Browned Butter Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
These Browned Butter Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies are soft, chewy, and bursting with cozy fall flavors. The nutty richness of browned butter pairs perfectly with pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice, while melty chocolate chunks add indulgence in every bite.
Servings: 12 cookies
Calories: 377kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks / 227 g) unsalted butter
- ⅔ cup pure pumpkin, excess liquid squeezed out* (leaving about ⅓ cup pumpkin), room temperature
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar, packed
- 2 large egg yolks, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ⅔ cups + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt, plus more for sprinkling over warm cookies (optional)
- 1 cup (182 g) semi-sweet chocolate chunks, divided
Instructions
- In a stainless steel skillet (or another light-bottomed pan) over medium-high heat, melt the butter, swirling the pan occasionally. The butter will begin to foam, which signals that the water in the butter is boiling off. (Watch closely at this stage; browned butter and burnt butter are within seconds of each other.) Tiny brown specs of milk solids will begin to appear at the bottom of the pan; constantly stir and scrape these off using a spatula so they don't stick.
- As soon as the butter turns chestnut brown and smells nutty, remove the pan from the heat. Pour the browned butter into a large, heat-safe bowl, making sure to get all the browned bits. Set it aside to cool completely, about 35-40 minutes, or until the butter begins to solidify (but still soft).
- While the browned butter is cooling, remove excess liquid from the pumpkin*. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- When the butter is cool, whisk in the brown sugar and granulated sugar for 1 minute. It will look like pale wet sand.
- Whisk in the egg yolks, vanilla, and pumpkin (drained of excess liquid) until combined.
- Fold in the flour, pumpkin spice, baking soda, salt, and most of the chocolate chunks (reserving ¼ cup for the topping) until just combined.
- Using a 4-tablespoon scoop, shape the dough into 12 large balls, then place on the lined baking sheet, leaving about 3 inches between each cookie. Use your fingers to gently press small indentations around the top of each dough ball. This helps the reserved chocolate chunks stick and creates a textured, bakery-style finish.
- Chop the reserved ¼ cup chocolate chunks and gently press them on top of each dough ball.
- Bake for 9-13 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown but the middle is slightly underbaked.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Notes
*How to Drain Excess Liquid from Pumpkin
- Create 4 layers of cheesecloths. Place them over a bowl.
- Dump the pumpkin puree into the center of the cheesecloth.
- Fold the cloths up and around the puree and gently squeeze to get out as much liquid as you can (into the bowl).
- Discard the excess liquid. You will have about 1/3 of the pumpkin remaining to use in the cookie dough.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 377kcal