Soft Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Author Notes

Clara hasn't had much in the way of sweets yet. Yes, I put maple syrup in her yogurt, and she's hooked on clementines and pear slices, but until a few weeks ago, she hadn't tasted cake or a cookie or anything you might call "dessert." That is, until her well-meaning 3-year-old cousin offered her a piece of his chocolate chip cookie–which she inhaled, smearing bittersweet chocolate all over her face in the process.

And what better time to inaugurate her into the world of sweets than during December? Trying to come up with some seasonal treats that wouldn't send her into a sugar-induced tailspin, I thought about the soft, domed pumpkin chocolate chip cookies that are a mainstay at pick-your-own apple farms in the Northeast, along with warm apple cider doughnuts and hot cider. I've never actually made the cookies myself but have always wanted to, and I thought Clara would probably like the soft, cakey texture and the earthy flavor of pumpkin, gently spiced. I knew at least she'd like the chocolate chips.

After consulting lots of different recipes (apparently, everyone else has made these and written about them already), I came up with my own version. Hope you like them! —Merrill Stubbs

Test Kitchen Notes

We can’t really celebrate fall without baking at least one batch of pumpkin–chocolate chip cookies. These are soft, chewy, and moist thanks to a cup of pure pumpkin purée and a 1/2 cup of vegetable oil. Use bittersweet chocolate chips or, for an even chocolatier bite, fold in chopped bittersweet chocolate chunks (like the kind we sell in the Food52 pantry!). The bite of the chocolate prevents the cookies from being too sweet.

The rest of the ingredients should be easy enough to find in your home pantry—all-purpose flour, ground spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and ginger), baking powder and baking soda, sugar, vanilla, and one egg. The process of making the dough is about as easy as it gets, and there’s no chilling time necessary, which means that you can snack on a batch in way less time than it takes to rake up all the acorns in your yard. Simply combine the wet ingredients in a mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients, and stir to combine. The key to achieving a soft, pillowy texture is avoiding overmixing—fold until everything is just incorporated, and not a minute more.

Feel free to riff on the recipe, too: One reader swapped coconut oil in place of vegetable oil for a little more sweetness, while another added rolled oats to the dough for a heartier texture and a more toothsome bite. It’s safe to say that co-founder Merrill Stubbs has upped the ante on our fall baking projects—beginning with these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.
—Food52