Spiced Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Cookies

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This one’s gonna be a quickie. This pumpkin chocolate chunk cookie is the result of too much time on Pinterest. It happens to the best of us. The entire landscape over there is all apples and pears and toffee and caramel and pumpkin in more forms than you can possible imagine. Pumpkin fritters, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin pancakes, donuts, waffles…you name it, we’re shoving pumpkin in it. Never mind the fact that it’s still warm out and I’ve yet to see a single brown leaf blowing down the street.

As I sat in my tank top and bare feet, the curtains billowing in a warm breeze, I scrolled through pumpkin in it’s many forms and I realized I could sit there no longer and do nothing. It just felt wrong. Much like those girls in the 60s that couldn’t dance at the Beatles concerts. I wanted to dance. I wanted to tango with brown butter and bread flour, brown sugar and spices. I couldn’t even wait to write the recipe up in a proper Word doc as I’m known to do. I knew I needed my aforementioned partners brown butter and brown sugar…and I also needed other members on my dance card such as cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. I knew that my one true love, dark chocolate, had to be in chards. Like Edward Scissorhands I was manically cutting and chopping piles of chocolate bars. More than seemed right, but not quite seeming enough. This cookie, she was ready quick. Within the blink of an eye. With my hair disheveled and flour on my cheeks, I shoved one in Stella’s mouth and she said, ‘it tastes like fall!’ Each satisfied face and furiously eaten cookie only fueled me to make more. Piles were forming on cooling racks, some getting zipped in little baggies for school lunches, sheets were going in the oven and some were getting shoved on the top shelf behind the Mason jars only for me. Yep, I was getting greedy. I couldn’t be stopped.

This is not a crispy cookie…nary a crispy area to be found. It’s soft, chewy, toasty, warm and 25 shades of fall. Come and get us cashmere sweaters. We’re calling you. Put the chardonnay and rosè and sauvignon blanc to the back of the fridge. Dust off the pinot and the syrah. That’s right, pour me a double. Let’s talk about carving pumpkins and corn mazes. Kids in costume and trick or treaters running down the street on a chilly night. We’re ready fall. Bring it.

Let’s bake betches.

***This post was done in conjunction with this week’s Weekly Meal Planning | week two post. Go check it out!

Spiced Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Cookies | recipe via DisplacedHousewife | Soft + chewy with lots of warm and fuzzy spices. And brown butter...always. xo

Spiced Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Cookies | recipe via DisplacedHousewife | Soft + chewy with lots of warm and fuzzy spices. And brown butter...always. xo

Spiced Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Cookies | recipe via DisplacedHousewife | Soft + chewy with lots of warm and fuzzy spices. And brown butter...always. xo

Spiced Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Cookies | recipe via DisplacedHousewife | Soft + chewy with lots of warm and fuzzy spices. And brown butter...always. xo

Spiced Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Cookies

3 Dozen-Ish Cookies, depending on your cookie size

INGREDIENTS

  • 8 tablespoons (113 g or 4 oz) unsalted butter
  • 3/4 cup (165 g) brown sugar, packed
  • 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup (67 g) olive oil or sunflower seed oil
  • 1/3 cup (81 g)  pure pumpkin puree (don’t get pumpkin pie filling)
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon (13 g) real vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups (203 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups (203 g) bread flour*
  • 2 teaspoons (10 g) baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons (4 g) cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon (5 g) baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon (6 g) sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon (1 g) nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon (.5 g) cloves
  • 1 1/2 cups (255 g) dark chocolate, coarsely chopped or chips
  • Sea salt flakes (don’t use regular salt) to sprinkle on the tops (optional)

*You can use 3 cups of all-purpose flour and omit the bread flour completely. Your cookie will lose some height, but that’s fine. It will still be delicious.

