Dark Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Shortbread

Recipe by The View From the Great Island

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Shortbread ~ Is it possible that there are still some of you out there who haven’t discovered the joy of pumpkin with chocolate?  If so, here’s your chance to get with it. If you follow this blog you probably already know how I feel about shortbread.  I think of it as the little black dress of the baking world — elegant, effortless, and delicious.  It’s endlessly variable both in terms of flavor and form, and it’s always going to be a favorite of mine.  I guess I mostly make it slice and bake style, but you can bake it square, like I did today, or round and slice it like pie.  You can also form little hand shaped cookies for a more rustic look.  The original Scottish shortbread is made with just butter, sugar, and flour, and it’s almost unbelievable that something so simple can taste so good.  Classic shortbread has a crumbly texture, but because of all the butter it’s not at all dry, and actually melts in your mouth.  With a good basic shortbread recipe you’re pretty much set in the dessert department; you can adjust it to fit any occasion, from bake sale, to …

Ingredients

• 2 sticks, (1 cup) unsalted butter (at room temperature)
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 heaping Tbsp pumpkin puree
• ¼ tsp each: cinnamon, cardamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice
• ½ tsp ginger
• 2¼ cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips

Method

1. Set oven to 350F
2. Cream butter and sugar together.
3. Beat in the vanilla, pumpkin, and spices.
4. Fold in the flour, and then the chocolate chips.
5. Spray an 8x8 square baking pan with cooking spray, and then line with parchment paper with overlapping ends. (The paper is optional, but makes for easier removal from the pan for cutting)
6. Spread the batter in the pan, smoothing it out evenly.
7. Bake for about 45 minutes until starting to get golden around the edges.
8. Let cool on a rack, and slice into squares while still slightly warm.

View the recipe instructions at The View From the Great Island