Some cookies just hit different in the fall and these dark chocolate dipped pumpkin spice cookies are at the very top of that list. Thin, chewy in the center, crisp and ripply around the edges, and dipped on the bottom in a layer of dark chocolate that sets up perfectly and makes every single bite taste like the best version of October. The kind of cookie that earns a permanent spot in the fall baking rotation the very first time you make them and that once you have one you immediately need another. I tested this recipe three times to get the texture exactly right and this third version is the one I am most proud of.
The road to getting here was genuinely humbling. The first batch was too cakey which is the most common pumpkin cookie problem and happens because pumpkin puree has such a high water content that it steams the cookie from the inside out and you end up with something that is more muffin top than cookie. The second batch I overcorrected on the flour, baking soda, and sugar ratios trying to get more spread and they came out too thick and dense. The third batch I got the balance exactly right and the moment they came out of the oven with those beautiful rippled edges and that thin profile I knew we had arrived. Three iterations, one perfect cookie. The recipe you are reading now is that third version and it is the one.
The key to achieving that thin, chewy, crispy-edged result with pumpkin is treating the pumpkin puree the same way we treat zucchini in baked goods, you have to blot it. Spread it on paper towels and press out as much moisture as you can before it goes into the dough. You may even have to squeeze it. This is the single most important step in the entire recipe and the one most people skip. It removes the excess water that causes cakiness and allows the cookie to spread thin and develop those gorgeous rippled edges and chewy center that make these so irresistible. Do not skip this step, it changes everything.
The dark chocolate dip on the bottom is the finishing touch that makes these feel like something from a specialty cookie shop. Melted dark chocolate and a tiny splash of coconut oil dipped on the flat bottom of each completely cooled cookie and then set on parchment until the chocolate firms up. The thin layer does not overwhelm the cookie it just adds that rich bitter chocolate contrast to the warm pumpkin spice that makes every bite completely balanced and completely addictive. Make a full batch this fall and hide some for yourself because they will be gone before you know it.
Dark Chocolate Dipped Pumpkin Spice Cookies
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients:
- ½ cup 113g melted butter, cooled but liquid
- ½ cup 100g brown sugar
- 1/2 cup 67g white sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tsp vanilla
- ¼ cup 60g pumpkin purée, squeezed
Dry Ingredients:
- 1 cup 156g AP flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
For the Dipping Chocolate:
- 100 g dark chocolate bar (usually one bar)
- ½ tbs coconut oil
Instructions
- Using a few paper towels, pat the pumpkin puree dry. You may have to squeeze it, you want to get as much liquid out as possible.
- Preheat oven to 350℉ and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine melted butter and both sugars until smooth.
- Add egg yolk, vanilla and squeezed pumpkin puree and mix until combined.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients in two additions, mixing until combined before adding the next part. Mix just until you don't see any more floury bits.
- Using a 1 tbs cookie scoop, scoop balls of dough onto your cookie sheet.
- Bake for 8-9 minutes until the edges are just set. At 8 min, open the oven door, lift the pan up slightly and bang it on the rack twice. This releases any air and gives your cookies ripply edges.
- Let them cool on the pan for 2 min then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Chop chocolate bar into small chunks and pour into a medium microwave safe bowl.
- Add coconut oil and microwave in 30 second increments until melted and completely smooth. (mine took 30-60 seconds)
- Dip the bottoms of each cooled cookie into the dark chocolate and let the excess drip off brushing the side of the cookie on the side of the bowl.
- Place chocolate side down onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and repeat until baking sheet is full.
- Place in the freezer for a few minutes to set up and the cookies should peel right off the paper.
- Store in an air tight container in the fridge for up to one week. Enjoy!
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