Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Best ever Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies. Soft and chewy in texture (not cakey), loaded with chocolate chips and packed with cozy spices. A must try this fall!

We’re back for our monthly cookie challenge with a seasonal favorite today: a pumpkin chocolate chip cookie. Prepared with canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling), brown sugar and flavored with cinnamon and pumpkin spice, these cookies are just over the top.

Unlike most pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, they do not have a dry, cakey texture. Instead, expect a wonderful chewy cookie, perfectly soft and moist in the inside, with a slightly crispy top. These cookies are also super easy and quick to prepare, which make them the perfect afternoon snack to enjoy with a glass of milk.

A perfect pumpkin cookie dough

It took me a few tries before I found the perfect pumpkin cookie dough that yields some perfect chewy cookies, with a slightly crispy outside. On my first experiments, the pumpkin cookies tasted fine but had this soft, cakey texture that I’m not particularly found of when it comes to cookies. To me, cookies have to be chewy.

The reason why pumpkin chocolate chip cookies tend to be cakey is due to the high amount of humidity in the dough. Pumpkin filling contains indeed a high amount of humidity, which, with the contact of baking soda, makes the cookies moist and cookies, where I’d like them to be chewy and slightly crispy.

My first experiments to the recipe all turned out cakey and did not entirely satisfied me. So I kept working on the recipe, making a few adjustments to get the texture I was looking for. This is what I found along the way:

• Melted butter: the use of melted butter helps cookies to spread out a little while baking, avoiding this cakey texture.
• Ratio brown sugar/white sugar: if you are looking for a chewy texture, make sure you use more of brown sugar (light or dark) and less of white sugar. In the recipe I use double the quantity of brown sugar in comparison to white sugar.
• Egg yolk: some recipes would tell you that pumpkin filling can replace the eggs. It actually does, but I found out that using a yolk in the recipe will help the cookies to have a chewy texture.
• Not too many chocolate chips: this sounds like a detail but it isn’t. When using too many chocolate chips, the cookies are less likely to spread out.

An easy pumpkin spice mix

These cookies are prepared in a minimalist version, featuring cinnamon and store-bought pumpkin spice. This simple pumpkin spice mix is subtly flavored and definitely not too strong for delicate palates. That being said, feel free to make your own pumpkin spice mix. For this cookie recipe, you would need:

• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

In case you are looking for a spice-free cookie, I would recommend you use double the quantity of vanilla extract, about two teaspoons.

How to bake pumpkin cookies?

First of all, I found out that the chilling time does not need to be very long for this recipe, as the cookies will not spread out too much while baking. Start with shaping the balls of cookie dough. My little trick that helps to get this perfect texture is to place two cookie balls on top of each other and gently press them together. Then pop them into the fridge for 10-15 minutes only.

After this short chilling time, place the balls of cookie dough onto a baking sheet, flattening them a little more with the hand. Bake for 8-9 minutes, and remove from the oven. The cookies will look slightly under-baked but will continue to bake onto the warm baking sheet. After a couple of minutes, transfer to a wire cooling rack and let cool completely before serving. If you really cannot wait however, it’s ok to enjoy them while till lukewarm.

More cookie recipes to try this fall:

• Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Vegan Banana Oatmeal Cookies
• Brown Butter Coffee Tahini Cookies
• Hazelnut Chocolate Chunk Cookies
• Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies
• Skinny Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
• White Chocolate Chai Snickerdoodle Cookies

If you like pumpkin baked-goods:

• The Best Pumpkin Bread
• Spiced Pumpkin Butter
• Classic American Pumpkin Pie
• Pumpkin Spice Madeleines
• Vegan Pumpkin Spice Donuts

Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

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• Author: Delphine Fortin
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 8 mins
• Total Time: 28 minutes
• Yield: 18-24 cookies 1x
• Category: Cookies and bars
• Cuisine: American

Best ever Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies. Soft and chewy in texture (not cakey), loaded with chocolate chips and packed with cozy spices. A must try this fall!

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Ingredients

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• 1/2 cup (120g) unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup (90g) light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1/4 cup (50g) white sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup (75g) canned pumpkin puree
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin spice
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 cups (180g) all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup (115g) chocolate chips

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Instructions

1. Place melted butter with both sugars in a medium size bowl and whisk until combined. Add in the egg yolk and whisk in immediately to prevent the egg from cooking. Add in the vanilla and the canned pumpkin puree. Whisk until well combined.
2. In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients and spices (the mixture should slightly pull away from the sides). Stir in the chocolate chips.
3. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180° C). Roll two small balls of dough and press one ball on top of the other and mesh together into one piece, flattening just a little. This is how the cookies have that crisp exterior and a chewy inside. Repeat for all the remaining dough, and chill in the fridge for about 10-15 minutes.
4. Place 6 to 8 cookie balls onto a baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes or until very lightly browned at the bottom. They will look slightly under-baked but this is fine, this is how they will keep soft and chewy in the inside.
5. Remove from the oven and let sit for a couple of minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely, Enjoy!

Back-To-School, Chocolate Desserts, Christmas, Cookies, Fall, Fruit Desserts, Pumpkins (Winter Squash), Snacks, Thanksgiving, Winter

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