Pumpkin Chocolate Cookies (A Chewy Holiday Favorite!)
A spicy and sweet cookie recipe, perfect for fall. The dough is made with pumpkin puree, warm spices like cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice, and mini chocolate chips. The cookies are chilled, rolled in a spicy cinnamon-cayenne-sugar mixture, and then baked. White candy-coated chocolates are pressed into the tops while the cookies are still warm.
Ingredients
- 1 cup white sugar, divided
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ cup dark brown sugar
- 6 tablespoons pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 ¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
- ½ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, or to taste
- ½ cup white candy-coated milk chocolate pieces (such as M&M’s®)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup of the white sugar, the melted butter, and the brown sugar.
- Whisk in the pumpkin puree and vanilla extract until the mixture is smooth.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the cinnamon, the pumpkin pie spice, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.
- Mix the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just combined. Gently fold in the chocolate chips.
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
- In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1/2 cup white sugar, the remaining 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon, and the cayenne pepper.
- Roll the chilled dough into 1 1/2-tablespoon-sized balls.
- Roll each dough ball completely in the spicy cinnamon-sugar mixture.
- Place the balls on the prepared baking sheet, at least 2 inches apart, and slightly flatten the tops.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 9 minutes, until the edges are golden.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and immediately place the white candy-coated chocolate pieces on top.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- The dough needs to be chilled for at least 30 minutes before rolling, as it will be soft.
- You can adjust the amount of cayenne pepper in the rolling sugar to suit your taste for heat.
- Press the candy pieces into the cookies immediately after they come out of the oven so they will stick as the cookies cool.