The key to perfect meals in my opinion, whether you’re serving something self-contained like soup or casserole, or something more complex like a full dish with sides, is juxtaposing complementary flavors and textures. Sweet with sour, crunchy with chewy, savory with just a hint of tart.
Case in point- these luscious pumpkiny clouds with a dark chocolate shell. Oh man, are these bad boys good. This weekend I was craving a dessert that marked the arrival of Thanksgiving and the start of the holiday season- and what better way to do than combining smooth pumpkin flavor with a bittersweet crackle of chocolate?
It’s like your mouth goes, “ohh, this pumpkin business is kinda nice and cozy and inviting and I feel like I’m on Grandma’s couch,” and then BLAM there’s a little chocolate party in there to remind you that oh, yeah, you like leather jackets and motorcycles now, and maybe once you smoked a cigarette outside of your house when you were young before running in and downing mouthwash before mom got home. I heard that last part from a friend, or something, if you’re reading this Mom.
Anyhoo. Check this recipe out- these definitely deserve a place on your Thanksgiving dessert rotation!
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin-pie spice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 can (15 ounces) pure pumpkin puree
- 8 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, pumpkin-pie spice, and salt; set aside.
- Using an electric mixer, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg; beat until smooth. With mixer on low speed, alternately add flour mixture in two parts and pumpkin puree in one, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix just until combined (do not overmix).
- Let dough refrigerate for at least a half hour. Preheat the oven to 375 with about 10 minutes to go.
- Drop dough by heaping tablespoons onto two baking sheets, about 1½ inches apart. Bake until puffed and edges are golden, 15 to 20 minutes, rotating sheets once during baking. Immediately transfer cookies to wire racks, and cool completely.
- When cookies have cooled, set them (still on rack) over a baking sheet or waxed paper. Place chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl and microwave for about 60 seconds; stir. Microwave for another 20-30 seconds (keeping an eye on it) and stir again until nice and melty.
- Dip each cookie top down into the bowl of chocolate, remove and shake to get rid of any excess. Place back on the rack.
- Refrigerate cookies until chocolate is firm, about 30 minutes.
I strayed from my inspiration, Martha’s recipe, here just a bit by refrigerating the dough for a half hour before I scooped and placed them on the cookie sheet- this stops the cookies from spreading out too much during baking, and this adds to how moist and perfectly cloud-like they get once they’re cooked. I also decided to go whole hog and dip the entire top of the cookie in melted chocolate- as opposed to doing some dainty drizzle. Girl’s gotta eat (some chocolate)! If you’re going to do it my way, be sure to let the cookies cool a little first so you aren’t burning your fingers while dipping.
The funny thing (I thought) about these cookies is they basically maintain their shape from when they’re plopped on the cookie sheet to when they come out of the oven- which I kinda like! We don’t always need perfect circles when it comes to cookies!
What are your favorite Thanksgiving desserts?
Happy Eating 🙂
mally
I LOVE pumpkin clouds and dipping them in chocolate is just brilliant!