Chewier! Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies. [2 Ways]

October 13, 2011 · 237 comments

I’m totally cool with never eating another pumpkin cookie in my life… ever.

This is like one sixteenth of the mess I’ve had multiple days in the last two weeks.

And you all know how much I love to clean…

Ugh. The bad news is that my total count of pumpkin cookie batches totaled 14, and I am so disgustingly pumpkin-ed out that I could cry.

 

The good news is that I got a pretty good recipe and an even better GREAT recipe. I’m giving you both because not everyone has access to pumpkin butter… though friends? You should. You really, really should. It’s like eating everything loveable off of a spoon… like puppies and babies and cuddly blankets. Except you don’t eat that stuff because then you would be a freak.

Good thing I like freaks!

 

When I mentioned I was working on these chewy cookies, some of you suggested cooking down the pumpkin puree. So I did that for about an hour, stirring until my wrist fell off. Three times. And then I got these. Every single time.

#fail

Cakiest (?) cookies ever. I have a feeling that cooking the pumpkin down may work in some instances, but I don’t find it to be a guarantee. I need a guarantee. Every time. I’m impatient, immature and whiny.

Run away. Save yourselves!

This pumpkin batter is super delicious, though the thought of it right now makes me want to hurl. It was like quick sand… I nearly sank down in there and drowned.

But!

Eventually I came out with a cookie like this.

Thank you baby Jesus.

 

The next three pictures are three different batches of the same recipe. This cookie is made with just a bit of pumpkin puree, lots of pumpkin pie spice, brown sugar and a bit of cornstarch. Judging from the first two pictures you can see I was a little underzealous with my baking time and left these soft and gooey. If you are ill or with child or just wiser than me in general (which would probably include, uh… all of you), bake them a little longer.

Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies made with Pumpkin Puree

[adapted from the giant rainbow cookies]

makes about 24 cookies

1 stick (1/2 cup) of butter, melted and cooled

1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup pumpkin puree

1 large egg + 1 egg yolk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 2/3 cups of all-purpose flour

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1 cup chocolate chunks + 3/4 cup chocolate chips + 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Mix the flour, salt, cornstarch, pumpkin pie spice and baking soda in a bowl and set aside. In another bowl, mix the melted butter and sugars until they are combined. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and stir until mixed. Stir in pumpkin puree until smooth. Gradually add flour mixture and mix until a dough forms – it will look crumbly at first, but it will come together. I even used my hands to help at one point. Fold chocolate chips and chunks.

Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes, then roll into golfball-sized balls. Bake for 8-11 minutes, then let cool completely. If you keep these in the fridge for even longer, you may get a more cakier cookie.

You’re still going to get a teeeeeny tiny bit of cakiness, but it is barely detectable. Is that even a word? Is it now.

I also used three different kinds of chocolate (chips, chunks and mini chips) here which basically made my life.

Now these… these cookies below are the ones I want to sleep with at night.

They are thin, crisp, chewy and even a little crunchy on the ends. They are a result of using pumpkin butter (I love both Trader Joe’s and American Spoon) and for those of you who suggested trying pumpkin butter? Marry me. Now.

I know many of you may not find the pumpkin butter cookie to be ideal for the simple fact that not only can it be difficult to find, but it can also be fairly expensive. However… totally worth it! You could also make your own pumpkin butter but really!? I wasn’t even going to attempt that. I’d rather make six consecutive dishes full of broccoli than make one more thing containing pumpkin.

Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies made with Pumpkin Butter

[adapted from the giant rainbow cookies]

makes about 24-30 cookies

1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg + 1 egg yolk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup pumpkin butter

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

1 1/4 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Mix the flour, salt, cornstarch, pumpkin pie spice and baking soda in a bowl and set aside. In another bowl, mix the melted butter and sugars until they are combined. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and stir until mixed. Stir in pumpkin butter until smooth. Gradually add flour mixture and mix until a dough forms – it will look crumbly at first, but it will come together. I even used my hands to help at one point. Fold chocolate chips and chunks.

Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes, then roll into golfball-sized balls. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until cookies are crisp and slightly golden on the edges, then let cool completely.

But now that I’m staring at this picture… I sort of want to eat that cookie up there. Crud.

