Toffee Pumpkin Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

Remember a few posts ago when the pumpkin was the subject? Well something had to be done with that pumpkin!

I don’t think I have ever met a cookie that I didn’t like,  so why not make pumpkin cookies! After all, you can make pumpkin pie, bread, muffins, and cake. It is only logical to put the pumpkin in a cookie form. I will share the recipe for these toffee pumpkin dark chocolate chip cookies with you at the bottom of the post, but first lets talk about lighting!

As you know, the days are getting shorter, so I am shooting more and more with artificial light. Here is the lighting set up I used.

Tungsten light on the right, diffusion panel and a fill card. A pretty standard set up. With this one set up there are so many possibilities though! In planning out my picture, I wanted all the attention to be on the cookie. The pumpkin gives the cookie a slight orange tint that is perfect on a white parchment background. I decided that I wanted the cookies on a parchment sheet and to have the “right out of the oven look”. I used a baking sheet lined with parchment to bake the cookies on. I laid them out in a 3 row by 3 column pattern. Here is the first shot.

The cookie is definitely the subject. Notice how the cookies are in straight lines. The light source is on the right side which makes the right side of the cookies brighter than the left side.

When we pull back, we can see that the cookies are in a straight line. This is a great picture, but what would happen if we moved the pan? Why not try it.

Can you tell a difference? Lets look a little closer.

When we turn the pan it gives a different direction to the cookies. Is this better than the first? Well that is personal preference. I prefer this tilted shot more. Shooting everything in straight lines will always look great, but if you find yourself doing this too often try switching it up. Notice how out light is the same. The left side is darker than the right side.

We have tilted out cookies, what happens if we shift our shooting angle? When we are shooting head on there is a nice side lighting pattern occurring. Watch what happens when you change your shooting angle.

Oooo. I am starting to like this. Much Much more interesting. Notice how the location of the light source and shadows have changed. Lets take a closer look.

If we throw a gradient on there you can see our light source is no longer coming directly from the right. It is now from back right. This is caused by us changing our shooting angle.

As you can see from the lighting diagram insert, I changed my shooting angle. This shadow on the cookies in the foreground makes gives a lot more interest to the picture. This cross between back lighting and side lighting, is a lot of fun to experiment with. When you are shooting try moving your set of moving your body to get a new perspective. It may improve your image, or it may not. Just give it a try!

So here is the recipe.

Toffee Pumpkin Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe is adapted from a Food Network Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) , softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 3 cups AP flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1 cup toffee bits
• Nonstick or parchment paper

Heat oven to 350.

In a mixer, beat the two sticks of butter until they are smooth. Add the white and brown sugars, and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time, Followed by the vanilla and pumpkin puree. Beat until well mixed together.  In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. On low, mix in the flour mixture 1/3 at a time. Stir in the chips and toffee bits. Scoop the cookie dough into tablespoon size dollops and place on parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cookies are browned around the edges. Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and let them rest for a few minutes. Take the cookies off with a spatula and cool them on wire racks.