macadamia nut pumpkin cookies
adapted from the from the toll house chocolate chip cookie recipe.

3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
cinnamon to taste
nutmeg to taste
cloves to taste
ground ginger to taste
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups white chocolate chunks or chips
1 cup chopped macadamia nuts

1. in a small bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

2. in a large bowl, soften the butter in the microwave and cream in the white and brown sugars, pumpkin, vanilla, and eggs. add cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger to taste (or smell). if you don’t have all of those spices, pumpkin pie spice works just as well.

3. gradually mix in the flour and add the white chocolate and  macadamia nuts. spoon onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 375 for 15-17 minutes. remove to cool on racks and serve immediately with a glass of  milk as you lounge in front of a roaring fire.