Ingredients
Equipment
Method
Brown the butter and chill
- Brown the butter in a saucepan until golden, then cool it until it is solid, about 1 hour in the fridge. The butter should turn a warm amber-gold color as it browns.
Prep oven and line sheets
- Preheat the oven to 375F and line baking sheets with parchment. Keep the sheets ready so the dough can bake right after portioning.
Mix dry ingredients
- Whisk the all-purpose flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt until evenly combined. Stop when the mixture looks uniform in color with no visible spice clumps.
Cream butter and sugars
- Beat the solidified brown butter with the brown sugar and granulated sugar until creamy. The mixture should look lighter and smooth before you add the pumpkin puree.
Add pumpkin and flavor
- Beat in the pumpkin puree, then add the eggs one at a time and mix in the vanilla extract. The batter should be fully incorporated and glossy.
Combine and fold
- Fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients until just combined. Stop as soon as no dry streaks remain to keep the cookies tender.
Add chocolate chips
- Fold in the chocolate chips until evenly distributed throughout the dough. You should see chips throughout the dough with minimal overmixing.
Scoop and bake
- Scoop dough into 2-tablespoon rounds and bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the edges are golden. The centers may look slightly set but not fully firm.
Salt and cool
- Sprinkle the cookies immediately with flaky sea salt and cool on the pan for 5 minutes. The salt should adhere while the cookies are still warm.
Notes
For the best texture, blot the pumpkin puree very dry so the dough doesn’t spread; spoon it into a towel and press until it looks thick. Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days, or refrigerate for up to 7 days. Freeze baked cookies for up to 2 months (thaw at room temperature). For a dairy-free swap, use a 1:1 plant-based butter stick and chill it the same way before creaming.