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Treat yourself to these pumpkin cookies this season! The tastiest cookies you'll ever know! 

They've got pumpkin puree, pumpkin spices and brown butter. Forget all dry and cakey pumpkin cookies because these cookies are soft and chewy on the inside and crispy on the outside. No chilling or rolling required! Just mix, scoop and bake. 🎃

WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE!

• So easy to make and comes together quickly plus you don’t need a mixer.
• These cookies are soft, chewy and not cakey!
• These cookies are packed with the nutty richness of brown butter, real pumpkin puree and all cosy, warm spices.
• No chilling or rolling required! Just mix, scoop and bake.

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INGREDIENTS YOU'LL NEED!

Here are the ingredients required to make this recipe. Scroll down to the recipe card for exact quantities.

• Plain Flour/all-purpose flour: Make sure to measure it correctly. The best way to measure all-purpose flour is by using a digital scale. If you don’t have then spoon the flour into the measuring cup and then scrape a knife across the top of the measuring cup to level the flour.
• Pumpkin puree: The star ingredient! Adds moisture and makes these cookies rich and soft. I used canned 100% pure pumpkin puree, not a pumpkin pie filling. I highly recommend using Libby’s 100% pumpkin puree as it’s not too wet (see FAQ on how to strain water from pumpkin puree). If you don’t have it on hand you can make pumpkin puree at home easily. I have a complete blog post on how to make homemade pumpkin puree here.‍ Whatever the pumpkin puree you’re using, before adding it to cookie dough, you have to remove the moisture that can affect the texture of cookies (it makes them cakey and puffy). I started with 1/2 cup (120 g) of pumpkin puree and strained it to get 1/4 cup (60 g) of puree (see FAQ on how to remove moisture from it).
• Brown sugar & granulated sugar: In this recipe, I used both light brown sugar and granulated sugar. Granulated sugar adds sweetness and gives texture and brown sugar helps to keep cookies soft and chewy. It also gives caramelised flavour. I used here light brown sugar but you can use dark brown sugar instead.‍
• Baking soda: It makes the cookies more chewy and crispy as compared to using baking powder.
• Egg yolk: It helps to bind the ingredients.
• Pumpkin spice mix: I used homemade pumpkin spice mix (see FAQ on how to make the spice mix). You can substitute it with store-bought.
• Unsalted butter: Always use good quality butter. I used browned butter here as brown butter adds a nutty flavour to these cookies. Unsalted butter is better as you can control the amount of salt in the recipe and salt will deposit to the bottom while making brown butter and the taste will be affected.
• Chocolate chips & chunks: I used here a mixture of dark chocolate chips + milk chocolate chips and dark chocolate chunks as chocolate chips don’t melt and chocolate chunks make pockets or pools of chocolate throughout the cookies when they melt. However, you can use any kind of chocolate chips or chunks of your choice like milk, dark or semisweet.

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EQUIPMENT REQUIRED

• Saucepan
• Two baking trays
• Spatula
• Mixing bowls
• Cookie scoop (about 3 tbsp size)

LET’S START BAKING!

• Start by browning the butter. Browning butter involves heating butter on the stovetop until it has browned, the milk solids have separated from the butterfat then toasted into golden brown specks and the water in the butter has evaporated. Cook the butter in a saucepan (stainless steel is the best) over medium heat and let the butter melt. 
• Once it melts, turn the heat to low and let it simmer. You will observe white foam on top and then it starts bubbling (keep stirring frequently). Watch carefully as light brown specks start to form and set at the bottom of the pan (these are the caramelised milk solids). You can smell the nutty aroma. At this point, you need to be extra careful and keep an eye on it because milk solids can burn easily (from brown to black). 
• When these specks change their colour from light brown to deep brown colour, immediately remove it from the heat and transfer to a mixing bowl, scrape down the bottom of the pan to get all the brown bits using a spatula (the whole process will take 6-7 minutes). I started with 141 g (1/2 cup + 2 tbsp) of butter and browned it to get 113 g (1/2 cup) of butter as water in the butter is evaporated. Let it cool to room temperature.
• Take 1/2 cup (120 g) of pumpkin puree, strain it using cheesecloth to get 1/4 cup (60 g) of puree, and set aside.