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Make sure you have a rack in the top third of the oven. Cover a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper.
  2. Put 4 ounces/1 stick of butter in a small sauce pan and melt over medium heat. Once melted, crank up the heat to medium high. Stand by, stirring and watching. This isn’t the time to go and put your dry ingredients together. Watch yer butter. Small golden bits will start to settle on the bottom of the pan. Once this happens, take it off the heat and pour into a medium, heat-safe bowl to cool a bit.
  3. Add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, sunflower seed oil, pumpkin puree, eggs and vanilla to the browned butter once it has slightly cooled. Whisk together until thoroughly blended.
  4. In another medium bowl, whisk together the bread flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, sea salt, cloves and nutmeg.
  5. Add the flour mixture to the brown butter mixture and mix until barely combined. Add in the chocolate chunks and continue to blend until just combined. Smell. It’s divine. Why isn’t this a fragrance?
  6. Use roughly two tablespoons of dough and gently futz into a ball. Don’t overwork your dough.**
  7. Bake for 11 minutes. They will appear slightly undone, that’s perfect. They will appear puffed and then they will collapse on themselves. Yes, all the hallmarks of a Displacedhousewife cookie. This is what gives them their character wrinkles. Love that.
  8. Let the pumpkin chocolate chunk cookies cool for about five minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer to the cooling rack. Sprinkle with sea salt flakes if you’re feeling it. Now eat one. They’re amazing, right? I’m in love.

**Normally, at this point in the instructions, I would have you put the dough in the fridge for a spell. Likewise there is zero freezer time for the dough balls prior to baking. This dough doesn’t need either of those steps to maintain its gorgeous shape. Yay…quicker cookies! 

On My Mind

ProcSpiced Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Cookies | recipe via DisplacedHousewife | Soft + chewy with lots of warm and fuzzy spices. And brown butter...always. xoessed with VSCO with c1 preset

–Rebecca xoxo

 

Comments

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26 Comments

  • Cherlene April 22, 2019 at 5:49 AM

    Hi Rebecca, I bought The Cookie Book Decadent Bites yesterday, I realize you always mix butter with natural oil, is there any particular reason on doing that. I would think Butter will have most balanced flavor? And natural oil will make the cookies a bit oily?

    Reply
    • Rebecca Firth April 30, 2019 at 11:00 PM

      Hey Cherlene!
      I apologize for the delay in getting back to you! Thank you so much for buying the book — I hope you are enjoying it!!! I love to mix my fats — butter gives lots of flavor and oil gives a soft texture. Your cookies shouldn’t be oily. Make sure you really mix the fats/wet ingredients together and you should be all good! Let me know how it goes!!
      R xoxo

      Reply
  • Erika Lee September 19, 2017 at 2:40 AM

    Hi
    Do you mean the small Trader Joe’s chocolate bars or the 1 pound bars?

    Reply
    • Rebecca Firth September 23, 2017 at 3:55 AM

      Hi Erika! I’m so sorry it took me a bit to get back to you!! So I’m referencing the bars that are towards the exit of TJs and they’re about 2.5/3 ounces each? I don’t have them in front of me…but they definitely aren’t the 1 pound ones…they’re the smaller candy bar-size ones. I hope this helps. Have fun baking!! xoxo

      Reply
  • Rebeccah @ Of Hops and Honey October 31, 2016 at 10:56 PM

    Made these for a Halloween party at work to RAVE reviews. Perfect soft and fluffy texture!

    Reply
    • DisplacedHousewife October 31, 2016 at 11:01 PM

      Rebeccah — Yes!! That’s what I like to hear!! I’m so glad that you loved them!! xoxo

      Reply
    • Rick September 13, 2019 at 8:04 PM

      Would these be good to ship?

      Reply
      • Rebecca Firth September 19, 2019 at 9:23 PM

        Hi Rick — Yes, I think these would ship great!!
        R xo

        Reply
  • Lauren October 14, 2016 at 5:55 PM

    Made a batch of these last night and they were incredible!! Quick to whip up, perfectly soft and spiced and yeah, that smell is kind of intoxicating. Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
    • DisplacedHousewife October 14, 2016 at 8:32 PM

      Lauren — This is so good to hear! I’m so glad you liked them…I was just thinking about making a batch myself!! xoxo

      Reply
  • Addie W September 18, 2016 at 10:25 PM

    Hey girl! These were so much easier to make than I thought. My only question/concern – my dough is definitely less like cookie dough and not as able to run into balls – it’s definitely a little more soupy. I cut the recipe in half, does that matter?

