Use an electric mixer (or stand mixer) to combine the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until well combined. Mix in the vanilla and pumpkin.
Add the flour, salt, soda, cinnamon ginger, nutmeg and cloves and mix just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.
Cover bowl and refrigerate dough for 30 minutes. (Mandatory!)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Scoop two tablespoon size balls and place one on top of the other, and lightly squish the two dough balls together. (they will look like really tall “cylinders”. This way, when they bake, the bottom half will cook first, and then the top half, resulting in cookies that are soft and chewy on the inside, but slightly crisp on the outside. )
Arrange on a cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. (I bake mine in two batches. While the first batch cooks, I roll the dough for the second and store it, covered, in the fridge.)
Bake cookies for 13-17 minutes or until they are just slightly golden around the edges. Transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.