We are BACK once again celebrating the flavors and colors of fall with my newest giant cookie: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip. These aren’t your ordinary cake-y pumpkin cookies we’ve all grown accustomed to (I love those, so there’s no bad blood there) – but I feel like these are 100% better! Here’s why:

I’ve seen those Soft-baked beauties of a cookie at Harmons year after year, and I truly do love them. Hey, I even have a recipe for soft baked pumpkin cookies here on my website if you’d like to make those at home!

But I wanted to create a cookie that was similar in texture to my other giant cookies I’ve been working on this year. I knew what flavor profile I wanted (pumpkin and chocolate – easy!), but it was the texture I was worries about nailing.

The texture needed to be perfect – just like a giant chocolate chip cookie, but TASTE just like those soft-baked ones. But how? The pumpkin puree alone will change the consistency pretty easily – as do most soft-veggies/fruits we add to our desserts.

I found a pretty sweet trick on Sallys Baking Addiction where she rang out the canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling). All you do is add your canned pumpkin puree to a sturdy paper towel or cheesecloth and ring out all the moisture you can. This took my 1/2 cup of puree down to 1/3 cup of pumpkin paste – Perfect for our cookies!

For more of that signature pumpkin flavor, I used pumpkin pie spice right in the dough. I also opted for three different sizes of chocolate chips on the inside and outside of the cookie.

Cookies taste the same no matter how they look, but if you can do one extra step to make them super-tasty-looking…. why not, eh?

Here’s a few tips for making sure these cookies come out perfectly every time (which isn’t that hard because these are basically fool proof!)

  • Yes, 410 degrees on traditional (not convection bake) oven setting is perfect. Seems high, but trust me, it’s essential to nailing the toasted outside & gooey inside texture.
  • No need to mix together your dry ingredients beforehand. Just toss them right in and mix them together.
  • Eggs need to be cold, and same with your butter.
  • Make sure to completely cream together the butter and sugar before adding in the eggs and vanilla.
  • Press the add-ins below the cookie dough line. That way they don’t burn in the oven.
  • Reserve a few chocolate chips to press onto the outside of the cookie for a better cookie-look. Although, they will taste exactly the same either way 
  • I make mine the size of a baseball. They should flatten out slightly. If they flatten out all the way, your baking soda isn’t fresh enough. I’ve also noticed they flatten slightly as they cool, too.
  • No need to chill the cookies! That’s the best part!

The end result was PERFECTION! I made these in the evening, so waiting until the next morning to taste them seemed like torture. We ended up not being able to resist, and Ryan and I shared one before going to sleep. They were HEAVENLY!

The inside and outside texture were exactly what I was looking for – each cookie was slightly toasted on the outside and super soft on the inside – but NOT in the cake-y way… in a cookie way! (sounds ridiculous, but if you know pumpkin cookies, you already know there’s a huge difference). These are a WIN!

I think I’d prefer making these every fall now when the air gets chilly outside. They are ridiculous!!!

As always, if you make my cookies, I’d love to see it! Make sure to tag me on Instagram @bakingwithblondie or #bakingwithblondie so I can join in on the fun. 🙂

Happy Baking!

xo, Mandy

Get the Recipe: Giant Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Thick, soft, giant pumpkin cookies packed with chocolate chips and big pumpkin flavor. These are less cake-y and more cookie-like than your usual pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, but still bring plenty of pumpkin to the dessert table.
Servings: 8 large cookies
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Ingredients
 

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
  • 1 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 large eggs, cold
  • 1/2 (1/3 after pressing) cup canned pumpkin (See notes), *Not pumpkin pie filling. Must be canned. Start with 1/2 cup and soak the puree in a paper towel until most of the moisture is gone and it's more of a paste (About 1/3 cup).
  • 1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 3 3/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup large chocolate chips

Instructions
 

  • Prep two large aluminum cookie sheets with parchment paper.
  • Preheat oven to 410 degrees (yep, that's right!) – not convection.
  • In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, whip up the butter for 1 minute until it's light and fluffy, then add in the sugars to cream together with the butter for 3 minutes on high speed.
  • Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then add in the vanilla and eggs one at a time, whipping up well between each addition. Add in the *pressed pumpkin puree (make sure to read notes above before adding it in).
  • Add in the pumpkin pie spice, flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt and slowly mix together by hand or on the very lowest mixer speed until just combined (don't overmix!)
  • Reserve 1/8 cup of chocolate chip varieties, then hand stir or lowest-speed-mix the chocolate chips into the batter. Split the dough into 8 balls (baseball-sized) and place 4 on each cookie sheet. Hand-press on the chocolate chips on top for better presentation.
  • Bake for 9-10 minutes. They should be slightly golden, slightly mounded in the middle, thick/tall, and gooey in the center. Let them cool on the pan for a minute, then carefully transfer the cookies to a cooling rack to finish cooling,
  • Enjoy!