The 10YO has a new favorite dessert for fall: chocolate pumpkin cookies.
The recipe came from this year’s Whole Foods calendar (October 2015), but he made a few changes. For one, he asked to use the Extra Dark Chocolate cocoa because he takes after his mom. Then he eliminated the chopped up walnuts and dates from the recipe, because, well, he’s a kid. That’s fine, I said. If you’re the one doing the work, you can make them however you want.
The result is a deliciously soft chocolate spice cookie he’s made twice already: once before Halloween and once for his school’s Election Day bake sale at the local polling station last week. They’d be a great addition to your Thanksgiving smorgasbord as well.
Chocolate Pumpkin Cookies 
They're also good with the original 1 cup of chopped walnuts and 1 cup of chopped dates mixed into the batter.
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Extra Dark Chocolate cocoa powder (or regular)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tablespoon demerara sugar (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, cloves, cinnamon, pepper, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk together the molasses and pumpkin puree in a separate smaller bowl.
Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Beat in the egg, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients and wet ingredients alternately, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Mix until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Drop the batter in heaping tablespoonsful about 1 inch apart onto the prepared pans. Sprinkle with demerara sugar if desired. Bake until just firm around the edges, 12-14 minutes. Allow to cool slightly on baking sheets, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes about 3 dozen.
Source: Adapted from the 2015 Whole Foods calendar (October).
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