I was recently walking through Target and it was like a pumpkin spice bomb had gone off. Pumpkin spice Life cereal. Pumpkin spice K pods. Pumpkin spice candles. What's next...? Pumpkin spice toilet paper? I'm all for the flavors of fall, but I think we may have gone a little bit overboard in the commercial foods world.
This recipe is a nod back to my roots. Back when the only thing pumpkin spice I knew were these amazing Pumpkin Bars my mom made. If you are lucky enough to know Carol, you know her Pumpkin Bar recipe is legendary. But also a family secret.
These Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies are all about the basics. Simple clean ingredients meet the best of fall flavors, all wrapped in a chewy, chocolatey, pumpkiny, salty and oh-so-satisfying cookie.
I made extra large, jumbo cookies. While this recipe yields one dozen Jenni-sized cookies, you may choose to make smaller cookies with 1 1/2 tablespoon cookie mounds to yield two dozen.
Here's the recipe.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
1/2 cup solid coconut oil (not melted)
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons bourbon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons unsulphered molasses
2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut milk
1/3 cup pumpkin puree (canned pumpkin - not pumpkin pie mix)
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 1/4 cups dark chocolate chunks
1/4 extra dark chocolate chunks (for finishing)
2 teaspoons flaked salt (for finishing)
Method
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the coconut oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla on medium for 2 minutes, or until well combined. Then, add the molasses, coconut milk, and pumpkin puree. Mix again for another 2 minutes or so.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Whisk to combine.
With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Beat until the ingredients are combined. The batter will be very thick. Then, add the chocolate chunks.
Using a large ice cream scoop, drop 3 tablespoon sized mounds of dough on the parchment paper, leaving a few inches of space betwen cookies. Bake for 10 minutes or until the edges are golden and the centers are soft but set. Be sure not to overbake the cookies. They should still be soft in the center and will firm up in the time they spend cooling on the baking sheets.
Remove from the oven and add the remaining 1/4 cup of chocolate chunks and sprinkle with finishing salt.
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 30 minutes. Then, transfer them to a cooling rack and let them cool completely. Enjoy!