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• Line your baking sheets with baking paper and preheat the oven to 155°C/320°F (for the Fan oven) and 175°C/347°F for the conventional oven.
• In a medium bowl, sift together plain flour/all-purpose flour, salt, and baking soda. Whisk them to combine and set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, add room temperature brown butter, white and brown sugar, and mix with a whisk until mixture is well combined. Add in the egg yolk, vanilla extract, and whisk them together until well combined. Add in the reduced pumpkin puree (1/4 cup or 60 g), pumpkin spice mix, ground cinnamon and a small drop of orange food gel colour. Mix to combine.
• Fold in the dry ingredients using a spatula until just combined, be careful not to overmix the batter.
• Fold in the 1/4 cup (45 g) of milk chocolate chips, and 1/4 cup (40 g) dark chocolate chunks (roughly chopped). Reserve 2 tbsp of dark chocolate chips and 2 tbsp of dark chocolate chunks to press on the top of the cookies just before baking.
• Scoop out 6 cookies at a time per one baking tray, using a cookie scoop of about 3 tbsp each. Cookies should be a few inches apart from each other. Press each cookie ball slightly down. Press a few more chocolate chips and chunks on top of each cookie ball.
• Bake in a preheated oven for 16-18 minutes or until slightly golden brown and crispy from the edges and the centre is set and puffed up but still soft and gooey. Keep in mind that they will look a bit under-baked in the middle as they will continue to cook once out of the oven. 
• Scoop out more cookies from the remaining dough, press down slightly, press more chocolate chips and chunks, cover the tray and pop in the fridge as we are baking one tray at a time.
• Once baked, let them cool on the baking tray for 10 minutes. After that transfer them to a cooling rack and cool them completely. Enjoy! 

TIPS TO MAKE PERFECT COOKIES

• Measure your flour correctly to get the best results. The best way to measure the flour is by using a digital scale but if you don’t have one, spoon and level your flour carefully. Spoon the flour into the measuring cup and then scrape a knife across the top of the measuring cup to level the flour. Too much flour will lead to dry, dense or crumbly cookies.
• To get soft and chewy cookies, don’t forget to strain the extra water from the puree before adding it to the dough (see FAQ).
• Sift your dry ingredients before adding them to the wet mixture. That helps to combine everything evenly.
• Don’t over-mix the cookie dough.
• Baking time depends on the size of the cookies. You can make the cookies in large or small sizes, but be sure to set the baking time according to the size of the cookies. If cookies are larger in size, increase the baking time by a few minutes. If cookies are smaller in size, reduce the baking time by a few minutes.

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FAQ

How To Make Homemade Pumpkin Spice Mix?

You'll need 4 tbsp ground Cinnamon, 2 tsp ground ginger, 2 tsp ground nutmeg, 1 1/2 tsp ground cardamom, 1 tsp ground cloves, and 1 tsp ground allspice. Whisk together all of the above ingredients in a small bowl until well combined. Store in a small jar or airtight container. It stays fresh for up to a year.

How To Remove The Excess Water From The Pumpkin Puree?

You can remove excess water by either using a cheesecloth. 

• Fold a piece of cheesecloth first then scoop the puree into the cheesecloth, wrap it around the puree and wring out the excess water over the kitchen sink. Now you can add it to cookie dough.

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Or you can blot the puree with a couple of paper towels to remove as much water as you can until you get a thick puree.

• I started with 1/2 cup (120 g) of pumpkin puree and strained it using cheesecloth to get 60 g (1/4 cup) of pumpkin puree.

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How do I store the cookies?

Cookies are best served straight from the oven but you can store any leftover cookies.

Cool them completely then store them in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature, for up to 5-6 days in the fridge or up to 2 months in the freezer. If you want to enjoy fresh & warm cookies every single time, just microwave them for a few seconds.

You will reheat your frozen cookies in the oven for one minute because warm cookies are the best.

Can I store cookie dough for later?

Yes, you can. Cookie dough balls (slightly flattened) can be refrigerated for 2 days or frozen for a month. These cookies can be baked straight from the fridge or freezer. Only add a few extra minutes in baking time.

I hope that you'll try this recipe and you'll love them as much as my family and I do! If you make this recipe then be sure to tag @kaotickrunch on Instagram. We'd love to see your creations!

Happy baking and eating! 😊