These Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Cookies are made with browned butter, Cassonade sugar and flavored with cinnamon, nutmeg + cloves! You’ll love the big dark chocolate chunks in these gluten-free + grain-free cookies.
You see, I’ve been living in San Diego since June. Everyone kept asking me when I’m moving out and getting my own place, and I would begrudgingly complain about how expensive & crappy the rental market was, especially because I was looking for a place with a decent kitchen and a dishwasher. I kept saying, “I look everyday, and when I find the place that’s right, I’ll know.”
And then, last week, I was looking at a different apartment, right down the block, sitting in my car. I got a text from the landlord – the apartment had just been taken by someone else. Feeling dejected, I stalked Craigslist to see if anything new had popped up in this past 12 hours that I could check out while I was in the area.
I saw a bare bones ad for a studio in my dream building. Feeling way too skeptical to be excited at this point, I texted and set up an appointment to see it two hours later. As soon as I walked in, I fell in love. It was everything I wanted. I dreamed of an open loft space, with floor to ceiling windows and concrete floors and new appliances and there it was.
And you know what?! I GOT IT. Keys in hand, with some of my clothes already hanging in the closet. I’m moving in on Saturday! Every time I think about it, it feels like a dream. Life is feeling good right now, friends. The only thing I’m not looking forward to is the actual moving in and fitting all my stuff into the minimal storage space.
Thankfully, I saved myself a couple of these pumpkin chocolate chunk cookies to help get me through moving day! These cookies are without a doubt my favorite pumpkin cookie I’ve ever made, and I’ve tested a lot of them. I’ve never been able to replicate the chewy edges + soft, gooey middle that I love about my regular grain-free chocolate chunk cookies when pumpkin gets involved, because it tends to invite cakey-ness, but these pumpkin chocolate chunk cookies check all my boxes.
There’s a whole lot of good flavors going on here: first off, we brown the butter into toasty, caramel-y deliciousness. Those brown flecks are like liquid gold, I tell ya. I wish brown butter candles existed, because I would buy up the whole stock. The brown butter does have to cool back down to warm room temperature though, so make sure to plan accordingly.
Next up: T-Sugars Cassonade Sugar! Talk about liquid gold, you guys. This golden brown sugar tastes so good, and it works as a replacement for brown sugar in any recipe. I’m convinced it helps make these so chewy, and I can’t get over how well it pairs here with the brown butter, pumpkin, and spices.
The big dark chocolate chunks are most certainly eye-catching, and they makes these cookies irresistibly gooey and delicious. I recommend dotting a couple on top before baking to get those beautiful chocolate crevices on top of the cookies. 😋😋😋
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Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Cookies (Gluten Free + Grain Free)
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 1 cup (244g) canned pumpkin (make sure to use pure pumpkin, NOT pumpkin pie filling)
- ¾ cup (144g) T-Sugars Cassonade sugar (brown sugar or coconut sugar would also work)
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups (192g) blanched almond flour
- 1 tablespoon (8g) coconut flour (optional but recommended, see Notes)
- 1 cup (6 oz.) dark chocolate chunks
Directions
- In a small saucepan over low-medium heat, melt the butter and continue to cook until it caramelizes and emits a nutty, butterscotch aroma. The butter will bubble and then foam, but continue to stir it until you notice brown flecks in the bottom of the pan and the butter deepening in color. It typically takes me about 5 minutes. Be careful not to burn the butter - pull it off as soon as the butter is golden with brown flecks. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature, but still in liquid form, before proceeding with the recipe.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooled brown butter, canned pumpkin, sugar, egg, and vanilla extract. Whisk until completely smooth and combined.
- Add in the cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder, kosher salt, blanched almond flour, and coconut flour if using. Stir until a smooth dough forms and the dry ingredients are completely incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chunks.
- Chill the dough for at least one hour, or up to 24 hours. Don’t skip this - you need to let the dough chill so the butter can firm back up and make sure the cookies don’t spread too much.
- When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a large cookie scoop (this one is my favorite), scoop dough onto the cookie sheet, leaving 2” between cookies.
- Bake for 11-14 minutes, or until crispy on the edges and just barely baked in the center.
Notes If your pumpkin is a bit watery or thin (like Trader Joe’s brand tends to be), you’ll want to add the tablespoon of coconut flour to help soak up that extra moisture, otherwise you may not get crispy edges. Libby’s is typically thick enough on it’s own, but if you have it on hand, I’d recommend adding the coconut flour anyways if you want to ensure crispy edges. 3.5.3208
This post is sponsored by T-Sugars US. As always, all opinions are my own! Thanks for supporting the brands that support Bakerita ❤️