Pumpkin Ranger Cookies

Last Thursday, I attended another fantastic Charleston Blog Society event.  This time, Gillian planned a Pinterest Potluck at Hannah's house.  The plan was to get together, drink some wine, eat some delicious food, and talk about ways to make our Pinterest pages better!  I definitely learned a lot about analytics, how to create one cohesive "brand," and how to make sure the right keywords are in each pin.  (Shameless plug: I spent part of the weekend working on my own page, so if you want to check it out, here's the link!)

The group: (top row) Jacquelyn, Gillian, Erika, me, Shree, Madison, (bottom row) Hannah, Lanie, Tiffany, Jeanne, and Kate

My original plan was to make something off of my "need to make it" board, but since it was also the second day of fall, I thought it'd be fun to make something pumpkin-inspired.  So, I came up with the idea to concoct a recipe and then put it on Pinterest afterwards to use all of the fun tips and tricks I would learn at the party!  So, here's the recipe.  It's based on one of my favorite recipes from my mom.  Her Ranger Cookies are so good, and add a can of pumpkin and a few spices and you really have the perfect fall treat!

Ingredients:
1 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
15 oz can pumpkin
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup uncooked oats
3/4 cup flaked coconut
3/4 cup rice cereal
1 cup chocolate chips
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Cream shortening, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla in mixer.
3. Add in eggs and pumpkin.
4. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a separate bowl.
5. Add dry mixture to wet ingredients a little at a time.

6. Take the cookie mixture off the mixture and stir in oats, coconut, cereal, and chocolate chips.
7. Drop tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 12 minutes.

This recipe made a batch of almost 50 cookies, so it was perfect for a large group.  They were so fantastically soft and chewy!  If you make them, definitely let me know what you think!