Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter1 cup (220 g) packed dark brown sugar1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar2/3 cup (160 g) pumpkin puree, blotted dry1 large egg yolk, at room temperature2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract2 1/4 cups (280 g) all purpose flour, spooned and leveled1 teaspoon baking soda1 teaspoon ground cinnamon1/2 teaspoon ground ginger1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg1/4 teaspoon ground cloves1 teaspoon fine sea salt1 1/2 cups (255 g) semisweet chocolate chips, plus extra for pressing on topFlaky sea salt, for finishing (optional but recommended)
Instructions
- Brown the butter. Place the butter in a light colored skillet or saucepan over medium heat. It will melt, foam and then the milk solids will turn golden brown and smell nutty, about 6 minutes. Watch closely so it does not burn. Immediately pour into a large mixing bowl, scraping in the browned bits.Blot the pumpkin. Spread the pumpkin puree over a double layer of paper towels and press gently with more towels until no more moisture transfers. Measure again if needed to ensure you have 2/3 cup of thick, blotted puree.Whisk in the sugars. Add the dark brown sugar and granulated sugar to the warm brown butter and whisk for a full minute until glossy and slightly cooled.Add the wet ingredients. Whisk in the blotted pumpkin puree, egg yolk and vanilla extract until completely smooth. The batter will look thick and caramel colored.Combine the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and fine sea salt.Make the dough. Pour the dry mixture into the wet mixture and fold gently with a spatula just until no flour streaks remain. Do not overmix.Fold in the chocolate. Add the chocolate chips and fold until evenly distributed. For bakery style tops, reserve a small handful to press on later.Chill the dough. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 24 hours. Chilled dough spreads less and bakes thicker.Heat the oven and portion. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop 2 tablespoon balls of chilled dough and space them 2 inches apart.Bake until just set. Bake for 11 to 13 minutes, until the edges are set and golden but the centers still look slightly soft and underdone.Finish with flair. Immediately press a few reserved chocolate chips into the tops of the warm cookies and sprinkle lightly with flaky sea salt if using.Cool and serve. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 10 minutes to firm up, then transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Blotting the pumpkin is the key to chewy (not cakey) cookies. Do not overbake; centers should look slightly underdone when trays come out. Freeze baked cookies up to 3 months, or freeze portioned dough balls and bake from frozen (+ 2 minutes). Use pure pumpkin puree, never pumpkin pie filling.
- Prep Time: 20
- Chilling: 30
- Cook Time: 12
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American