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Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

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I live for the months of October and November. There are so many beautiful seasonal ingredients to enjoy! Crisp, juicy apples. Crunchy pecans. Tart cranberries. And my ultimate favorite, pumpkin! So when the craving for chocolate chip cookies hit, it was a no-brainer to put a seasonal twist on a classic. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies are here for you to enjoy, my friends!

a pumpkin chocolate chip cookie

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies are no ordinary cookie!

There is one ingredient that elevates this recipe. Don’t cringe when you see it, okay? Ok! It’s ground chipotle powder! I know, I know. Hear me out on this one, I would never steer you wrong!

There are several ingredients that enhance and bring out the rich flavors in chocolate.

  • Espresso/Coffee
  • Sea Salt
  • Cinnamon
  • Black Pepper
  • Ground Chili Peppers! My favorite addition to chocolate treats are cayenne and/or chipotle!

The chipotle powder doesn’t pack a ton of heat!

Just a nice little belly-warming tingle! Trust me on this one, my sweet friends.

flour being sifted into a bowl

There are so many reasons I love this recipe for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies! They are gooey, soft, sweet, and loaded with rich chocolate chips. But my number one reason I love this recipe is that it doesn’t require soft butter! Only melted! Oh, thank god! A cookie that finally gets my forgetful mind! I am forever forgetting to take sticks of butter out of the fridge the night before I want to make a batch of cookies! You, too? Whew! Glad to hear it’s not just me!

Also, this recipe is so incredibly easy. What’s not to love about that!

chocolate chips squares and bars

If you happen to be out of chocolate chips. Umm, well, you need to fix that situation ASAP. LOL. See I’m so old I still type LOL to people! Anyway, getting back to the chip dilemma. Use whatever you have on hand. Even a Hershey’s bar chopped into chunks works! Moral of the story: Work with what you have! The same goes for vanilla extract. The price of vanilla has been steadily rising. Bourbon (especially Knob Creek Smoked Maple Bourbon!) makes a lovely substitute for vanilla. The added bonus if you choose to buy bourbon instead of vanilla is, of course, you can get drunk and eat delicious cookies! I love a good multi-purpose ingredient! Don’t you?

cinnamon sugar on a plate with a pumpkin chocolate chip cookie resting in it

Alright, well, after you make Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies drop me a comment below and let me know how you liked them! No need to wipe the gooey chocolate that’s smeared across your lips before doing so. I’m a judgment-free zone!

And if you are looking for even more pumpkin-y goodness check out some of my other recipes for the holiday season!

a gooey pumpkin chocolate chip cookie with a bite out of it

*This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase an item via the link I receive a commission from the sale of the items at no extra cost to you. Thank you so much for all your kindness and support! XO~ Heidi

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a gooey pumpkin chocolate chip cookie with a bite out of it

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews
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Description

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies are soft, gooey, perfectly spiced, and loaded with sweet chocolate chips! The perfect seasonal twist on a classic cookie! 

Ingredients

Scale

1/3 cup pumpkin puree, dried*

1/2 cup butter, melted and slightly cooled

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 large egg yolk

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup + 3 Tablespoons bread flour

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder

1 3/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

1. *To dry the pumpkin puree: Place the pumpkin puree in a small saucepan over medium heat. When steam begins to rise from the pan, gently stir the puree for 3-4 minutes to cook the excess water out of the puree.

2. Transfer the puree to a bowl and set it aside to cool.

3. Use the same pan to melt the butter.

4. Add the melted butter and brown sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, mix on medium speed for two minutes to combine. Scrape the sides of the bowl down.

5. Add the pumpkin puree, egg yolk, and vanilla (or bourbon). Continue mixing on medium speed to combine thoroughly. But no more than one minute. Scrape the bowl again.

6. Combine the flours, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and chipotle powder with a whisk. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix at low speed until combined. No streaks of flour should be visible.

7. Fold in the chocolate chips

8. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

9. While the dough chills heat the oven and line three baking sheets with parchment paper.

10. After the dough is chilled, scoop 1 1/2 Tablespoons of dough per cookie. Place on the cookie tray seven dough balls to a tray. 

11. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and set, the cookies are puffed up, yet the middles are a bit underbaked.

12. Remove the cookies from the oven. Place the baking sheets on wire cooling racks and allow the cookies to cool on the sheets.

