Brown Butter Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Cookies
A wonderful, thin and crispy chocolate chunk cookie with chewy middles and the loveliest subtle pumpkin spice flavor. Like a chocolate chip cookie, all dressed up for sweater weather. The pan-banging method for flattening out the cookies comes from the wonderful Sarah Kieffer. NOTE: You’ll want to make the brown butter a little in advance here, so it has the chance to re-solidify in the fridge. Once that’s happened, the cookies come together quickly.Â
- Yield: about 15 cookies 1x
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon (or pumpkin pie spice)
- 1.5 cups granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup pumpkin pie filling (or just canned pumpkin)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon water
- 8 ounces chopped bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate (use what you like here)
- Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Begin by putting the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Allow it to melt and then continue simmering it until it turns golden and smells nutty; about 2 to 3 minutes of simmering after it has fully melted. Once it’s brown, quiet and nutty-smelling, immediately pour the butter into a bowl and allow it to cool down to almost room temp before putting it in the fridge to re-solidify.
- Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Adjust a rack to the middle position. Line two or three baking sheets with parchment paper.Â
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a mixing bowl until well blended.Â
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the (now solid) brown butter until whipped, light, and fluffy – about 2 minutes. Add the sugars and whip for an additional 2 minutes. Add the pumpkin, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon of water, and whip until combined; about 2 minutes
- Add the flour mixture and mix just until well-combined – as little mixing as possible. Add the chopped chocolate and mix just until combined.
- Allowing ¼ cup per cookie, scoop the dough onto the baking sheets, ensuring there is at least 2 inches of space in between each cookie ( I do 5 cookies per pan). Press them flat just a little bit with your palm.
- Bake for 7 minutes and then open the oven door and lift a corner of the pan about a foot in the air and then drop it so the cookies re-flatten. Do this every minute now, until the cookies have baked for about 12 minutes total, or are nice and golden brown, flat and have visibly crisped edges. Sprinkle with a little sea salt and then allow them to cool significantly before trying to move them from their pan.