The Saga of the 37 Pumpkins - Installment 12 - Pumpkin White Chocolate Walnut Cookies

Patch slid along the floor, unsure of where he was or where he was going. After he'd seen what really happened on the other side, he wasn't certain that he wanted to be with the other pumpkins, where he'd be easy prey for the keepers. Patch looked up at the sky. It was brown, almost like panels of wood, and the sun had grown brown leaves. These things were less strange than the fact that he and his patchmates had for so long accepted them as a natural aspect of reality.

"Patch!" called a high-pitched voice.

Probably, it was a keeper trying to attract him into its lair. Patch looked in the other direction and continued to slide along.

"Patch!" the voice called again. Two huge vines entered Patch's range of vision. He looked up.

 She was smiling and waving her stalk excitedly. "I'm going to be a pumpkin pie! Aren't you excited?" Patch shook his head in amazement.

The girl frowned. "Hey, what are you doing here alone? Don't you want to be a pie too?"

Patch shook his head again and began to respond, but the keeper had carried her too far away. She couldn't hear a word that he said.

"Why am I going back there? There's nothing there for me. My family is dead."

Then Patch remembered his friend, Cucurbita. He slid a little bit faster, his pulp beat a bit harder, and a smile grew upon his rind.

Then there were 24...

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Pumpkin White Chocolate Walnut Cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of flour
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. cardamom 
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup pureed pumpkin
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1.5 cups white chocolate chips
• 2/3 cup chopped and toasted walnuts

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the dry ingredients in a small bowl.

Use a whisk or a mixer to cream butter and sugars in a large bowl. This will take about three minutes, so during this time, you may chop the pecans and toast them in a dry skillet over medium heat until hot and fragrant.

Once the butter and sugar has been creamed,beat in the pumpkin, egg, and the vanilla.

Once all of the wet ingredients have been combined, gradually blend in the flour mixture.

Finally, stir in the chips and the nuts.

Now that you have your dough, you may go ahead and drop rounded tablespoons onto a greased baking sheet. Flatten your balls of dough with the bottom of a glass that has been dipped in sugar.

Bake in preheated oven for 11-14 minutes. After the cookies have been baked, let them cool for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack where they can complete the cooling process.

Enjoy!