It’s fall and this time of year is host to loads of delicious dishes filled with pecans and pumpkins and squash and sweet potatoes and many other delights!  These scrumptious flavors and all their creative preparations paired with the gradually cooling weather result in comfort food at its best. To add to the plethora of  fall themed treats, I have here a wonderful recipe for soft, cake-like pumpkin cookies made with brown butter and dotted with mini chocolate chips.

These were actually inspired by super-market brand pumpkin chocolate chip cookies that a friend of mine got me hooked on. They really were melt-in-your mouth amazing and as fall came around, I wanted to recreate them at home.

Now, I’m not sure if that was a blessing or a mistake….

As I whipped these up, the scents in the kitchen were heavenly and once in the oven, I couldn’t wait for them to be ready. I was able to control myself to allow them to cool for a few minutes and not burn my tongue on them as soon as they came out.

The verdict??

I truly was blown away with how luscious they were (you should have seen how big my eyes became). The brown butter added a depth of flavor that complemented the pumpkin, chocolate and cinnamon superbly and each crumb really did melt in my mouth. I had them warm, I had them cold, I had them with milk, and on their own. I had them with my morning coffee, as a snack,  before dinner and after and I think you can see why this might have been a mistake… A happy one, but a mistake nonetheless.

Brown Butter Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes about 30 cookies

2 1/2 cups Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
3/4 cup Brown Sugar
3/4 cup White Sugar
1/2 cup Butter
1 cup Pumpkin Purée
1 Egg
1 tsp Vanilla
1/2 cup Mini Semisweet Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Melt the butter in a sauce pan on medium heat and allow to brown, being careful not to burn. It will foam and become fragrant. Set aside and allow to cool to room temperature.

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl beat the browned butter with the sugars. Add the pumpkin purée and beat until combined. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until smooth.
Add in the prepared flour mixture to the wet ingredients one cup at a time, until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Drop the cookie dough by rounded tablespoons onto your prepared baking sheets.
Bake for 12 to 16 minutes, being careful not to overtake. Remove baking sheet from oven and allow cookies to cool slightly before plating.

Serve warm with a glass of cold milk and enjoy!