Pumpkin Cookies

I discovered this recipe last fall and added some elements from my favorite pumpkin bread recipe. After a few batches of Joe's dutiful reviews, I have perfected what he calls "the crack cookies" - they're incredibly addicting, and you can't stop at just one...or two...or three...

I'll admit, I am a baker who takes liberties with adding and deleting ingredients, so this is as close as I can get to writing the recipe down. I always sample as I go along to make sure everything looks/smells right, and with this recipe, when in doubt add more spice!

1 cup shortening
2 cups white sugar
1 can pumpkin puree (approximately 2 cups)
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
2 1/2 tsp cinnamon*
1 tsp nutmeg*
1 tsp allspice*
1 tsp ground cloves*
1 bag white chocolate chips, but could also use butterscotch chips

* I also play around with these proportions until I can smell and taste the spice in the batter

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheets, or line with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, cream shortening and sugar. Stir in the pumpkin and vanilla. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and spices; stir slowly into creamed mixture. Then mix in white chocolate chips.

At this point you could just drop teaspoonfuls of the dough mixture onto the cookie sheets and bake. Our favorite method is to turn this into a pumpkin snickerdoodle of sorts, and roll the indivdual cookie dough balls in a cinnamon/sugar mixture, coat the ball entirely, and then place on the cookie sheets.

3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Allow cookies to cool for 1 minute on cookie sheet before transferring to a wire rack.

I'll say this will make approximately 45-50 cookies, but if I make them with Joe in the house, I never get a final count.... he sneaks them off the wire racks as fast as I pull them out of the oven!