Four Giant Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

When fall is on the horizon and the pumpkin craving hits, suddenly chocolate chip cookies take a backseat to pumpkin cookies. For some, they want a mix: pumpkin and chocolate chip cookies. There are reasonable ways to satisfy this craving, and then… Well, then there’s these cookies: four absolutely massive pumpkin chocolate chip cookies that are sure to fill you up on all the pumpkin and chocolatey goodness you could ever want. 

Recipe origins 

If you’ve been around these baking woods before, these cookies may look a bit familiar. Remember this recipe for four thick & chunky chocolate chip cookies? Essentially I, err, pumpkinized them! I added some pumpkin butter (as I do in my chewy pumpkin cookie recipe) and because of that I took out the egg white and browned the butter. Other than that, the recipe is quite similar but, this one tastes of pumpkin and pumpkin spice =) 

Recipe Ingredients 

Butter: unsalted butter, cold is fine (we’re browning it!)

Pumpkin spice: or a mix of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger (roughly 1 tsp each). Some also like to have allspice or cloves, I wouldn’t do more than a quarter of a teaspoon of those as they are quite strong. 

Vanilla & salt: pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste and fine sea salt. If using table salt, use half the amount of salt listed. 

Brown sugar: light or dark is fine. It should be soft (not hard, not clumped). 

Sugar: fine granulated sugar. 

Egg yolk: one yolk from a large egg. Reserve the egg white for another use. 

Pumpkin butter: this can be store bought (trader joes and walmart sell it) or homemade though I haven’t yet tested it with homemade and will update when I do. 

Leavening: both baking soda and baking powder. 

Flour: all purpose flour of a high protein content. If using a lower protein (around 10%) add 2 more tablespoons of it or the cookies will spread flat. 

Chocolate chips: semi-sweet, dark, or milk chocolate chips – whatever you like. 

How to make four giant pumpkin chocolate chip cookies 

Brown the butter

Bloom the spices by whisking them into the hot butter

Add the flavorings & sugar, then whisk: 

Add the egg yolk and pumpkin butter and whisk: 

Stir in the flour and leavening.

Fold in the chocolate chips. 

Prep a baking sheet (just one) by greasing it and laying a sheet of parchment on top 

Divide the dough into 4 sections and shape each one into a ball

If you’d like lots of chocolate chips on top, add more by pressing them into the top of the cookie dough 

Let sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes, until firm. This gives the flour time to hydrate.

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Bake the cookies for 5 minutes then lower the temperature to 350 F and bake for another 12(ish) minutes; look for browning on the edges. 

As they cool they will ‘fall’ and spread a bit more. The texture will be slightly crispy on the edges and soft in the center. 

Once completely cool, if stored in an airtight container overnight, they will turn chewy! 

Browning butter tips 

• Use a light colored pan: this way you can see the exact color the milk solids are taking after they separate and start to brown. You’re looking for a medium brown color; not amber and not black (black means they’re burnt). 
• Watch that all the bits turn a toasty brown color: often the bits where the heat is highest (usually in the center of the pan) will brown first. Keep stirring the butter and ensure all the bits turn color. 
• As soon as the bits are a warm brown, remove the butter from the pan: if the butter stays in the pan, it will continue to cook and the bits will burn. 

Make Ahead and Freezing Tips 

If you’d like to make this dough to bake later, once you have shaped the cookies and given them a rest at room temperature, flash freeze them, uncovered on a plate or tray. Once they are firm (about 20 minutes), you can transfer them to a ziplock bag for longer storage. 

Important: let the dough come to room temperature before baking. 

Four Giant Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

Four Giant Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Giant, thick pumpkin chocolate chip cookies made with pumpkin butter, brown butter and heaps of chocolate chips.

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 15 minutes mins

Yields: 4 huge cookies

5 from 3 votes

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Ingredients

• 113g or ½ cup butter to be browned
• 1-2 teaspoons pumpkin spice, optional (there is some spice in the pumpkin butter but if you want more add it here)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ½ tsp fine sea salt
• 50g or ¼ cup brown sugar
• 50g or ¼ cup fine granulated sugar
• 1 egg yolk from one large egg
• 75g or about a quarter of a cup pumpkin butter store-bought (I haven't yet tested this with homemade, will update when I do!)
• 190g or 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 1 cup chocolate chips, semi-sweet, dark or milk depending on taste plus more for topping

Method

• Brown the butter: place the butter in a light colored small saucepan set over medium heat. Cook, as it melts, then begins to sputter and spit. You’ll see tiny panko like bits at the bottom of the pan. Keep stirring and cooking, the bits will turn an amber brown then a toasty medium brown. Once they are all brown, immediately transfer to a medium sized bowl.
• Add the pumpkin spice (if using) to the butter and stir. Let the butter cool for about 5 minutes.
• Add the salt and vanilla and whisk in the sugars. The mix won’t change much, yet.
• Whisk in the yolk and pumpkin butter, keep whisking until the mixture is shiny and cohesive.
• Stir in the baking powder, soda and flour until half of the flour is mixed in. Then add the chocolate chips and stir until no flour bits are visible.
• Line a greased cookie sheet with parchment paper. Divide the dough into four equal pieces and shape each piece into a giant ball. If you like, add more chocolate chips all over the dough (except the bottom). The balls will feel greasy at this point and the dough will be soft.
• Let the cookie dough rest uncovered on the pan until firm, for about 15-20 minutes. They won't feel soft or greasy anymore.
• Preheat the oven to 375 F. Bake the cookies for five minutes, then lower the temperature to 350 F and bake until golden on the edges, about 12 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the pan (they will be very soft at first). Once they are firm they can be lifted off the pan to serve.

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