Spiced Pumpkin Cookies with Chocolate Chips

Introduction

These cookies bake at 375 F for 10–12 minutes and stay soft because there is a large amount of pumpkin puree in the dough. The nuts, granola, and chocolate chips give them more texture than a standard pumpkin drop cookie, and the batch size makes them useful for bake sales, lunchboxes, or freezing for later.

Recipe Details

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 40 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Servings: 96 cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup (250 ml / 8.5 fl oz) vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 4 cups (900 g / 2 lb) superfine sugar
• 4 cups (1 kg / 2.2 lb) pumpkin puree
• 5 cups (650 g / 1.4 lb) plain flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• 4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp cloves
• 2 cups (150 g / 5.3 oz) pecans or almonds, chopped
• 1 cup (100 g / 3.5 oz) granola, rolled oats or Grape-Nuts
• 4 cups (340 g / 12 oz) chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. In a large bowl, combine and wet ingredients.
3. Sift flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, soda, and cloves together in a separate bowl.
4. Blend dry into wet ingredients.
5. Mix in nuts, granola, and chocolate chips.
6. Drop spoonfuls of dough onto greased cookie sheet.
7. Bake for 10-12 minutes, then cool.

Variations

• Use pecans instead of almonds if you want a softer, richer crunch. Almonds give the cookies a firmer bite and a slightly less buttery flavor.
• Choose rolled oats instead of granola or Grape-Nuts for a softer, chewier cookie. Granola and Grape-Nuts both add more crunch.
• Chill the dough for 20 to 30 minutes before dropping spoonfuls onto the sheet if you want thicker cookies with a little less spread.
• Replace 1 cup of the chocolate chips with chopped dried cranberries or raisins for a less sweet cookie with more chew.

Tips for Success

• Sift the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, bicarbonate of soda, and cloves well so the spice and leavening are evenly distributed.
• Use a cookie scoop or two spoons for the drop-cookie step since the dough is soft and sticky.
• Bake until the tops look set and the bottoms are lightly colored. If you wait for deep browning, the cookies can dry out.
• Let the cookies sit on the sheet for a couple of minutes before moving them so they firm up enough to handle cleanly.

Storage and Reheating

Store the cooled cookies in an airtight container with parchment between layers. Keep them in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

To reheat, warm individual cookies in the microwave for 8 to 10 seconds, or place a batch on a baking sheet at 300 F for 3 to 5 minutes. If frozen, thaw in the fridge or at room temperature before reheating for the most even texture.

FAQ

Can you use fresh pumpkin instead of pumpkin puree?

Yes, but it needs to be cooked, blended, and drained until it is thick. If it is watery, the cookies will spread more and bake up too soft.

Do you need to grease the cookie sheet if you use parchment?

No. If you line the sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat, you can skip the greasing step.

Can you make the dough ahead of time?

Yes. You can refrigerate the dough for up to 24 hours, and it will be a little easier to scoop once chilled.

Can you leave out the nuts?

Yes. The cookies will be a bit softer and less textured, but they still work well; you can replace the nuts with the same amount of rolled oats if you want to keep some structure.