Description
These Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies are a perfect blend of fall flavors with a soft, moist texture. Featuring browned butter and carefully blotted pumpkin puree, these cookies deliver rich, nutty undertones and a perfectly chewy bite paired with melty chocolate chips. Ideal for autumn indulgence, they strike a balance between sweet spice and comforting warmth in every delightful bite.
Ingredients
Scale
Butter and Pumpkin
- 1 cup (226 g) cold unsalted butter
- 2/3 cup (160 g) Libby’s Pumpkin Puree, room temperature, blotted dry to 1/3 cup (75 g)
Sugars and Eggs
- 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 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients and Chocolate
- 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
- 1 cup (125 g) finely chopped chocolate bar or chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Pans: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line two baking trays with parchment paper and set aside.
- Brown the Butter: Using a large stainless steel pan, brown the cold unsalted butter over medium heat. Stir occasionally as it foams and crackles until the butter solids turn golden brown and it smells nutty. Remove from heat when just under 1 cup (184 g) of browned butter remains. Transfer to a glass measuring bowl and cool in the refrigerator for 50-60 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes until the temperature reaches 75°F and the butter is cool but still liquid.
- Prepare the Pumpkin Puree: Spread the Libby’s pumpkin puree on a plate and blot repeatedly with paper towels to absorb excess moisture until it feels like soft playdough and measures about 1/3 cup (75 g). This step ensures chewy cookies instead of cakey ones.
- Mix Sugars with Butter: Whisk the cooled browned butter with the granulated sugar and brown sugar for exactly 1 minute until the mixture looks pale and has a wet sand texture.
- Add Egg Yolks, Vanilla, and Pumpkin: Whisk in the egg yolks, vanilla extract, and dried pumpkin puree until fully combined.
- Incorporate Dry Ingredients and Chocolate: Gently fold in the all-purpose flour, pumpkin spice, baking soda, fine sea salt, and chopped chocolate chips until just combined, taking care not to overmix.
- Scoop and Shape Cookies: Using a 3 tablespoon cookie scoop, portion the dough, then roll between palms to create balls. Place them 2-3 inches apart on prepared baking trays. For pools of melted chocolate, press a few larger chocolate pieces on top before baking. You should get roughly 15 cookies.
- Bake: Bake one tray at a time for 9-13 minutes or until edges are golden brown but centers remain slightly underbaked. Immediately after removing from oven, use a large round cookie cutter to gently push the edges inward to form perfectly round, thicker cookies.
- Cool and Store: Allow cookies to cool completely on the baking sheet placed on a wire rack before removing. Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. Cookie dough balls can be refrigerated (bring to room temp for 1 hour before baking) or frozen (allow 2 hours to thaw before baking).
Notes
- Measure your flour properly using the spoon-level method or a kitchen scale to avoid too much flour, which affects texture.
- Blot the pumpkin puree thoroughly to remove excess moisture for chewy cookies instead of cakey.
- For extra melty chocolate pools, use larger chopped chocolate pieces pressed on top before baking.
- Cookies turn puffy and cakey if pumpkin is not blotted properly or too much flour is used.
- Cookies can turn flat if oven temperature is too low, flour is under-measured, or butter is not cooled properly to 75°F.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 180 kcal
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 115 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 40 mg
