Pumpkin Cheesecake Magic Bars

I came across this recipe on the blog http://www.picky-palate.com/ and knew that I had to try it. It is a combination of a cheesecake bar and magic cookie bars (which if you know me at all know that magic cookie bars are my all time favorite treat!) I also love pumpkin, and I really like cheesecake bars...yet HATE cheesecake...weirdo I know... Luckily I had an event to bring a treat to and so I made the bars. Did I love them?....no...sadly they will not even make my "will make again list" but you still might love them. I think that I did not love them because they are closer to a cheesecake than anything else. Jump on over to her site and check out the recipe in Octobers archives. She has some VERY decadent looking recipes.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have a favorite franchise bakery in Utah...it's called Kneaders. They have the best salads...and brownies, and even live up to my high standards in chocolate chip cookies...most visits....when not pregnant. I found this recipe on a Utah news cast and had to try it out. The cookies were called "Kneaders Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies". From the pictures online the cookies looked less cakey and more chewy than the regular pumpkin cookies, so I thought I would give them a try. (Another gift I would make to bring to family this past weekend). Well, the cookies were very good...but alas they were as cakey as any home-made pumpkin cookies are. I am wondering if my change in the recipe had anything to do with the outcome (but I think not) You see the original recipe called for 1 and 1/2 CUPS BUTTER! In comparison to the amount of flour and eggs I thought this sounded like way to much...so I down-sized the butter by a half a cup and only added 1 Cup butter. All in all I think they were a good cookie, but not much different than the recipe I had already on hand.

Kneaders Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 1/2 c butter (I used only 1 cup)

1 c brown sugar

1/2 c sugar

2 eggs

1 15 ounce can pumpkin

2 c flour

1 TB baking powder

1 TB Cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ginger

1 c chocolate chips

Combine all dry ingredients and set aside. Beat sugar, butter and eggs until fluffy. Add pumpkin and slowly add in dry ingredients. Fold in chocolate chips last. Bake on parchment lined cookie sheet in oven set at 400 degrees for 12-15 min.