i AM a good baker, i swear

so a couple weeks ago my neighbor invited me over for dinner while justin was out of town. she sent me home with some leftovers. i figured in keeping with the whole southern hospitality thing, i should return her tupperware with some cookies or something. well, i did this recipe chain thing over email and got this great recipe for pumpkin cookies from my friend jenni. i thought those would be perfect to make especially for fall. i mixed them up and baked the first couple of batches. they were very weird. first of all, they didn't change shape whatsoever. they looked exactly the same when they came out of the oven as when they went in. and they tasted undercooked, yet somehow stale. justin said, you had to have done something wrong. i said, no! i know i followed the recipe. i can't give these to mary now!! they're awful. well i looked back at the recipe and i had forgotten something. i was so worried about adding the cloves and cinnamon and nutmeg i forgot all about the baking soda AND the baking powder. small ingredients, big difference. anyway, i tried again and they're MUCH better the second time. so, i'll share the recipe with you. just don't forget anything! :)

Pumpkin Cookies

* 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking powder (very important)
* 1 teaspoon baking soda (also very important)
* 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup butter, softened
* 1 1/2 cups white sugar
* 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
* 1 egg
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour,
baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and
salt; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup of butter and
white sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to butter
mixture, and beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop on
cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls sprinkle with sugar.
3. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool cookies. Eat up!