I remember when I first made these chewy, gooey pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. It was the fall a handful of years ago. Anthony and I were engaged and getting ready to head to one of our first marriage prep sessions with our spiritual direct, Fr. John Kartje.
Actually, that wasn't the first time I made these. The very first time was with my then-teammate at Northwestern and food blogger extraordinaire, Claire from The Bite Sized Baker (from whom I got this recipe!). I remember how I kept eating bits (read: chunks) of the cookie dough (okay, I know, nothing new for me)—but I couldn't believe how good it was. I always think the dough is better than the cookies, but this dough was out of this world. I think it's because of the special ingredient, pumpkin butter, whose name is deceiving—it's more like pumpkin jam. It's amazing—good on toast, in cookie dough, or by the spoonful. And you can get it at Trader Joe's for $2.29! #justsayin
Anyway, so the first time I made these by myself, I was hustling to get out the door to go see the one and only Fr. John. Anthony had come over beforehand, and I was running late (shocker). I was probably asking (...bossing?) him to help me get things ready—one of which, was to take these cookies out of the oven. Well, when poor Anthony so innocently and kindly pulled the cookies out of the oven—whoops—the back half slid right off the baking sheet and into the oven. Let me tell you, I was probably going to be late as is, so a burning mess in the oven was not good. But furthermore, those cookies were for Fr. John, as a thank you for that night's session. I took some passive aggressive deep breaths and sighs—quite aware of the irony that we were about to go to marriage prep—as I did my best not to unleash on Anthony the internal freakout I was having over cookies.
Unfortunately, I'm sure I either had some choice words or fuming silence (or most likely, a combination of the two) toward Anthony as we journeyed to Fr. John's office. Of course now, my inner marriage and family therapist is laughing, shaking my head at that fiery, Irish part of me that gets so worked up over ruined cookies. #smh
All of this to say, you know these bad boys have to be really good for me to continue making them when they elicit a memory like that. Kidding. Kind of. But every time I dream of/make/taste these pumpkin choco-chip cookies (and especially when I take them out of the oven) I'm reminded of how patient my husband is with me, and how I'm still very much in need of his and God's grace—even when it comes to cookies. Marriage is like these cookies: messy at times, but oh so delicious.
Chewy (not cakey!) Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies (adapted from The Bite Sized Baker)
Enjoy this little video of me making the cookies real-time!
1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 cup packed brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup pumpkin butter
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon EACH: cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves
1 ¼ cups chocolate chips
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Melt the butter; let cool.
- Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
- In another bowl mix the melted (and cooled!) butter and both sugars until combined. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and stir until mixed. Stir in pumpkin butter until smooth.
- Gradually add flour mixture and mix until a dough forms. Fold chocolate chips.
- Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes
- Roll into golfball-sized balls. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until cookies are crisp and slightly golden on the edges, then let cool completely. Enjoy!
With a little grace,
Kelsey
As always, I would LOVE to hear how it goes if you try this recipe. Please comment below or tag me @withalittlegrace_ in your instagram stories or posts or hashtag #bakingwithalittlegrace
Happy Halloween!