    Reply
    • DisplacedHousewife September 18, 2016 at 10:34 PM

      Hey Addie! Hmm…soupy doesn’t sound quite right. The only way that cutting it in half would affect the outcome would be if the measurements weren’t exact. You could try putting the dough in the fridge (wrapped in plastic wrap) for 30+ minutes. That could help firm up the dough. Since the dough is soft, you might also want to put the dough balls in the freezer for a stint prior to baking, to help keep spread to a minimum. Please let me know how they turned out!! My guess on the soupiness is that there was too much butter or oil OR not enough flour in there when you halved it? But I’m just guessing!!! Good luck!

      Reply
  • DisplacedHousewife September 15, 2016 at 8:15 PM

    Why thanks Kate — that’s so sweet of you to say!!! I was so happy/surprised when that happen. Her photo was AMAZING!!! I oved it. I’m so glad it brought you here!! I’m going to check out your site now!! Lots of love.
    Rebecca
    xoxo

    Reply
  • kate September 15, 2016 at 6:56 PM

    i’ll leave the comment here, since this was my entry into your site (thanks food52 and instagram!) but, really, it applies everywhere: you are hilarious. i have thoroughly enjoyed the past (mumblemumble) minutes (hours?) i have spent clicking around on your site, reading stories and delicious sounding recipes. you are awesome. the end.

    Reply
  • Laura | Tutti Dolci September 6, 2016 at 10:36 PM

    Don’t tell anyone but… I’m so ready for anything pumpkin spice! ;) These cookies are everything!

    Reply
    • DisplacedHousewife September 7, 2016 at 12:45 AM

      Hey Laura!! I was ready for fall too…until it got really cold this morning and then I was like…hmmm…maybe a couple more weeks of summer wouldn’t be too bad!! xoxo

      Reply
  • Dawn @ Girl Heart Food September 6, 2016 at 12:37 PM

    YEEEEEES! Love Fall! Love pumpkin! Love cookies! Could eat these year ’round no problem. Pinned!

    Wishing I had a huge stack of these right now with my coffee….now, that’s what I call a good start to the week ;)

    Have a good one!

    Reply
    • DisplacedHousewife September 6, 2016 at 5:01 PM

      Hey Dawn! I wish I could share!! Thanks so much for pinning and have a great week!! xoxo

      Reply
  • Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen September 5, 2016 at 1:53 PM

    These sound absolutely, fabulously fall Rebecca! I’ve already seen Christmas decorations out in a store or two, so I guess it’s appropriate to hop on the fall bandwagon! (with my shorts and flip flops on of course!) Can’t wait for your upcoming recipes!

    Reply
    • DisplacedHousewife September 5, 2016 at 4:13 PM

      Thank you Mary Ann!! I truly love summer (berries…tomatoes…flip flops…)…but I’m excited for fall and winter too!! Especially fall…I love the pears, apples and, of course, pumpkins!! I hope you’re enjoying this long weekend!! xoxo

      Reply
  • Mary September 4, 2016 at 9:15 PM

    I agree with Stella this cookie tastes like fall and I can’t even taste them. I can’t believe how fast this year flew by but I’m not complaining, this is the time of year where I let up on my strict diet and indulge a little, these cookies fit the bill. I enjoy anything and everything pumpkin, you could say I’m semi-obsessed with it and who doesn’t love chocolate chunk cookies! Beautiful Beautiful Beautiful

    Reply
    • DisplacedHousewife September 4, 2016 at 9:51 PM

      I seriously can’t believe how fast the year has gone by. But, I’m not complaining either…it’s been a good one. This is a great cookie to splurge on…I’m totally biased…but I promise!! xoxo

      Reply
  • Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary September 4, 2016 at 6:20 PM

    Holy cookie heaven up in here!! These look beyond fabulous! Even my clinging-to-all-things-summer self is swooning hard core over these pumpkin spiced and chocolate studded beauties! These look perfectly soft and absolutely delicious… Makes me almost ready to embrace fall, and trust me that is saying A LOT! Pinned!! Cheers, friend!

    Reply
    • DisplacedHousewife September 4, 2016 at 8:40 PM

      Thanks so much Cheyanne!!! I feel the same way…want to hang onto summer. But these spices get me every time!! xoxo

      Reply