 

 

Notes

  • If you prefer a large cookie: Scoop 3 Tablespoons of cookie dough per cookie and bake for 13-15 minutes, instead.
  • Out of vanilla extract? Use bourbon instead!
  • Allow the cookies to cool for at least 30 minutes before enjoying!
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Chill Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 12 minutes
  • Category: Cookies
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: American

Keywords: pumpkin cookies, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, easy

Cozy Hot Cocoa Cookies

by 3 Comments

If there is one cookie you will make this holiday season, promise me it will be Cozy Hot Cocoa Cookies! These are the cookies I looked forward to my Mom baking every holiday season! I’m carrying on the tradition and sharing them with you here today! These cookies are soft and fudgy, topped with a fluffy marshmallow half, and generously frosted with a decadent homemade chocolate icing with a hint of almond extract! They truly are like eating a cozy cup of hot cocoa! Grab some sprinkles, round up the kids! Get in the kitchen and create some holiday memories with the ones you love!

a muffin tin piled with cozy hot cocoa cookies and marshmallows and sprinkles

Here’s What You’ll Need To Make Cozy Hot Cocoa Cookies!

  • Butter
  • Granulated Sugar
  • One Large Egg
  • Whole Milk
  • All-Purpose Flour
  • Baking Soda
  • Sea Salt
  • Natural Unsweetened Cocoa Powder~ Such as Hershey’s Brand
  • Vanilla Extract or Amaretto {if you’re feeling fancy!}
  • A One-Pound Bag of Large Marshmallows
  • Powdered Sugar
  • Almond Extract
  • Decorative Sprinkles
  • A Bottle of Bailey’s {For sipping on while you make the cookies! Optional, but highly recommended!}
an overhead photo of frosted and unfrosted hot cocoa cookies

Pour a glass of Bailey’s and let’s get baking!

I have a few tips for ensuring Cozy Hot Cocoa Cookies are absolutely perfect and delicious!

  1. Make sure the butter is at room temperature for the cookies and the frosting. I set my butter out the night before I am baking.
  2. Bring the egg to room temperature by placing it in a small bowl and pouring hot {not boiling!} tap water over it. Let it hang out in the “hot tub” for 10 minutes and proceed with using it.
  3. Don’t skip sifting the all-purpose flour/cocoa mixture for the cookies.
  4. And don’t skip sifting the powdered sugar for the frosting. Unsifted powdered sugar will create a lumpy icing.
  5. Place the halved marshmallows onto the baked cookies with the cut side down. The cut side coming in contact with the hot cookies creates “marshmallow glue” that keeps them from sliding off the cookie when frosting.
  6. Don’t overbake the cookies! They truly bake for eight minutes before topping with the marshmallow! Any longer and the cookie will go from fudgy to dry.
  7. Don’t leave the marshmallow-topped cookies in the oven any longer than a minute, or they will slide off the cookie or puff up and look wonky!
a close up photo of sprinkle topped cozy hot cocoa cookies

Cozy Hot Cocoa Cookies do not take a long time to cool after coming out of the oven. While the second round of cookie trays is in the oven, you can start making the frosting! Frost the first round of cooled cookies while the second round cools completely. Sprinkle the frosted cookies with decorative sprinkles within a few minutes of frosting them, so the sprinkles stick. The frosting does firm up after a few hours. The cookies can then be packaged up for storage or gift-giving without marring the frosting.

a bite taken out of a hot cocoa cookie revealing the marshmallow center

Can I freeze Cozy Hot Cocoa Cookies?

You bet!! I put them in a large Tupperware container, separating the layers with sheets of wax paper. They freeze beautifully for up to three months!

a plate of three hot cocoa cookies balanced on top of a milk filled glass bottle

I love to gift trays of cookies and homemade treats to friends, family, and neighbors during the holiday season! Cozy Hot Cocoa Cookies are always a hit with everybody we gift them to!

a pan filled with cozy hot cocoa cookies with a cake stand behind it filled with cookies

Here are more edible gift recipe ideas!

a plate of three hot cocoa cookies one has a bite taken out of it

I know you and your loved ones will enjoy Cozy Hot Cocoa Cookies as much as we do! I wish you all a beautiful holiday season! If you make this recipe and post it on Instagram, be sure to tag me to see it! I would love to see them!

