A few weeks ago I stopped at the grocery store on my way home from getting my hair cut. I was there for only three items - a bottle of anise extract and two more Lunch Skins sandwich bags. It’s one of those stores that when I walk though it, I end up with a lot more things in my basket than I intended to get. I love lingering there, and Scott definitely dislikes going there with me for that very reason. I always have to check out the baking, bulk, and candy bar sections. And then there are the tea and shampoo aisles to wander through.
I should have just stuck to my mental list, but I also ended up with some nice whole grain crackers, hummus, some other random items I can’t remember, and a small bag of pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds). I had been meaning to get some pepitas for a while. I thought they would be good sprinkled on salads, cooked greens, and of course, in chocolate chip cookies. In my pepitas-excitement, I completely forgot the anise extract. Go figure.
What I like most about these cookies is that they are warm-tasting. I don’t mean spicy. I just mean that when you eat them, the blend of spices make you think of the warmth of the kitchen and the joy of the holidays. The pepitas give them a nice texture, and of course, they are loaded with lots of chocolate. Merry Christmas! Yum!
Notes:
These cookies spread a bit when they bake, so be sure to leave enough space between them on the cookie sheet. If you can’t find peptias, you can substitute walnuts or pecans. These cookies are soft; if you like crispier cookies, bake them a little longer.
Adapted from the Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
Ingredients:
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon cloves
¼ teaspoon ginger
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
1½ cups dark chocolate chunks or chips
½ cup roasted and salted pepitas
Yields about 3 dozen cookies, depending on the size.
Cream, Add, Scoop, Bake:
Adjust the oven racks to the upper and lower thirds of the oven, and preheat it to 300ºF. Line two cookie sheets with Silpat mats or parchment paper, and set aside. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg, and set aside. In a separate bowl, cream the butter with both types of sugar, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and then the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture in halves, and then stir in the chocolate chunks and pepitas. Scoop up one tablespoon of the dough and roll it between your palms to shape it into a ball. Place the ball on the prepared cookie sheet, and repeat the process with the remaining dough, leaving two inches of space between each ball. Once the cookie sheets are full, place them in the preheated oven and bake for 18-20 minutes until the edges are just beginning to brown. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool. Once cooled, store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. Pin It
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