Description
These chewy pumpkin chocolate chip cookies combine the warm spices of pumpkin spice with rich browned butter and chocolate chips for a perfectly soft, flavorful fall treat. The key to their chewy texture is blotting the pumpkin puree to remove excess moisture and using browned butter cooled to just the right temperature. These cookies are ideal for cozy autumn afternoons or holiday baking, yielding about 15 delectably soft cookies with golden edges and melty chocolate pockets.
Ingredients
Scale
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup (226 g) cold unsalted butter
- 2/3 cup (160 g) Libby’s Pumpkin Puree, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 g) light brown sugar, packed
- 2 large egg yolks (36 g), room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients
- 1 2/3 cup + 1 tablespoon (220 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin spice
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
Add-ins
- 1 cup (125 g) finely chopped chocolate bar or chocolate chips
Instructions
- Prepare baking trays and oven: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line two baking trays with parchment paper and set aside.
- Brown the butter: In a large stainless steel pan, melt the cold unsalted butter over medium heat. Stir occasionally as it foams and crackles until the butter develops brown bits and a nutty aroma. Remove from heat when browned and scrape the butter (about 184 g) into a glass bowl. Place the bowl in the refrigerator for 50-60 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes until the butter cools but remains liquid at 75°F (24°C).
- Blot the pumpkin puree: Spread the pumpkin puree on a plate. Use a stack of paper towels to press down and absorb excess liquid. Scrape and re-spread, repeating with fresh paper towels until the pumpkin feels soft and dry like playdough and measures about 1/3 cup (75 g).
- Cream the sugars and butter: Whisk the cooled browned butter with the granulated sugar and light brown sugar for exactly 1 minute until the mixture resembles pale wet sand.
- Add egg yolks, vanilla, and pumpkin: Whisk in the two egg yolks, vanilla extract, and the dried pumpkin puree until just combined.
- Incorporate dry ingredients and chocolate: Fold in the flour, pumpkin spice, baking soda, salt, and chocolate chips until just combined, being careful not to overmix.
- Shape the cookies: Using a 3-tablespoon cookie scoop, portion the dough and roll into balls between your palms. Place them on prepared trays spaced 2-3 inches apart, making roughly 15 cookies. For extra pools of melted chocolate, press additional larger chocolate chunks on top before baking.
- Bake the cookies: Bake one tray at a time for 9-13 minutes, until the edges are golden but the centers remain slightly underbaked.
- Shape and cool: Immediately after removing from the oven, use a large round cookie cutter to scoop in the edges, making cookies thicker and perfectly round. Allow the cookies to cool fully on the tray placed on a wire rack before transferring.
- Store the cookies: Keep baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. Cookie dough balls can be refrigerated or frozen; bring them back to room temperature before baking (about 1 hour refrigerated, 2 hours frozen).
Notes
- Measure your flour properly by fluffing it first, then spooning it into your measuring cup or use a kitchen scale for accuracy. Avoid scooping directly into the flour as it compacts and leads to dry, cakey cookies.
- Blotting the pumpkin puree to remove excess moisture is crucial for chewy cookies; too much liquid will make the cookies cakey.
- For extra melty chocolate, chop the chocolate into larger pieces and press some on top of cookie dough before baking.
- If cookies turn out puffy and cakey, check that the pumpkin was properly blotted dry and flour measured correctly.
- If cookies are flat after baking, ensure oven temperature is correct, flour was measured properly, and butter was cooled to the recommended temperature (75°F).
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 12g
- Sodium: 110mg
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 22g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 40mg
