Who knew pumpkin and chocolate would taste delicious together? These pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are spiced and has a nutty brown butter base that will make you keep coming back for more!
As I mentioned in my pumpkin spice cream cheese bread recipe, I’m not the biggest fan of pumpkin. However, I do acknowledge that pumpkin dessert recipes are in demand especially during fall. So I was looking into what other ingredients would go well with pumpkin to make it more palatable for me. Apparently, pumpkin and chocolate pair well together! And so, I used my tried and true brown butter chocolate chunk cookie recipe as a base, and modified it to make these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.
Why do I have to chill the cookie dough?
For some, chilling cookie dough may seem unnecessary or too cumbersome. However, there’s a really good reason why you should “age” the cookie dough in the fridge overnight before baking them. Aging it in the fridge results in a deeper flavor all around for these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.
Without going through the exact science stuff, the brown butter re-solidifies, some of the sugars re-crystallizes, and the flavor is also even more absorbed in the dough. But also, this will give your cookie more structure as it bakes. Since the butter is cold again, it takes longer for it to completely melt as it bakes. The result? Cookies that are not super flat. I promise your patience will be worth it! If you really can’t wait that long, or you’re in a rush, at least chill the cookie dough for 3 hours.
Storage
These pumpkin chocolate chip cookies can last up to 3 days. If you’re planning on making the dough ahead of time and not bake it all at once, you can freeze the cookie dough for up to 3 months.
Tools you’ll need
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp cloves
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- 2/3 cup semi-sweet and dark or bittersweet chocolate (chopped or chips)
Instructions
- Brown the butter in a small saucepan. Make sure to keep an eye on this and occasionally stir so it doesn't burn!
- Pour in a medium mixing bowl. Chill in the freezer for just 10-12 minutes.
- Take out your brown butter from the freezer. At this stage, some of the butter probably started to solidify, but that's okay. Whisk vigorously until the brown butter looks creamy.
- Add both sugars and whisk thoroughly. Add the egg, pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract. Whisk until well-combined.
- Pour all the dry ingredients (flour, kosher salt, baking soda, spices) into the bowl and mix everything. At this point, you may need to switch to a silicone spatula. However, just don't forget any good batter bits from the whisk! Fold in the chocolate chunks or chips.
- Scoop out your portions of cookie dough into a parchment-lined baking sheet. I normally use a medium-sized ice cream scoop (2.8 tbsp or 1.4 oz). Because you'd want to space out the portions with enough room, you may have to use two pans. These cookies spread slightly while baking, so plan accordingly. For me, I can fit about six portions in one standard baking sheet.
- Now comes the hard part. You gotta chill the dough in the fridge overnight! I know, it's torture to have to wait for it, but it's worth it! If you really can't wait that long, at least chill the cookie dough for 3 hours. But, I really recommend the overnight chilling.
- Once your cookie dough has sufficiently chilled, bake them in the oven at 350 degrees for 18-21 minutes. Edges should be slightly golden brown.
- When you take them out, they'll be a bit fragile, so wait for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Enjoy!
// ON THE SCENE
- Back backdrop: Replica Surfaces — Concrete
- Bottom backdrop: Replica Surfaces — Cement
- Props: cooling rack, linen towel