September is halfway over which means it’s fall and pumpkin season is upon us! At the risk of sounding like a broken record it’s still ridiculously hot here in Phoenix so I’m just enjoying all of the yummy fall flavors in-between pools breaks while hiding in the shade.
This pumpkin chocolate chip cookie recipe is actually my mother-in-laws. They are Jordan’s favorite cookies so I had to learn how to make them for him. Honestly, I think these cookies might have been one of the first things I ever baked. I did not grow up cooking or baking and was pretty much a disaster in the kitchen until I was in my twenties. Pretty sure every time I make these Jord still complains and says they aren’t quite like the one’s his mum makes… even though it’s HER recipe!!! I’m pretty sure she uses regular unbleached white flour though and I always use whole wheat pastry flour, so I guess I can’t blame him.
I promise you that these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies will be a crowd favorite no matter who they’re made for. They make an appearance at every Thanksgiving and Christmas because everyone in the family is obsessed with them. Our friends also are always asking for them because they’re that good. They’re really fluffy and almost cake-like, the perfect fall treat.
Funny story, a few years ago I made these to bring camping with friends. My friend Bianca is obsessed with these and she had one the first night and kept talking about how much she loved them. Pretty sure she was planning on eating about ten more the following day but we all got a little tipsy that night and didn’t put the food away good enough. Jordan woke up in the middle of the night to raccoons ransacking our campsite! The next morning the cookies were all gone, the tupperware with the chili was open and little chili footprints (paw prints??) were all over the table, and Matix’s dog food was nowhere to be found. Needless to say Bianca didn’t get any more cookies on that trip, and Matix had to eat a cheeseburger for dinner the following night. Pretty sure that was also the trip where we forgot the coffee… talk about rookies.
Let me know what you think.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
My go-to cookie recipe for the fall. The pumpkin chocolate chip cookies will be a hit with your friends and family.
Ingredients
- 3 C whole wheat pastry flour
- 2 C granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1 1/2 tsp ginger
- 3/4 C cold unsalted butter
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 can pumpkin puree
- 2 C semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cover cookie sheets with parchment paper.
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Mix all of the dry ingredients (flour to ginger) in a large mixing bowl.
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Cut the cold butter into centimeter sized cubes and slowly incorporate into the dry ingredients. It's ok if there are small pea-sized pieces of butter in the dry mix, as long as there are no big chunks of butter left.
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Incorporate the eggs, vanilla, and pumpkin puree into the mixture and mix until ingredients are combined.
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Fold in chocolate chips.
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Scoop rounded tablespoons of cookie dough and drop onto cookie sheet, about 1.5 inches apart to leave room for expansion.
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Bake for 14-16 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a cooling rack for ten minutes before enjoying (or you could just be like me and eat them right away... so hot but so worth it).
Recipe Notes
- Using cold butter is important for getting the puffy, cakey texture of the cookies. If your butter is too warm, the cookies will most likely end up flatter and more doughy.
- Bob's Red Mill has a gluten-free baking flour that you can substitute the pastry flour for, if you want the recipe to be gluten free.
- This recipe makes a ton of cookies! You can always make the batter and freeze half to use for next time.
