Double Chocolate Cookies with Butterscotch Chips and Pecans

I’m starting to realize that there is something magical about this time of year. Let me tell you, this revelation is a long time coming. Like, long time. No, really. Long, long time. In past years, I have been the person who keeps her screen door shut on Halloween. I have been the one who scoffs at the costumes hung in Target, because surely they could have put something more interesting there, anyway. And let’s face it–this year, nothing about my approach to Halloween will change. Because I don’t discriminate when it comes to locking my screen door; it gets locked every other day of the year, too. And the times when I have forgotten have been the times when solicitors (yes, my neighborhood has plenty) have knocked at my front door, which is comprised of half a window, and I have been caught in my robe, by a stranger, eating ice cream. Or pretzels. Or chocolate. You know.

So what’s different, then? What about this year seems to have changed? I couldn’t really tell you for sure, but I can point out that last week I actually gave the bulk bags of Halloween Candy and their costume counterparts a second glance. More so, I have been on the lookout this time around for the leaves to change their appearance. And when I look at these deep, dark chocolate cookies festooned with orange butterscotch goodness, I find myself…smiling at how festively colored they are.

After brainstorming what might be wrong with me, I decided that perhaps I should just keep going with it. Because this recipe blossomed from whatever inside of me is clinging to my newfound appreciation for Halloween, and it is divine. Some days-when it’s a little bit colder than it was before, when you realize that the evening arrived earlier, and that your windows seem to be letting in just a little less light-you need twice the amount of chocolate, with a little pecan crunch and a lot of butterscotch flavor to get things in place again.

One Year: Peanut Butter and Miel Cheerio Bars. Drooling.

Double Chocolate Cookies with Butterscotch Chips and Pecans
Makes about 2 dozen cookies

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp whole milk
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (high quality suggested)
1 cup butterscotch chips
3/4 cup pecans, toasted and chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease two baking sheets and set aside. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt to combine and set aside. In a separate, larger bowl, beat together butter and brown sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating to combine. Pour in the dry ingredients in halves, alternating with the vanilla and the milk. Stir in chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and pecans until just combined. Measure out the dough in heaping tablespoonfuls and divide evenly between baking sheets. Bake for 12 minutes, rotating the baking sheets halfway through. Move immediately to a cooling rack and let cool. Cookies will last up to three days, but that doesn’t mean they will make it that long before being devoured.