{ 208 comments… read them below or add one }

Kelli November 12, 2011 at 12:53 pm

I made these last night for some friends that came over. I was actually embarrassed to serve them. I followed the recipe exactly, but they turned out pretty bad. Really disappointed in this recipe. I think I will stick with allrecipes.com from now on.

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Lanette November 16, 2011 at 5:08 pm

I just made the 2nd recipe and they turned out AMAZING! Followed the recipe exactly (using TJ’s pumpkin butter), except my husband didn’t like the sound of chocolate chips with pumpkin, so we omitted the chips and they are exactly what he was hoping I’d find a recipe for. They are just a little crisp around the edges and nice and chewy in the middle. Thank you so much for your hard work on this!

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Lanette November 16, 2011 at 5:15 pm

Oh, and I thought I should mention that I baked them on parchment paper lined baking sheets, which I know can sometimes make a big difference.

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Michele November 20, 2011 at 1:30 pm

made these for the second time yesterday. the first time i halved everything except the eggs and they turned out.. weird.. and.. fluffy? and hard. bleh.

but this time they turned out reeeeeaaallly nicely ^_^ they didn’t look like yours, but i mean, not everyone can be a cookie goddess like you.
sniffle.
but yeah. i had them for breakfast today. three of ‘em. muahhh.

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Justeen @ Blissful Baking November 22, 2011 at 5:45 pm

I made the pumpkin butter recipe, and it turned out perfectly!! I never thought it would be possible to have a thin, chewy, crisp-around-the-edges pumpkin cookie. You are a genius!!

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Jeff Boyce November 23, 2011 at 12:15 am

I’ve made these 3 times now, they come out awesome! They end up looking like the puffy peanuts butter chocolate chip cookies, which I love. I think its because they are rolled into golf balls. I can’t get them to lay flat like in the photo. They are coming to the thanksgiving dinner party and will show up all other desserts! Love the recipe!

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Polly O November 28, 2011 at 2:26 pm

I made these for the holiday and they were a hit. I made the second recipe and used William-Sonoma’s Pecan Pumpkin butter (that I am obsessed with) and they were awesome. Thanks and Happy Holiday season! Can’t wait to see what else you come up with!

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TeddiJ November 30, 2011 at 10:03 pm

These are quite possibly the most perfect cookie! WOW! I made my own pumpkin butter because I had left over pumpkin puree I needed to use up. http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/pumpkin-butter/detail.aspx
I also left out the corn starch because I didn’t have any. The consistency was perfect. THANK YOU!!! I will keep this forever.

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Dena December 2, 2011 at 10:51 pm

I used the second recipe, and the texture was amazing!!!!! Didn’t seem to have as much of a pumpkin flavor as I would have liked. I’m wondering if you have any ideas on how to increase/enhance the pumpkin flavor.

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Sam December 10, 2011 at 11:08 pm

Ugh, tried a different brand of pumpkin butter today and the cookies still were puffy. Delicious, but still not chewy. I guess I’ll have to find some trader joe’s pumpkin butter.

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JoyChaos December 12, 2011 at 6:55 pm

hi. love the cookies. pure greatness but when i make them they always turn out like a loose batter and not like a doh…..am i doing something wrong somehow?

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Bridget January 1, 2012 at 11:19 pm

Shoot, looks like I’m with the batch of readers whose cookies didn’t turn out. :( Mine were still cakey. Maybe I should just keep the pumpkin in pies and bars and let the chocolate and peanut butter have the cookies!

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Emily February 12, 2012 at 8:23 pm

After making these a few times unsuccessfully (for chewy cookies…the “failures” were still very tasty “cakey” cookies), I thought I would share the adjustments I made. I combined this recipe with a brown eyed baker recipe for chocolate chip cookies and a few adjustments of my own — I used softened butter, which I creamed with the sugars, 2 cups + 2 tbl flour, and I omitted the corn starch. I kept everything else the same (I used the williams sonoma pumpkin pecan butter), including the baking temp, and they turned out beautifully! I finally have crisp edges, chewy centers and all-around gooey pumpkin chocolate chip cookies! Thank you so much for the recipe!

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