as i sit here writing this, i'm wondering where this first full month of fall went. it seems it flew by and soon we'll be preparing for all the winter holidays with the same intensity. this time of year is such a whirlwind of magical things, so as the saying goes, "time flies when..." as evidenced by the gingerbread and winter cookie recipes that have been taking over my kitchen the last couple of weeks. it feels very symbolic to post my last pumpkin recipe on the blog in the closing days of october. I hope you love these pumpkin tahini chocolate chip cookies as much as I do!
now for the cookies! pumpkin and chocolate are THE perfect fall pairing when it comes to cookies. pumpkin itself doesn't have a strong flavor, but it does provide a baked goods with a beautiful orange hue and lots of moisture. i have yet to eat a pumpkin based treat that wasn't soft, pillowy and absolutely irresistible. these pumpkin tahini cc cookies are no exception. even my non pumpkin loving family members ended up loving them!
this pumpkin cookie is best described as:
- pillowy
- soft
- buttery
- spiced
- filled with pools of melty chocolate
- in short, these cookies are irresistibly delicious!
short and sweet ingredient list
you most likely have everything for these pumpkin tahini chocolate chip cookies in your pantry already. if you don't, here's what you need to add to your grocery list:
- all purpose flour
- baking powder + soda
- salt
- pumpkin spice
- unsalted butter
- brown sugar
- eggs
- pumpkin puree
- tahini
- vanilla extract
- chocolate chips + chunks
tips for the best cookies
to freeze or chill in the fridge:
- freeze time: these cookies originally had a suggested freeze time of 8+ hours. after a few trials, i found this to be more a preference than a necessity. these were adapted from my tahini chocolate chip cookies which yielded a beautiful chewiness when frozen for a minimum 8 hours. since these cookies have pumpkin, with a high water content, they will not be chewy. thus, the freeze time felt unnecessary. however, they will be equally delicious if scooped and frozen ahead of time!
- update (10/20) : chill dough in the fridge for at least 30 minutes prior to scooping and chilling.
- chill time: this allows the glutens to rest a bit, resulting in a delicious, soft cookie. the minimum time would be 30 minutes. if you can, aim for 1 hour. this extended time also allows the flavors to develop even more.
tools + ingredient substitutes:
- a 2" cookie scoop was used to scoop out the cookies. i found this to be a great size for cookies, but you can definitely use a smaller scoop, just be sure to watch the cookies closely as they'll bake faster than the time indicated on the recipe.
- this recipe uses a mix of chocolate disks, chips and chunks, as well as mix of bittersweet and dark chocolate. this is really up to you, the baker! the larger pieces of chocolate will give you those beautiful pools right out of the oven, while chips will keep their shape and give you the traditional "look" of a chocolate chip cookie. if all you have is a chocolate bar on hand, roughly chop so most pieces are the same size.
- gluten-free: i haven't tried this recipe using a GF flour, but if you wanted to give it a try, i would use a 1-1 substitution version from Bob's Red Mill. i have used this brand a couple of times and have had great results each time. the pumpkin will help with the moisture and the cookies will still have a pillowy soft texture.
how to make this pumpkin cookie chewy, not pillowy
- blot: get a small bowl layered with 2-3 paper towels. scoop out a heaping ½ c pumpkin puree onto the paper towels. allow the paper towels to absorb the excess moisture from the pumpkin puree. this takes about 10-15 minutes. do this step right after preheating the oven.
- omit the whole eggs: these act as a binder. the pumpkin will do this.
- do keep the egg yolk: this helps make the cookie chewier
- keep the butter melted: just make sure the brown butter has cooled to room temperature
- time: the flavors and texture develops even more the next day
more pumpkin baking inspiration:
- pumpkin gingersnap icebox cake
- spiced walnut streusel pumpkin bread
- caramelized white chocolate buttercream pumpkin bars
pumpkin tahini chocolate chip cookies
Equipment
- stand mixer with paddle attachment
- baking sheet
- parchment paper
- heavy bottom pan
Ingredients
- 2 ½ c all purpose flour (300g)
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice see recipe notes
- 12 tbsp usalted butter, browned and cooled to room temperature (reduced to 113g) sub with ½ c (113g) regular unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ½ c light moscovado sugar (330g) (sub with packed light brown )
- ½ c tahini, well stirred
- ½ c pumpkin puree
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (sub with vanilla extract)
- 2 c assorted chocolate chips, chunks and disks
Instructions
- To make the brown butter, melt butter in a clear heavy bottom pot. Once the butter starts to foam, whisk continuously until brown bits start to form. Remove from heat, pour into clean bowl, skim the foam from the top and cool to room temperature (15 minutes), stir then chill in the fridge an addional 15-20 minutes. The butter should begin to solidify, but shouln't be cold. If its cold, let come to room temperature for 5 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and powder, salt and pumpkin spice. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, with paddle attachment, cream together the browned butter, sugar and tahini until light and fluffy (3-4 minutes). Add in eggs and yolk one at a time, beating until each is well incorporated. Add pumpkin and vanilla and beat until well incorporated (about 2-3 minutes).
- Add dry ingredients to the wet ½ at a time. Mix on lowest setting until JUST combined or by hand. Do not overmix. Gently fold in chocolate chips, chunks or disks. If baking right away, place the cookie dough in the fridge to chill for minimum 30-60 mintues. If freezing see notes. **
- Pull dough from the fridge, scoop out using a 2" cookie scoop with trigger release onto aparchment lined baking sheet. Bake at 350F for 14-16 minutes or until cookies are set around the edges. The center may still look slightly underbaked. Pull cookies from the oven, cool on the cookie sheet placed on top of a cooling rack for 3 minutes. Using a spatula, gently removed cookies from the pan, onto a cooling rack and cool an addiotnal 10-15 minutes.
Notes
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Make sure to tag me on instagram @olivesnthyme. For more delicious dessert ideas follow me on pinterest
make sure to tag me on instagram @olivesnthyme. for more delicious dessert ideas follow me on pinterest.
Emily says
SO GOOD! I subbed Earth Balance butter and 2 flax eggs to make them vegan and they turned out so well! Already making my second batch 2 days later hehe
Megan says
Yay! So happy to read you liked them. Glad to know the flax eggs work for this, too!