Halloween Cookie Monster

For Halloween, I decided I wanted to make a festive sweet, but one that wasn't quite as much work as the football cookies for last weekend. My coworker Kathy suggested chocolate chip pumpkin cookies and found this recipe on www.allrecipes.com; and, I think they turned out pretty well. However, the cookies are a little more cakey than I'd like. I wonder if they'd be more like regular chocolate chip cookies without the baking powder.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies

1 cup butter
2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pinch ground nutmeg
1 bag mini Hershey's kisses

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Stir in the vanilla and pumpkin until well blended. Combine the flour and other dry ingredients; stir into pumpkin mixture. Mix in mini kisses. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets.

3. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until edges begin to brown. Allow to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheets before removing to wire racks to cool completely. Makes 84.