Double Chocolate Pumpkin Cookies
The BEST pumpkin cookies I’ve ever made. They’re perfectly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, no cakey cookies here!
I try to keep things light around here, but today we need to talk about something serious.
(You’re looking back up at the title of this post and thinking, “Isn’t this a post about cookies? How heavy can we get in a post about cookies?”).
Every fall, the Internet explodes with all things pumpkin. Pumpkin soup, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin bread, pumpkin cookies.
And I don’t really love the flavor of pumpkin.
I know admitting to not loving pumpkin is probably blog suicide.
Heaven help me if word gets out that I don’t like Nutella (jar of mouth-burning chemicals, thank you) or browned butter (the quickest way to turn a perfect stick of butter into a greasy, texture-ruining ingredient).
Good thing I do embrace all things salted caramel.
But, I’m happy to let people go on their pumpkin eating way.
Except when it comes to cookies. People. Cookies are supposed to be crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside.
They are NOT supposed to be like muffins. They are definitely not supposed to be like cake.
How are you even eating these things?
And worse, they don’t even LOOK pretty. They look like orange lumps. They have zero redeeming qualities. I mean, if a cookie is going to taste bad, it might as well look beautiful. (I told you. Serious talk here on the blog today). I am extremely picky about cookies, and I can’t remember ever eating a pumpkin cookie that made me think, “THIS is a really great cookie.” The most positive thing I’ve ever thought about a pumpkin cookie is, “This isn’t the worst cookie I’ve ever eaten.”
Pumpkin puree is basically thick wet applesauce. Is it even possible to make a decent cookie with such an ingredient?
(Now you’re looking at the title and thinking, “Could any cookie possibly be worth reading through this post?”).
Pumpkin Cookies Recipe
Double Chocolate Pumpkin Cookies
The BEST pumpkin cookies I've ever made. They're perfectly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, no cakey cookies here!
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/16 teaspoon ground cloves
- 4 ounces semisweet chocolate I just used chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup 1 stick butter, cut into large pieces
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
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In a small bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Set aside.
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In a small saucepan (or in a microwavable bowl) over low heat, melt the chocolate and butter together until smooth. Don't let it burn. Set aside to cool for a couple of minutes.
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While the chocolate cools, use the attachment paddle on a stand mixer to beat together the sugar, pumpkin and vanilla. Add the chocolate mixture and mix until combined. Add the dry ingredients and beat until evenly mixed.
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Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone liner (I use this one), and scoop golf ball-sized balls onto the cookie sheet, leaving about 2 inches of space between each one (they spread a lot).
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Bake for 12-14 minutes, until the edges look dry and the tops are cracked. Let cool for 10-15 minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring them to a rack to cool completely.
Recipe Notes
(adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe)
If you like this recipe for pumpkin cookies, you might also like these:
- The BEST pumpkin chocolate chip muffins
- Pumpkin crepes with cheesecake filling (the perfect Halloween breakfast!)
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These look delish! I love pumpkin! Excited to try these. : )
I love/hate you for posting these right now, because I'm in a major baking mood, but I SO do not need to eat these. Ugh. Thank you…and no thank you simultaneously ;).
I love pumpkin, but kind of hate pumpkin pie, and do enjoy fluffy cakey pumpkin cookies, but these DO look good.
Have you ever done any non-butter baking? I love sweets but my daughter is allergic to dairy so I would feel bad if I made any treats that she can't eat. I know I could probably sub margarine, but I don't know if I want to purposefully add that to something we eat. I've tried coconut oil in baking banana bread, but I don't know how it would turn out in cookies.
I've had hit and miss attempts with using coconut oil instead of butter since the consistency and amount of fat isn't the same. I use earth balance when I need to use "butter" it works exactly the same but is dairy free!
I think of you every time I get excited about pumpkin season. I made a batch of pumpkin cookies with cream cheese frosting on Sunday, and Landen and I both put them in our top 3 favorite cookies. And then I thought, "Janssen wouldn't be having as much fun as we are right now." Haha. At least we can agree about hating Nutella!
This made me laugh out loud. You are so entertaining, Janssen! I laugh almost every post. PS: I read every post, but it's usually while feeding the baby, so I can never comment. Keep this all going, I love your writing.
I spotted these on Pinterest and was intrigued. I love pumpkin pie and pumpkin bread, but not those cakey pumpkin cookies! I whipped up a batch of these last night, and although mine came out flatter than yours they were truly delicious. My girlfriend wasn't thrilled with them (she was expecting them to be more pumpkin-y). The pumpkin flavor is definitely subtle but I thought that made them more interesting and complex. More importantly (to me anyway), the chewy texture is perfect. I'll be making them again!
Also– I think these would be great with mashed banana substituted for the pumpkin. Banana cookies are another thing that never turns out right, for similar reasons.
I was looking forward to making these since I read this post…I finally just made them. Oh my! Not only do I love pumpkin, but adding chocolate…wow! These are delicious! I made these gluten free by using an all purpose gluten free flour mix (1:1) and 1 tsp of xantham gum. You'd never know they are gluten free. Crisp on the outside and gooey and moist when you bite into it. Can't wait to make these for company! Thanks for this awesome recipe!
I made these yesterday and they were so good! A keeper for sure. Thanks for posting!
I have been making these nonstop this fall/winter. Thanks so much, love them! 🙂
I’ve made these every fall since discovering your recipe, and every time I pull up this page, I re-read your article just for the satisfaction of knowing I’m not alone in my opinions of what a cookie should be. 😀 Thanks for telling it like it is. 😉
I’m with you on not liking pumpkin. It makes me roll my eyes A LOT in the fall. I mean, I don’t mind looking at them but I will NOT be eating them. But no Nutella??? Your mouth might be broken on that one. =)
Finally! Non-soft pumpkin cookies for a change! I just baked them and they are GOOD! I reduced sugar by 1/4 cup. Still plenty sweet. I pressed the cookies with a fork before they cooled down to make them even thinner and crispier. I like my cookies thin and crispy and this recipe achieved the goal. I will bake more batches for gifts now. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
I made a batch of these cookies today. The hubbie LOVES them. So delicious! Even so, I’m disappointed with the “look” of my cookie vs yours. My cookie is flatter and does not have those beautiful cracks on top. I’m wondering if this is because you may have omitted eggs as an ingredient? Please advise. Love the “look” of your cookie.
The pumpkin takes the place of the egg. You may want to add a little more flour if yours are too flat!