{This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase the product via the link provided, I may receive a commission at no extra charge to you! Thank you for helping support my work here at Yums & Kisses!}

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a bite taken out of a hot cocoa cookie revealing the marshmallow center

Cozy Hot Cocoa Cookies

★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews
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Description

Cozy Hot Cocoa Cookies! A favorite wintertime beverage in the form of a quick and easy decadent holiday cookie! A fudgy cookie is topped with a fluffy marshmallow and frosted with a rich yet not-too-sweet chocolate icing. A dash of sprinkles adds some fun and makes this delicious treat perfect for holiday gift-giving!

Ingredients

Scale

For the Cookies:

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg, at room temperature

1/2 cup whole milk

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder {such as Hershey’s brand}

1 teaspoon vanilla extract or Amaretto

33 large marshmallows, cut in half horizontally

Sprinkles of your choice, optional

For the Frosting:

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature

10 Tablespoons natural cocoa {such as Hershey’s}

4 cups powdered sugar, sifted

1/2 cup whole milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

pinch of sea salt

Instructions

To Make the Cookies:

Preheat the oven to 350°. Line several cookie trays with parchment paper. Set aside.

  • Sift the flour, cocoa, salt, and baking soda over a large bowl.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter and sugar. Using the paddle attachment, on medium speed, mix the butter and sugar until light yellow and fluffy.
  • Add the room temperature egg. Mix until fully incorporated. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl. Mix again to incorporate any ingredients that may have climbed up the bowl.
  • Combine the milk and vanilla extract {or amaretto, if using}.
  • Alternate adding a little bit of the flour mixture and then the milk, repeating until both are used up. Mix just until incorporated, and no dry streaks of flour are showing.
  • Using a teaspoon or small cookie scoop, measure 15 portions per baking tray.
  • Bake for 8 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven and immediately top each baked cookie with a marshmallow half, cut side down. 
  • Return the trays to the oven for one minute.
  • Remove and place the trays on cooling racks. Allow to cool for several minutes and remove to cool completely on the rack. Continue baking until all the batter is used.
  • While the cookies finish baking and cooling, make the frosting.

To Make the Frosting:

  • Sift the powdered sugar and cocoa over a large bowl
  • Beat the butter in a stand mixer until smooth. Add the powdered sugar mixture and begin mixing on the slowest speed. Begin drizzling in the milk and extracts. The mixture will start out looking soupy and lumpy. That’s ok. Keep going.
  • Increase the speed to medium and continue mixing until the ingredients are fully incorporated and fluffy. 

To Assemble the Cookies:

Using a small offset spatula, frost each cookie with a generous amount of frosting. While the icing is still damp, top with the sprinkles of your choice. The frosting on the cookies will firm up after a few hours so that you can package them up without marring the frosting.

Notes

  • Customize Cozy Hot Cocoa Cookies to your taste! Use peppermint extract in place of the almond extract if you want a cookie reminiscent of a peppermint patty. Sprinkle the iced cookies with crushed candy canes for an extra festive look!
  • Top the baked cookie with the marshmallow half cut side down. The exposed marshmallow half creates the glue that holds them in place on the cookie after baking.
  • Cookies may be made in advance and frozen for several weeks.
  • There may be a small amount of frosting leftover. Yay! Frosting shots for everyone!
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 9 minutes
  • Category: Cookies
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: American

Keywords: hot cocoa cookies, marshmallow, christmas

Smoky Pumpkin Magic Bars

by 1 Comment

Hey! How are you? I know. It’s been a bit since we last visited! My favorite proofreader endured major surgery. We’re back home now, thankfully! Life has been full of doctors’ appointments, prescription runs, and naps! Fun stuff! Seriously, let’s talk about something fun! Like Smoky Pumpkin Magic Bars! A classic bar cookie with a fun Fall twist! First, there is a thick, sweet, and spicy gingersnap cookie crust. Then, a layer of dark chocolate chips! A gooey and spicy pumpkin caramel mixture drenches the chips! Here’s where the smoky flavor comes in. Coarsely chop some smoked almonds and layer that over the pumpkin. And, just like the traditional magic bars, there’s a layer of toffee bits, butterscotch chips, and shredded sweet coconut!

a stack of three magic bars on a piece of brown kraft paper with several more bars surrounding it with a grey linen towel and a lit candle in the background

