Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies: The Remix

Some FAQs for those of you baking the cookies this fall.

If you’ve followed me here, or on Twitter or Instagram, you know Labor Day Weekend kicks off the beginning of three months of baking. Baking what, specifically? Yes: Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. The recipe comes from a childhood friend’s mother and has been adapted ever so slightly over time. Until two years ago I hadn’t ever written it down in a formal way — I just kept the recipe in a Notes App note on my phone and sent a screenshot to anyone who asked for it.

The cookies are low-key hideous but beautiful, as I have written before, and their beauty is in their extreme simplicity. You just toss everything into a bowl and scoop out the cookies onto a baking sheet and go. They’re nearly un-fuck-up-able. Everyone loves them. They cater to the palate of a child but satiate people with more complex tastes.

Here’s the recipe, in case you need it:

PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

1 1/2 cups pureed pumpkin (I use a can)

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon (you could also add pumpkin pie spice, or ground ginger, or nutmeg)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter (softened)

1 to 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (I use the whole bag)

Combine all ingredients in bowl except for chips. Once combined add the chocolate chips. Place on greased cookie sheets or parchment paper (I use a cookie scoop for portioning) and bake about 10–14 minutes, or maybe a minute or two longer if they still look kinda wet, at 350 degrees.

Makes about 2 to 2.5 dozen cookies.

Something I love about this recipe is that I’ve seen dozens of people make them over the years, and they’re endlessly adaptable. In the spirit of the beginning of pumpkin chocolate chip cookie season, I’ve decided to share some ways you can change up your pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, for people with dietary restrictions or those who just want a…