pumpkin cookies with browned butter & choco chips

Most cookies fall into one of three categories: chewy, thin (crisp & flat), or puffy (cakey). This is from the bible of Alton Brown, who has a recipe to satisfy each preference. If forced to choose, I am chewy ALL THE WAY! I usually avoid cakey cookies like the plague (well, I mean, unless there are no other cookies around, in which case I’ll partake without hesitation, because just about any cookie is always better than no cookie). But I do LOVE my pumpkin treats in the fall — pumpkin pie, pumpkin whoopie pies, harvest squares (my favorite) and even the the oh-so-puffy, the unavoidably cakey, pumpkin cookie. However, when I recently learned that by using pudding mix and browned butter I could combine pumpkin and cookie into something that transcended both the fluffy and the chewy, a texture that melts in your mouth, and a flavor that screams autumn for days, well, I knew the holidays would never be the same. MAKE THESE!

Pumpkin Cookies with Browned Butter

Courtesy SomethingSwanky.com

Yield: 32 cookies, about 165 calories each

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup pumpkin puree or pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 3.4 oz package Jell-O Instant Pudding Mix, Pumpkin Spice Flavor
• 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (I used a blend of semi-sweet and milk chocolate)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Place the butter in a deep microwave safe dish (it bubbles up a little, so it needs to be deep). Microwave for 2 minutes, then stir. Microwave for 2 minutes, then stir. Microwave for 1 minute, then stir. At this point, it should be turning a golden brown color and have a strong scent. If it’s not, heat additionally in 30-second increments until color changes. Mine was perfect at 5 minutes and 30 seconds.
3. Pour the browned butter in the bowl of a stand mixer or in your mixing bowl.
4. Beat together the browned butter, sugar, and brown sugar until well mixed. Add the egg and mix well. Add the pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla extract, baking soda, and salt and mix well.
5. Add the flour and instant pudding mix, and mix just until dough forms.
6. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to mix in the chocolate chips.
7. Scoop by heaping tablespoons onto a parchment or silicon lined baking sheet.
8. Bake for 10 minutes and let cool on pan.