Don’t be intimidated when you hear me talk about pumpkin caramel! All you have to do is mix pumpkin puree with half a can of sweetened condensed milk and some spices! When the bars bake, the heat of the oven makes the caramel for you!! Smoky Pumpkin Magic Bars are buttery, gooey, rich, chocolatey, sweet, spicy, and chewy. They tick all the boxes for bar cookie perfection! They are completely customizable, too! Don’t have gingersnaps? Use Vanilla Wafers or Oreos instead! Substitute white chocolate chips for the butterscotch chips! Keep the semi-sweet chocolate chips, toffee bits, and the smoked almonds, though! Please!

overhead view of nine squares of smoky pumpkin magic bars on a crinkled piece of brown kraft paper a small vintage serving knife rests in the upper left corner with a grey linen towel resting along the right side everything sits on a vintage dark wood board

I bake these in an 8×8-inch pan. I love how the bars are tall, gooey, and chewy! If you prefer a bit less of a gooey bar, feel free to bake these in a 9×13-inch pan. Keep in mind that the bake time may vary a bit with the thinner style.

close up view of a smoky pumpkin bar lying on a torn piece of brown kraft paper with a grey linen towel two forks and a blown out candle surrounding it

Pssst… The holidays are coming!

These are a great addition to your holiday baking list as well! You can totally make a couple of batches of these! Transfer the bars to an airtight container and freeze until it’s time to make cookie trays! Do you have a favorite cookie that is a must-make for the holidays? Leave a comment below and tell me what it is! I love to hear holiday baking traditions from people!

overhead view of several smoky pumpkin magic bars in a beige linen towel lined tray a small serving knife and chocolate chips along with a lit candle surround the tray

It seems that from mid-October until New Year’s Day goes by in a flash! I plan on stocking my freezer with several batches of these bars to get ready for the holidays! In fact, I have a stash of these right now! They’ve been a welcome treat after a week at the hospital! I’ve also been enjoying the Apple Spice Streusel Muffins! You know what they say ~ “An apple a day keeps the doctor away!”

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a stack of three magic bars on a piece of brown kraft paper with several more bars surrounding it with a grey linen towel and a lit candle in the background

Smoky Pumpkin Magic Bars

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews
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Description

Smoky Pumpkin Magic Bars are a Fall update to a classic bar cookie! Full of shredded sweet coconut, pumpkin puree, smoked almonds, chocolate, butterscotch, toffee chips, and spices! It’s sure to become a family favorite!

Ingredients

Scale

2 + 1/2 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs

10 Tbsp butter, melted

14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk, divided

3/4 cup pumpkin puree {not pumpkin pie filling}

pinch of sea salt

1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 cup smoked almonds, coarsely chopped

1 + 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup butterscotch chips

3/4 cup toffee bits { I use Heath brand}

1 + 1/2 cups shredded sweetened coconut

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°. 
  • Line an 8 x 8 baking pan with foil.  Create a foil sling to easily remove the bars once baked and cooled.  Do so by tearing off a sheet of foil that is a couple of inches longer than needed. Press the foil into the pan leaving an overhang of foil over the sides.
  • Butter the foil and any exposed areas of the pan that may be peeking through.
  • Combine the gingersnap crumbs and melted butter.  Press into the bottom of the prepared pan.
  • Combine the pumpkin puree, HALF of the sweetened condensed milk, salt, and spices.
  • Sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly on the crust.
  • Pour the pumpkin mixture over the chocolate chips.
  • Then, layer the smoked almonds, toffee bits, butterscotch chips, and lastly the coconut flakes on top. 
  • Drizzle the remaining sweetened condensed milk evenly over the coconut. 
  • Place the pan in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes.  The edges will be golden brown.
  • Remove from the oven and let cool completely. 
  • When completely cool, grab the foil edges, and lift the bars out of the pan.
  • Place on a cutting surface. 
  • Cut into 9 large squares or the desired size.
  • Store leftover bars in the refrigerator or freezer. Thaw before serving.

recipe adapted from Bakers Royale

Notes

  • I purchase a 1-pound bag of gingersnap cookies and crush all of them. The leftover crumbs I store in the freezer for future use. Or, you can bake a batch of Gingersnap Streusel Pumpkin Scones with the leftovers!
  • If you don’t have a food processor to pulverize the cookies into crumbs, no worries!  Put the cookies in a Ziploc bag.  Use a rolling pin to crush the cookies into crumbs!
  • If you prefer a less gooey bar, bake these in a 9×13 baking pan. The bake time may vary with the larger pan.
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 40 minutes
  • Category: cookies
  • Method: bake
  • Cuisine: american

Keywords: smoky, pumpkin, magic bars, seven layer bars